A method for determining an amount of charge uses a capacitive structure which has an electrode device, a dielectric material with a voltage-dependent permittivity, and a counter-electrode device. The method has an adjusting step, an applying step, and a detecting step. In the adjusting step, an electric reference potential is adjusted between the electrode device and the counter-electrode device in order to adjust a reference capacity. In the applying step, an electrical potential resulting from the amount of charge is applied in addition to the reference potential in order to obtain a resulting capacity. In the detecting step, a capacity change is detected between the reference capacity and the resulting capacity in order to determine the amount of charge.