Starting allowance (§16b SGB II)

Recipients of citizen's allowance who are about to take up a job or become self-employed.

If you receive social assistance, it should be financially worthwhile for you to work again. To ensure that this is also the case for initially low-paid jobs, you can be supported with the entry-level grant when you start working.

The so-called entry-level grant can be applied for if you are about to take up a job whose remuneration is not or hardly above your previous social assistance.

The job center can also pay entry-level grants for a fixed-term position or a part-time position. This depends, among other things, on whether this improves your chances on the labor market in the long term.

You can also receive entry-level grants if you want to become self-employed.

The basic requirement for the entry-level grant is that you receive social assistance immediately before taking up employment. It does not matter whether you support yourself solely through social assistance or supplement your income.

You must also meet the following further requirements:

• The employment is subject to social security, i.e. contributions to social security are deducted from your remuneration.
• The job offers you good prospects of no longer being dependent on social assistance.
• You apply for the entry-level grant before you start the new job. Important: You cannot apply retrospectively.

How much start-up money you receive depends on your personal circumstances. There is no legal entitlement to a certain amount. For example, it plays a role whether you live alone or with other people in a needs community. Furthermore, it is decisive how long you have been unemployed and what your chances are on the job market.

It can also be agreed that the amount will change during the funding period: for example, you can receive more start-up money in the first months of the new employment than at the end of the approval period. This is determined by your contact person at the job center at the beginning of the funding.

You will receive start-up money for a maximum of 24 months. It is paid out at the beginning of the month and is not taken into account. This means that the start-up money is paid out to you without deductions and not credited to your citizen's income.