The future traffic light government wants to relieve families with state vouchers for domestic help.

“We are introducing a system of everyday helpers for families.

The state gives families a subsidy in the form of vouchers so that they can afford legal help in the household, ”said Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) in charge of“ Bild am Sonntag ”.

As a first step, families with children, single parents and people who look after relatives should receive an annual bonus of a maximum of 2000 euros.

With that they could afford everyday helpers, said the minister.

Parents of small children or caregiving relatives in particular needed support with cleaning the apartment, with childcare or care.

“But normal wage earners,” said Heil, “often cannot afford to hire a regular, socially insured worker for this help”.

Some avoided working illegally, and many tried “to manage their everyday life with job and family alone”.

State and family should share the costs

According to the new model, the state and family should share the costs of everyday helpers.

"40 percent are paid through the grant, 60 percent by the citizens themselves," said Heil.

Billing should be regulated using an app that certified companies could use to offer their services.

The family books a service such as weekly cleaning of the apartment, enters the voucher code sent by the authorities and automatically only has to pay 60 percent.

The company settles the voucher with the responsible authority.

In his own words, the minister also wants to use the reform to combat the black market and improve working conditions for people who do household services.

The everyday helpers also benefit because they are socially insured and receive an hourly wage of at least 12 euros.

Everyday helpers should get out of illegal work

"They are not servants without rights, but get the protection and respect they deserve," said Heil.

Everyday helpers should get out of illegal work “and become a completely normal job in Germany”.

Heil wants to prepare his project as labor minister-designate in 2022.

From 2023 there should be vouchers for families, single parents and carers.

For the first year, the future coalition expects costs of 400 million euros.

In a second step, everyone should receive the state grant.

Then every household should get an everyday helper voucher.

"Then it will cost around 1.6 billion euros," says Heil.

The state also has counter-income through the social security contributions and taxes of everyday helpers.

"A completely new job market and progress in family policy," said the SPD politician.