Diligence pays: every Sperrzeit week irreversibly costs ~€250–450. Document applications, keep appointments, clear absences — boring, but expensive to skip.
Duties — and Side Income Without Losses
The benefit is a contract with duties: applications, appointments, availability. Side jobs up to 15 hours/week are allowed; €165 a month stays uncounted.
✓ Verified: 18/07/2026
WHAT TO DO
AUTHORITY
Agentur für Arbeit (Bundesagentur für Arbeit)
Public bodyUnemployment benefit I, start-up grants and job placement all run through the Agentur für Arbeit where you live. Find your branch under «Dienststelle vor Ort».
› Details and tips
👨🏻💻
Max recommends:
All applications go into a table with screenshots: date, company, channel. At the first dispute over own efforts the table settled it in a minute.
👩🏼💼
Lea recommends:
Read every agency letter on arrival day: an invitation with legal-consequences notice must never be missed — unexcused absence cuts the benefit.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The job proposal does not fit — may I decline? ▾
Formally declining without good cause means a suspension. But applying and honestly interviewing is allowed: not being hired is no violation.
Can I go on holiday while on ALG I? ▾
Up to 3 weeks a year — with prior agency approval (Ortsabwesenheit). Leaving without asking costs those days — sometimes more.
Do I have to accept any job offer? ▾
Reasonableness widens over time: from month 4 clearly worse conditions apply, from month 7 almost any feasible job. Refusing without good cause = Sperrzeit.