Wages for nursing staff in BW are rising – nursing home costs are exploding!

Wages for nursing staff in BW are rising – nursing home costs are exploding!

The care industry in Baden-Württemberg is currently looking like a hot potato. On November 1st, 2025 the time has come: the average hourly wage for nursing staff will rise from 23.35 euros to 23.99 euros. Although this wage increase sounds like a positive step, it also has its downsides. Because the higher payment leads to an increase in the personal contributions for residents of nursing homes by around 100 euros per month, like SWR reported.

Although a large part of these costs are covered by relief surcharges from the nursing care insurance funds, with an average of 30 euros per month, the bottom line is that there remains a high financial burden for those affected. The total additional expenditure on nursing care insurance is estimated to be around 260 million euros per year. This development could hit older people particularly hard, as their own contributions have already increased significantly in recent years.

Financial burdens in view

The situation reminds us that nursing care insurance only covers part of the actual costs. There are also personal expenses for accommodation, food and investments in care facilities. The personal contribution for those in need of care in Baden-Württemberg rose sharply last year. In July 2024, the monthly self-payment in the first year in the nursing home averaged 3,180 euros, which is 149 euros more than in the middle of 2023. This means that the pension of many affected people is often not enough to cover the costs incurred, which forces many to make use of additional retirement provision or savings, such as Financial tip shows.

Fortunately, there are various support offers such as “Help for Care”, which can be applied for if the care itself cannot be financed. In 2022, around 377,000 people received this support, with the majority living in nursing homes. However, the decline in the number of recipients is noticeable - a decline of almost 6% compared to the previous year shows that fewer and fewer people are in inpatient facilities.

The inevitable costs

Another point that cannot be missing from the discussion is the reform that came into force on January 1, 2022. It stipulates that subsidies of up to 70% of the personal contribution can be paid for fully inpatient care services (care levels 2 to 5). Despite this help, those affected often have to use up their assets to receive support. From 2024, at least 10,000 euros can be kept as protective assets, which could be a small relief for many.

Overall, it is clear that financing care is a complex issue. The rising costs require both those in need of care and their relatives to be careful when planning their financial resources. It remains to be hoped that politicians will provide more transparent solutions in the future and further improve support for those in need of care and their families. However, the discussion only really goes into detail when you look at the various regional support offers, such as nursing housing benefit in Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia. These have lower hurdles than “assistance with care” and can provide welcome relief in certain cases.

In view of all of these financial challenges, it remains to be noted that the care industry remains an explosive matter not only for its employees, but above all for the people who are dependent on care. The constant adjustments to wages and the necessary support are therefore of utmost importance in order to secure and improve the quality of life of people in need of care in Baden-Württemberg.