If you have lost your job, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits under certain conditions. To be eligible, you must belong to one of the following groups:

• You are from the European Union (EU), a citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.
• You have a valid settlement or residence permit that allows you to work in Germany.

You must also meet further requirements for unemployment benefits (in German).

Citizen’s benefit is a state benefit that you can apply for at your local job centre if you are unable to finance your own living expenses.
If you do not have German citizenship, there are additional requirements that must be met in addition to the general eligibility requirements (in German).

You can receive citizen’s benefit if you:

• positiv:are self-employed or employed
• positiv:come from a country in the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, were previously employed in Germany and are involuntarily unemployed, or
• positiv:come from another country (third country) and have a residence permit that entitles you to receive citizen’s benefit.

You are not eligible for citizen’s benefit if you

• negativ:are not legally resident in Germany,
• negativ:have come to Germany solely to look for work or
• negativ:are receiving financial support under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act.

If you are subject to a residence regulation, you must comply with it and observe the associated rules.

Further information on the services offered by job centres can be found on the website: Jobcenter: Support for people from abroad (in German).

Child benefit is paid for biological, foster or adopted children under the age of 18. In some cases, child benefit is also available for children over the age of 18. You can receive it if you belong to one of these groups:

• You are a citizen of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.
• You are in employment subject to social insurance contributions or you receive unemployment benefit or sickness benefit. You are also a national of one of the following countries:
  • Algeria
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Kosovo
  • Morocco
  • Montenegro
  • Serbia
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
• You have a valid settlement or residence permit that allows you to work in Germany.

You must also meet additional requirements for child benefit (in German).

The child allowance helps families with low incomes. You receive the allowance in addition to child benefit. You can receive it if you belong to one of these groups:

• You are from the European Union (EU), a citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.
• You belong to the group of persons entitled to incontestably recognised political asylum.

You must also meet several other requirements for the child allowance (in German). We will be happy to inform you of these in a personal consultation.
 

Parental allowance and Parental Allowance Plus are financial support payments from the state for parents. 

If you are from an EU member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, are employed in Germany or live in Germany, you are entitled to parental allowance. You will also receive parental allowance if you have a settlement permit.

If you have a residence permit, you are only entitled to parental allowance if you are allowed to work in Germany.

If you have a residence permit in cases of hardship, for temporary protection, if your deportation has been suspended or if there are obstacles to your departure, you will only receive parental allowance after a stay of 3 years.

Find out what the general requirements are for receiving parental allowance and Parental Allowance Plus.

There are other financial benefits you can receive:

• If you are the sole carer for your child and receive citizen’s benefit, you can receive additional benefits for single parents (in German).
• You can receive childcare costs (in German) if, for example, you want to continue your education or gain qualifications.
• Entry-level training (EQ) (in German) is also subsidised. This is a longer internship that can help you find a training place.

We will be happy to provide you with information about these and other financial benefits, the requirements you must meet and where you can apply for them.

Contact us