Training is paid work, but the amounts vary enormously. Your own figure follows from three things: the starting year, the year of training, and whether the company is bound by a collective agreement.
Money: pay, the statutory minimum and training assistance
Pay must be appropriate and rise at least annually. Where it does not cover living costs, a separate benefit from the employment agency exists.
✓ Verified: 02/08/2026
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».
DOCUMENTS 3
› Details and tips
👨🏻💻
Max recommends:
I had not asked about collective agreements and was puzzled by pay below the minimum. It was collectively agreed and therefore lawful — better to learn that before signing.
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Lea recommends:
Apply for assistance when training starts, not when the money runs out. The benefit is meant for current living costs and is generally not paid retrospectively for past months.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How much must be paid during training? ▾
The law requires appropriate pay that rises as training progresses, at least annually. Pay is not appropriate if it falls below the statutory minimum for the year in which the training began.
How is the minimum determined now? ▾
For training starting between 2020 and 2023 the statute names fixed amounts. From 1 January 2024 the amount is updated annually and announced by the federal ministry of education. The uplifts follow from it: second year plus eighteen per cent, third plus thirty-five, fourth plus forty.
May a company pay below the minimum? ▾
Yes, in one case: a collective pay agreement binding on the training company is also appropriate even where it falls below the minimum. That is why the question about collective agreements belongs in the interview.
What if the pay does not cover living costs? ▾
Vocational training assistance from the employment agency exists for that. The entitlement requires three things at once: the training is eligible for support, the person belongs to the eligible group, and the necessary means for living costs, travel and other expenses are not available from elsewhere.