Hardship fund: avert energy cuts

Prerequisites

Only people who do not receive benefits under SGB II, SGB XII or AsylbLG and for whom there is no possibility of self-help are eligible for support from the hardship fund. In addition, the utility company must have announced a power cut with a specific date.

Documents required

• Letter from the energy supply company with which you were informed of a date for the blocking or a blocking was carried out. The letter must show the amount of the reminder, a specific blocking date, your personal address and your contract number.
• All income and asset-related documents for you personally and all people who live with you in your household community. In addition to income from employed/self-employed work, income also includes rental income, BAföG, pensions, housing benefit, maintenance, child benefit. Documents relevant to your assets include cash, accounts, savings accounts, securities and residential property you are not using.
• If you are acting on behalf of someone else, you will need a power of attorney

Deadlines

No

Procedure

Find out online whether taking on energy debt is an option. If so, make an appointment with a publicly funded debt counseling service. This will make a binding check as to whether funding from the hardship fund is possible.

Processing time

Individual case dependent

Fees

No

Legal remedies

It is a fund voluntarily provided by the city from which energy debt can be taken over. There is no legal entitlement to debt assumption.

Legal basis

Special fund of the FHH.

High energy costs can put households in distress. In order to mitigate hardship and in addition to federal measures, the so-called hardship fund of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (FHH) is intended to help private individuals to prevent energy cuts (especially power cuts). People in particular emergencies who cannot pay their energy costs and for whom social security systems do not work can receive support by having their debts owed to the energy supply companies (EVU) taken over. The hardship fund is processed through the publicly funded debt counseling centers. A prerequisite for debt assumption from the hardship fund is that the EVU has concluded a corresponding agreement with the FHH.
As of November 29, 2022, only the company Vattenfall has concluded such an agreement. Additional energy suppliers may be added. The current status is available online.