Grundsicherungsgeld (formerly Bürgergeld) at the Jobcenter Berlin
The German version of this page has been changed, this translation has not. Please rely on the German page.
You can work, but your money is not enough to live on? Then you can apply for money at the Jobcenter. Until June 2026 this benefit was called Bürgergeld. Since 1 July 2026 it is called Grundsicherungsgeld (basic income support).
Berlin has 12 Jobcenters, one per district. The Jobcenter for your place of residence is responsible.
Not all foreign nationals receive this benefit.
Apply early. It applies from the first of the month in which you file the application — not earlier. You must provide documents and attend appointments. Anyone who misses appointments receives less money.
Important: if you have a visa or a residence title, ask an advice center beforehand. Money from the Jobcenter can play a role when your title is extended.
Not sure whether this route fits you or what comes first? We assess your situation for free and name the right contact points.
Reply by email, usually within two working days. Free, no legal advice in individual cases.
- Check whether you are generally entitledEntitled are people aged 15 and over who are capable of work and in need of assistance and who have their habitual residence in Germany (§ 7 Abs. 1 SGB II). Exclusions apply for foreign nationals — see the specialist section. Those in a course of training or study eligible for BAföG support generally do not receive Grundsicherungsgeld for living expenses (§ 7 Abs. 5 SGB II).
- Find the responsible JobcenterBerlin has 12 Jobcenters, one per district (e.g. Jobcenter Berlin Mitte, Jobcenter Berlin Neukölln). Your district of residence determines which one. The Bundesagentur für Arbeit offers an office search.
- File the application — online, on paper, or in personOnline via jobcenter.digital (an account with the Bundesagentur für Arbeit is needed), with a paper form by post, or in person. At Jobcenter Berlin Mitte, also at the Neukundencenter (new customer center). File the application in the same month in which you need money.
- Have documents readyNamed documents include: ID/passport, for foreign nationals additionally a valid residence title (possibly with a supplementary sheet) and registration certificate, employment contracts/proof of income, rental contract and utility bill statement (Jobcenter Berlin Mitte). The application is only finally reviewed once all supporting documents are available.
- Attend appointments and cooperateAfter the application, a counseling meeting follows; a cooperation plan sets out offers and obligations. Attend every appointment or cancel with a valid reason. Since the reform, missed appointments lead to reductions more quickly.
- Check the decision notice, file an objection if neededYou receive a written decision notice. If you disagree, you can file an objection with the Jobcenter within one month (§ 84 Abs. 1 SGG). Get advice while doing so.
- Apply for continued approval in timeApproval is generally granted for one year (§ 41 Abs. 3 SGB II). After that you must file an application for continued approval — online or in writing.
- According to sgb2.info (report dated 19.11.2025), the law was not yet in force; the Bundestag reported on hearings and deliberations in early 2026. Whether it had been passed and entered into force by 25.09.2026 could not be documented — no confirmed information is available for this. Those affected should ask the Jobcenter or an advice center about the current status.
- Residence law: the granting and extension of many residence titles generally requires that livelihood be secured (§ 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 AufenthG). Receiving Grundsicherungsgeld can therefore affect your residence status. What consequences may arise in an individual case depends on the title — get advice before applying (see the "Erwerbsmigration" section, residence titles).
- The Berlin Jobcenter pages still partly use the old terms "Bürgergeld" and "Grundsicherung" side by side (Jobcenter Berlin Mitte page, retrieved 25.09.2026). The same benefit under SGB II is meant.
- The new sanction rules and asset rules of the reform apply, according to the Federal Government, "gradually" from 1 July 2026, with further changes to follow in stages. The protected-asset amounts by age are set out in § 12 Absatz 2 SGB II: up to age 30, 5,000 euros; from age 31, 10,000 euros; from age 41, 12,500 euros; from age 51, 20,000 euros.
In depth · Legal basis, figures and practice – for counsellors and professionals
Reform: from Bürgergeld to Grundsicherungsgeld (federal law)
The Bundestag decided the restructuring of Bürgergeld into Grundsicherung on 5 March 2026 (320 votes in favor, 268 against, 2 abstentions; bundestag.de). According to the Federal Government, the new rules "zum 1. Juli 2026 schrittweise in Kraft getreten" (entered into force gradually as of 1 July 2026); the cash benefit "Bürgergeld" has since been called "Grundsicherungsgeld". The Bundesagentur für Arbeit confirms: "Die Änderungen gelten ab dem 01.07.2026" (the changes apply from 01.07.2026). Key contents according to the Federal Government (as of 1 July 2026):
- Priority on placement: "Zunächst geprüft, ob eine umgehende Vermittlung in Arbeit möglich ist" (first checked whether immediate placement into work is possible). Those able to work must "seine Arbeitskraft im maximal zumutbaren Umfang einsetzen" (use their capacity to work to the maximum reasonable extent). A cooperation plan contains individual offers.
- Benefit reductions: for breaches of obligation (e.g. dropping out of a measure) "30 Prozent für jeweils drei Monate" (30 percent for three months each time); for a missed reporting appointment from the second occurrence onward, "30 Prozent für einen Monat" (30 percent for one month); after three no-shows, entitlement can be withdrawn entirely (according to bundestag.de, including housing costs). In the case of refusal to work, the standard benefit is withdrawn for at least one, at most two months.
- Assets: the one-year grace period (Karenzzeit) for protected assets has been abolished; the level of protected assets is now tied to age. Under § 12 Absatz 2 SGB II: up to age 30, 5,000 euros; from age 31, 10,000 euros; from age 41, 12,500 euros; from age 51, 20,000 euros.
- Housing costs: are capped even during the one-year grace period at "die anderthalbfache Höhe der allgemeinen Angemessenheitsgrenze" (one and a half times the general reasonableness threshold).
Amount: standard benefit rates (Regelbedarfe) 2026
2026 had a zero-adjustment year; the standard benefit rates are unchanged (Federal Government, as of 1 January 2026): standard benefit level 1 (single people/single parents) 563 euros, level 2 (couples, per partner) 506 euros, level 3 (adults in institutions) 451 euros, level 4 (youths 14–17 years) 471 euros, level 5 (children 6–13 years) 390 euros, level 6 (children 0–5 years) 357 euros. In addition come the reasonable costs of housing and heating.
Entitlement and exclusions for foreign nationals — § 7 SGB II
Basic requirements (§ 7 Abs. 1 Satz 1 SGB II): having reached age 15, capability for work, need for assistance, habitual residence in Germany. Excluded under § 7 Abs. 1 Satz 2 SGB II are:
- Foreign nationals who are neither employees nor self-employed in Germany, nor entitled to freedom of movement under § 2 Abs. 3 FreizügG/EU, and their family members, for the first three months of their stay. This does not apply to people with a residence title under Chapter 2 Section 5 AufenthG (grounds under international law, humanitarian, or political grounds; Satz 3).
- Foreign nationals a) who have no right of residence or b) whose right of residence arises solely from the purpose of seeking work, seeking a training or study place, or from a residence permit under § 20a AufenthG, and their family members.
Exception to the exception (§ 7 Abs. 1 Sätze 4–6 SGB II): anyone who has had their habitual residence in Germany for at least five years receives benefits despite Nr. 2 — unless loss of the right to freedom of movement under § 2 Abs. 1 FreizügG/EU has been established. The period begins with registration at the registration office; periods of unlawful residence with an obligation to leave do not count. EU citizens working in Germany (employees/self-employed) are not covered by Nr. 1; supplementary benefits ("topping up") are then possible.
Trainees and students whose training is in principle eligible for support under BAföG have, beyond § 27 SGB II, no entitlement to benefits to secure their livelihood (§ 7 Abs. 5 Satz 1 SGB II).
Application and procedure in Berlin
Benefits are only provided on application (§ 37 Abs. 1 SGB II), not for periods before the application; the application takes retroactive effect back to the first of the month (§ 37 Abs. 2 SGB II). Berlin has 12 Jobcenters, one per district (Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Lichtenberg, Marzahn-Hellersdorf, Mitte, Neukölln, Pankow, Reinickendorf, Spandau, Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Tempelhof-Schöneberg, Treptow-Köpenick). Application routes according to Jobcenter Berlin Mitte: online via jobcenter.digital, paper form, or in person (Neukundencenter). In addition to ID/passport, foreign nationals present a "gültige[n] Aufenthaltstitel (ggf. inklusive Zusatzblatt) und [die] Meldebescheinigung" (valid residence title, possibly including supplementary sheet, and the registration certificate). Entitlement is generally decided for one year (§ 41 Abs. 3 SGB II). An objection must be filed with the Jobcenter within one month of notification (§ 84 Abs. 1 SGG). Duties to cooperate generally arise from §§ 60 ff. SGB I; missing supporting documents delay the decision.
Open points
Status of the Leistungsrechtsanpassungsgesetz (Ukraine, entry from 1 April 2025) as of 25.09.2026, updated Berlin Jobcenter pages on the new legal situation: no confirmed information is available for this.
- What is “Grundsicherungsgeld (formerly Bürgergeld) at the Jobcenter Berlin” about?
- Anyone who can work but does not have enough money to live on receives Grundsicherungsgeld from the Jobcenter of their Berlin district — since 1 July 2026 this is the new name for the former Bürgergeld; however, exclusions apply for some foreign nationals.
- Which deadlines and figures matter?
- Rückwirkung nur auf den Ersten des Antragsmonats: There are no benefits for periods before the application was filed; the application takes retroactive effect back to the first of the month (§ 37 Abs. 2 SGB II)
- Erste drei Monate des Aufenthalts: Benefit exclusion for foreign nationals who are neither employees/self-employed nor entitled to freedom of movement under § 2 Abs. 3 FreizügG/EU, and their family members (does not apply to a residence title under Chapter 2 Section 5 AufenthG) (§ 7 Abs. 1 Satz 2 Nr. 1, Satz 3 SGB II)
- 5 Jahre gewöhnlicher Aufenthalt: After this, the exclusion under § 7 Abs. 1 Satz 2 Nr. 2 SGB II no longer applies; the period begins with registration at the registration office (§ 7 Abs. 1 Sätze 4 und 5 SGB II)
- In der Regel 1 Jahr: Approval period, after which an application for continued approval is needed (§ 41 Abs. 3 SGB II)
- 1 Monat ab Bekanntgabe: Objection against a Jobcenter decision notice (§ 84 Abs. 1 SGG)
- What should I do first?
- Check whether you are generally entitled: Entitled are people aged 15 and over who are capable of work and in need of assistance and who have their habitual residence in Germany (§ 7 Abs. 1 SGB II). Exclusions apply for foreign nationals — see the specialist section. Those in a course of training or study eligible for BAföG support generally do not receive Grundsicherungsgeld for living expenses (§ 7 Abs. 5 SGB II).
- Find the responsible Jobcenter: Berlin has 12 Jobcenters, one per district (e.g. Jobcenter Berlin Mitte, Jobcenter Berlin Neukölln). Your district of residence determines which one. The Bundesagentur für Arbeit offers an office search.
- File the application — online, on paper, or in person: Online via jobcenter.digital (an account with the Bundesagentur für Arbeit is needed), with a paper form by post, or in person. At Jobcenter Berlin Mitte, also at the Neukundencenter (new customer center). File the application in the same month in which you need money.
- What should I watch out for?
- According to sgb2.info (report dated 19.11.2025), the law was not yet in force; the Bundestag reported on hearings and deliberations in early 2026. Whether it had been passed and entered into force by 25.09.2026 could not be documented — no confirmed information is available for this. Those affected should ask the Jobcenter or an advice center about the current status.
- Residence law: the granting and extension of many residence titles generally requires that livelihood be secured (§ 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 AufenthG). Receiving Grundsicherungsgeld can therefore affect your residence status. What consequences may arise in an individual case depends on the title — get advice before applying (see the "Erwerbsmigration" section, residence titles).
- The Berlin Jobcenter pages still partly use the old terms "Bürgergeld" and "Grundsicherung" side by side (Jobcenter Berlin Mitte page, retrieved 25.09.2026). The same benefit under SGB II is meant.
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