Overview
- A Deutsche Richterzeitung survey reported Monday that Germany’s social courts received more than 300,000 new cases in 2025, with main lawsuits rising about 10% to roughly 263,500 and urgent interim applications up about 47% to nearly 40,000.
- The increase is uneven: North Rhine‑Westphalia recorded almost 74,000 new cases in 2025 while Berlin logged 23,305 and its largest social court said it saw more than a 30% rise in new filings in the first quarter of 2026.
- The sharp jump in Eilverfahren, which are applications for provisional relief, has created acute scheduling pressure because those cases need fast hearings and short‑term decisions.
- The Deutscher Richterbund says the rise is driven mainly by conflicts over the Bürgergeld and social‑insurance claims and warns courts will struggle to cope without extra judges and staff.
- Courts expect caseloads to grow further after the planned switch from the Bürgergeld to a new Grundsicherung on July 1, 2026, which could mean longer waits for claimants and more legal uncertainty over benefit entitlements.