1. Upfront child allowance
The monthly allowance of 20 euros is provided to children, young people and adults below the age of 25 who live in a household with their parents or a single parent, and who receive Arbeitslosengeld [Unemployment Benefit] II, Sozialgeld [Income Support], or Bildung und Teilhabe [Education and Participation] benefits according to SGB [Social Code] II. The upfront allowance shall be provided per child for the first time starting in July 2022. This special payment will not be paid simultaneously with the remaining entitlements. Children who are eligible for child benefit receive the upfront allowance in the form of an increase in child benefit, the maximum amount thus rising to 229 euros monthly.
Families who have already applied for the aforementioned benefits or who receive these do not have to actively react to the changes: the amount paid out shall be adjusted automatically from July, the payment being made via the respective responsible institutions such as the job centre or, in the case of child benefit, by way of the BA's Family Benefits Institution. According to SGB II, the allowance is usually disbursed during the month, and not simultaneously in advance as with the other entitlements.
2. 2022 child bonus
The German government's relief package also includes a 2022 Child Bonus in the form of a 'one-shot' contribution amounting to 100 euros, payable to families eligible for child benefit. The time period for disbursement is also expected to be July. The child bonus is paid out automatically and does not have to be applied for.
Important note: from 1 June 2022, refugees from the Ukraine do not require gainful employment to be eligible for child benefit, in other words they require no evidence that they are in work.
3. 'One-shot' contribution to basic social security
Beneficiaries who in July 2022 have a claim to Unemployment Benefit II or income support, and whose requirements are based on Regelbedarfsstufe [Regular Requirement Level] 1 (Regular requirement for singles and single parents) or 2 (Regular requirement for partners of full age), shall receive a one-off payment of 200 euros. This benefit consists of a direct lump sum as compensation for possible additional financial burdens resulting from the pandemic as well as current price increases. The benefits will be granted ex officio, and separate confirmation shall be issued for the one-off payment. No special application to the job centre is required.
4. 'One-shot' energy expenses contribution to unemployment benefit
The Upfront and One-Time Payment Act is the implementation of the "Federal Package of Measures for Alleviation of High Energy Costs", which aims to ease the burden of citizens.
The 'one-shot' allowance of 100 euros goes to persons who in the month of July 2022 have a claim of at least one day to Arbeitslosengeld [Unemployment benefit]. An exception shall be made for persons who have a claim in the same period to a one-off payment according to SGB II. No application is required, and the payment shall be granted ex officio, expected from August 2022.
5. Heating costs allowance
The Heating Costs Allowance is granted to persons who receive BAB [Vocational training benefit] or Abg [Education benefit], and who live outside of the parental household but not in a hostel or boarding school. It is also for Abg beneficiaries who attend introductory or vocational training measures in WfbM [Certified workshops for handicapped persons] or equivalent measures by other service providers. A minimum of one month of the BAB or Abg eligibility period must lie within the period from 1 October 2021 until 31 March 2022. Furthermore, the BAB or Abg beneficiaries may not themselves have a claim to the Heating Costs Allowance as beneficiaries of a housing allowance nor may they be members of a household which has a claim to a heating costs allowance granted to them by the Housing Allowance Authority which has been included in the latter's calculation.
The Heating Costs Allowance is a one-off payment of 230 euros, and is granted ex officio, which means that no application is necessary. The Heating Costs Allowance will be paid out at the end of July 2022 at the earliest.
Note: The second paragraph under point 4 was adjusted on 07.06.2022.
Note: The second paragraph under point 5 was adjusted on 11.07.2022.