Apply for a loan or subsidy for training

Prerequisites

If you find yourself in a financial emergency at the beginning or during your apprenticeship, you can apply for benefits for apprentices. The following applies:

Generally

• As a trainee, you are not entitled to social benefits such as citizen's income and
• You are in a financial emergency
• You cannot support yourself.

As a rule, you can benefit from the services mentioned:

• Students who do not live with their parents
• Apprentices who have reached the statutory BAföG age limit
• Apprentices in vocational training or a pre-vocational training measure who are housed with full board
  • in a boarding school or
  • in a dorm.
• Trainees with disabilities who are entitled to training allowance, for example during vocational training, pre-vocational training or basic training and who are accommodated
  • in a boarding school
  • in a dorm or
  • in a special facility for people with disabilities,

if the costs for board and lodging are covered by the Employment Agency or another service provider.

loans in general

• Without a loan, the start of your training or its successful completion would be jeopardized for financial reasons.

hardship loan

• You are not able to earn extra money with a part-time job, for example because
  • you are a single parent or
  • you have a disability or
  • you are caring for a relative or
  • your residence permit in Germany does not allow it.
• You can be classified as a case of hardship if extraordinary, serious circumstances endanger your education and/or you find yourself in an emergency situation that threatens your existence.

hardship allowance

• You are at least 45 years old and can therefore no longer receive BAföG due to age
• You are in school training, without which your professional integration is seriously jeopardized, but you are not studying.
• You can be classified as a case of hardship if extraordinary, serious circumstances endanger your education and/or you find yourself in an emergency situation that threatens your existence.

Documents required

• Application forms:
  • The application for benefits for trainees and students according to § 27 SGB II can be made informally. It is generally made with the main application ("Application for benefits to secure subsistence according to Book Two of the Social Code (SGB II)"). However, so that the job center can receive the information from the applicants that it needs to check the entitlement to benefits and, if applicable, the amount, the job center may provide its own forms.
• Valid identification document:
  • identity card or
  • valid passport with current registration certificate
  • residence permit
• Proof of income, for example a wage certificate or current account statements (e.g. for pensions, sickness benefit, child benefit, maintenance, maintenance advance, training allowance, BAföG)
• Proof of training or studies (e.g. training or enrollment certificate)
• Evidence of existing assets (e.g. savings, shares, securities, building loan contracts)
• Evidence of expenses, e.g. by presenting bank statements (or e.g. rental agreement, rental receipts, heating costs, documents on insurance contributions)
• Evidence of earlier receipt of benefits, also from another job center (approval notice, proof of performance)

Deadlines

There is no deadline. However, the benefits will only be granted from the first of the month in which you submitted the application. Therefore, make sure that you submit the application as soon as possible when you become aware of your financial need or announce it and not only afterwards.

Procedure

You must apply for a loan or grant. The application is informal. Alternatively, you can also submit an application using the online application for citizen's income.

• Inquire at the job center responsible for your place of residence about the application process.
• Services for additional additional needs must be applied for. Application forms are available for this purpose, which you can pick up at the job center or have them sent to you. You can also find the forms online.
• Your responsible job center may use a separate application form to apply for a loan, a hardship grant or initial equipment for pregnancy and childbirth. Your job center will tell you which documents you need to submit for your specific case.
• Fill out the application form.
• If you are not yet of legal age, have a legal guardian sign the application.
• The job center will check your application.
• The job center will check your assets and income.
• The job center makes a decision on a case-by-case basis.
  • Hardship subsidy: The responsible placement specialist decides whether the requirements for a subsidy are met.
• You will receive notification as to whether your application has been approved or rejected.
• If you are granted a loan, the job center will agree with you when and how you will repay the money.

Processing time

A processing time of 2 to 4 weeks is aimed for. The documents must be available for this.

Fees

There is no cost to you if you have an account. If you do not have an account, you will receive a payment instruction for a cash payment


(ZzV bar). This is a check. However, this will incur costs that will be deducted directly from the service to which you are entitled. Since the amount of the costs for the payment order can vary, please contact your local job center for more information. You can have the check paid out in cash. Payment is made exclusively via the Postbank branches. The ZzV-Bar is a means of payment from Postbank AG, the use of which was agreed separately between the Federal Employment Agency and Postbank.

Legal remedies

• contradiction


• summary proceedings before the social court


• Complaint before the social court

Legal basis

Section 27 Book Two of the Social Code (SGB II)

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_2/__27.html


§ 7 paragraph 5 and 6 second book of the Social Security Code (SGB II)

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_2/__7.html


Section 21 paragraphs 2, 3, 5 and 6, second book of the Social Security Code (SGB II)

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_2/__21.html


Section 24 paragraph 3 number 2 and paragraph 4 second book of the Social Security Code (SGB II)

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_2/__24.html

During (external) company training or, for example, a pre-vocational training measure, you may have an additional entitlement to citizen income. However, priority should be given to vocational training grants or training allowances.
The same applies if you are a student in school and receive BAföG benefits. Even if you receive BAföG during your studies and live in your parents' household, you can receive supplementary citizen's income. The following services are therefore not relevant for you.
If you are studying and not living with your parents, are in training and are not entitled to BAföG funding (e.g. because you have exceeded the maximum funding period or the age limit) or are in training and in a boarding school, the following benefits may apply to you :

Services for supplementary additional requirements
Under certain conditions, you can apply for a subsidy for so-called additional needs in addition to the training grant (e.g. BAföG benefits). These include:

• Additional requirements for expectant mothers
• Additional needs for single parents
• Additional need for medically necessary costly nutrition
• Additional requirement if there is an unavoidable, ongoing, not just one-off special requirement in individual cases (e.g. costs for exercising the right of access)

If you have income that exceeds your regular needs and the costs for your accommodation and heating, the excess amount reduces the benefit for the additional needs.

Initial equipment for pregnancy and childbirth
If you are pregnant or have given birth to a child, you are entitled to additional financial support for initial equipment such as clothing or furniture. The condition is that you are in a financial emergency.

hardship loan
In cases of particular hardship, you can receive a loan during your training. This is possible if extraordinary, serious circumstances endanger your training and/or you find yourself in an emergency situation that threatens your existence.
You can receive a hardship loan if you do not receive BAföG or your BAföG benefits are not sufficient to cover your cost of living and you are not able to remedy the situation by taking up employment.
You must repay the interest-free hardship loan after the training.

hardship allowance
If you, as a pupil in school training, do not receive any training support because you have exceeded a certain age limit and are in a hardship case, you may be able to receive a subsidy if this is absolutely necessary for integration into working life. The grant can be paid for

• standard and additional requirements,
• Requirements for accommodation and heating,
• Contributions to health and long-term care insurance.

The age limit for training grants is usually 45 years, further exceptions are possible.
Students cannot receive a hardship grant, only a hardship loan.

interim loan
If you are already receiving basic security benefits and are starting an apprenticeship, you can receive a transitional loan for the first month. This loan can help you bridge a financial gap until you receive your first student allowance or scholarship. It prevents your training start from being jeopardized. It is only granted for the first month of training and is paid at the beginning of the month. The amount is based on the citizen's income.
You have to repay the interest-free loan after the training.