The filing rule: main application first, papers follow. Waiting for the complete package means gifting the state weeks of benefits.
The Jobcenter Application — Done Right
File online (jobcenter.digital) or on paper. Completeness decides: income, accounts and rent of the whole benefit household.
✓ Verified: 17/10/2026
WHAT TO DO
AUTHORITY
Jobcenter
Public bodyApply for Grundsicherungsgeld (formerly Bürgergeld) (SGB II) at the Jobcenter where you live — online via jobcenter.digital.
Where to go in your city →› Details and tips
👨🏻💻
Max recommends:
Applied online via jobcenter.digital in one evening: scans of passport, lease, account. The decision came in 3 weeks — with back pay from the application month, as designed.
👩🏼💼
Lea recommends:
Hand in every document as a copy with your own date note, show originals only. The what-I-submitted folder with dates settles 90 percent of future missing-papers disputes.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
My rent exceeds the reasonable level — will they force a move? ▾
In the first year (grace period) the actual base rent is covered, but at most one and a half times the abstractly appropriate amount (§ 22 Absatz 1 SGB II); heating within limits. Later a cost-reduction procedure may follow, but moving is the last resort with long procedures.
Can I apply without complete documents? ▾
Yes — and should: the informal application locks the month, payments run from the first of the application month. Documents follow; waiting for the full folder gifts the state weeks.
My partner works — automatic rejection? ▾
The whole benefit household counts: the partner income minus allowances goes against the total need. A partial claim (topping up) is a frequent outcome.
How much savings may I keep? ▾
The age-based allowance applies: €5,000 up to 30, €10,000 from 31, €12,500 from 41 and €20,000 from 51 per person in the household (§ 12 Absatz 2 SGB II). Since 1 July 2026 the grace period protects only owner-occupied housing, no longer savings.