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If you do not have enough money to finance your own livelihood, you can apply for citizen benefit.
You can find your contact person using the office finder under Forms, Services & Links.
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Detailed description

Citizens' allowance (basic income for job seekers) is a benefit for people of working age who cannot cover their own living expenses. Children in need of assistance also receive citizens' allowance.

Citizens' income ensures a minimum subsistence level and enables you to participate in cultural and social life. At the same time, you receive support in your search for work or qualification opportunities.

Anyone who receives citizen’s allowance must work to ensure that he or she can stand on his or her own two feet again as quickly as possible.

Citizens' allowance is only paid upon application. If you have previously received unemployment benefit II or social benefit, you will receive citizens' allowance from January 1, 2023.

The citizen’s allowance is transferred to your account every month in advance.

If you receive citizen's allowance, you will receive a lump sum to cover your living expenses (standard needs). It covers needs such as food, clothing and personal hygiene and is adjusted annually. The following amounts apply to the standard needs levels (RBS) for 2024:

  • Single people, single parents, adults with underage partners: EUR 563.00 (RBS 1)
  • Adult partners: 506.00 EUR (RBS 2)
  • Other adults aged 18 - 24 and persons under 25 who move out of their parents' home without the consent of the local authority (18 - 24 years): EUR 451.00 (RBS 3)
  • Children aged 14 - 17: 471.00 EUR (RBS 4)
  • Children aged 6 - 13 years: 390.00 EUR (RBS 5)
  • Children from 0 - 5 years: 357,00 EUR (RBS 6)
  • Children, adolescents and young adults also receive a monthly immediate supplement of EUR 20.00 (RBS 3-6).

If you need more money due to special circumstances, you can receive additional benefits. This applies, for example, to expectant mothers from the 13th week of pregnancy, single parents, people with disabilities who receive benefits to participate in working life or people who require expensive nutrition for medical reasons.

If you receive citizen's allowance, the costs of your accommodation and heating will be covered. In the first year of receiving benefits, the actual costs of your apartment will be covered (net rent). From the second year of receiving benefits, the costs will only be covered if they are reasonable. Heating costs will also only be covered to a reasonable extent in the first year. What costs are reasonable depends on where you live.

If you are under 25 years old and unmarried and want to move out of your parents' home or one of your parents' homes, you can only receive citizen's allowance if you have a guarantee from the job center. You must apply for the guarantee. In emergencies where your livelihood is at risk, you can get a loan by submitting a separate application.

The standard allowance already includes an amount for savings. This means that you have to pay for new purchases and replacements from the money saved from the standard allowance. You can also receive one-off support in certain situations. Examples of this include the initial furnishing of the apartment or during pregnancy and childbirth.

You can receive the contributions to your health and nursing care insurance.

You will receive benefits for your children for "Education and Participation in Social and Cultural Life" (BuT). These are automatically applied for with the main application, for example for
School trips, lunch, school supplies or tutoring.

When calculating your citizen’s allowance, your income and assets and those of all people you live with are taken into account.

The citizen's allowance can be reduced due to breaches of duty or failure to report. If you do not comply with agreements to cooperate, these obligations can be legally binding for you. There will be no reduction in benefits if there is an important reason or if this would lead to exceptional hardship. You have the opportunity to present the circumstances of your case.

 

Information

Prerequisites

You are employable. That means you

  • be able to work at least 3 hours a day and
  • are at least 15 years old and have not yet reached the age limit for statutory pension insurance. If you were born after 1963, this is 67 years. If you were born before 1964, you can look up the age limit that applies to you in the table in § 7a SGB II.
  • You are in need of help. This means that you cannot cover your livelihood and the maintenance of your benefit community entirely from your own resources and resources of the benefit community.
  • You have no priority claims against other service providers or other persons, such as a divorced spouse or the father or mother of your child.
  • You live in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Documents required

  • Application forms
  • valid identification document:
    • Identity card or
    • valid passport with current registration certificate
    • residence permit
  • Proof of income, for example a pay slip or current bank statements (for example for pensions, sick pay, child benefit, maintenance, maintenance advance)
  • Evidence of existing assets (e.g. savings, shares, securities, building society contracts)
  • Evidence of expenses, for example by submitting bank statements (or, for example, rental agreement, rental receipts, heating costs, documents on insurance contributions)
  • Evidence of previous benefit receipt (approval notice, proof of benefits)
  • if you submit the application following an employment relationship:
    • Employment documents (including letters of termination or declaration of termination of employment)
    • Employment certificate (to be completed by the employer)

Please note

The Citizens' Allowance Act will comprehensively reform basic security for job seekers in 2023 and bring it up to date.

Deadlines

There is no deadline. However, benefits will only be granted from the month in which you submitted your application.


If you are currently receiving unemployment benefits, it is advisable to submit your application early before these benefits expire so that you do not get into financial difficulties.

Procedure

To receive citizen's allowance, you must submit an application. This can also be done online.

Apply for Citizen’s Allowance in writing:

  • You contact the responsible authority.
  • The responsible authority will discuss your concerns with you and you will receive all the application forms and documents that you need to fill out.
  • The application forms can be sent to you if you wish, for example by phone or email. You can also find the application forms on the Internet.
  • Fill out the application forms for citizen's allowance. You can get help from the responsible office or use the instructions for filling out the form, which are available in German.
  • Submit your complete application documents to your job center
  • The job center decides on your application. The decision on your application will be communicated to you in writing by post.

Apply for citizen’s allowance online:

  • Access the online application for Citizens’ Allowance on the Internet.
  • Follow the instructions and fill out the application online.
  • If you already have evidence for your application, please upload it as well. If you are unable or unwilling to submit evidence yet, you can do so later or when the responsible authority asks you to do so.
  • The responsible authority will decide on your application. The decision on your application will be communicated to you in writing by post or online.

Processing time

For initial applications in the benefit area, an average processing time of a maximum of 14 working days is aimed for. For this, the documents must be complete.

Fees

There are no costs involved in having an account.




If you do not have an account, you will receive a payment order for a cash payment (ZzV-Bar). This is a check. However, this will incur costs that will be deducted directly from the benefit you are entitled to. Since the amount of the costs for the payment order can vary, please contact your responsible office for more information. You can have the check paid out in cash. Payments are only made via Postbank branches.

Legal remedies


  • contradiction

  • summary proceedings before the social court

  • Complaint before the social court

Legal basis

Second Book of the Social Code (SGB II)

www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_2

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Keywords: Employment agency Job centre ALG 2 Unemployment II Hartz IV citizen money

Last updated: 07.11.2024