Applying for a loan in certain acute emergency situations
If you receive a citizen's allowance, a lump sum of money is taken into account for the standard needs. In addition to current requirements, this flat-rate standard requirement also includes requirements that arise irregularly or at long intervals. The amount of the standard requirement depends on the assigned standard requirement level, which depends on your age and family situation.
In particular, the standard requirement covers the following requirements:
- Nutrition
- Clothing
- Personal hygiene
- Furniture
- Household energy, excluding the shares attributable to heating and the production of hot water, and
- personal needs of daily life (including participation in social and cultural life in the community).
If, due to special circumstances, you need more money for your everyday needs at short notice than the standard requirement for your individual case, and you can neither pay nor postpone these costs yourself, the Jobcenter will grant you an interest-free loan for the irrefutable need upon application.
There is an undeniable need,
- if it cannot be postponed and therefore a loan is unavoidable to avoid an acute emergency situation, and
- it cannot be expected that you will be able to compensate for this need with the next benefits to cover the standard needs.
Examples include:
- necessary repairs,
- necessary purchases (e.g. new winter clothing for growing children),
- the imminent disconnection of the electricity supply (household electricity) due to so-called "new debts", unless you can avert the power cut in any other way, for example by agreeing to pay in instalments with the utility company,
- theft or loss, as well as
- Apartment or house fire.
You must apply for the loan separately and you must always prove the undeniable need. If you have assets, you must first use them to finance the expenses. Depending on the situation, the Jobcenter may also commission its field service to determine the need.
The Jobcenter may also decide that you will receive benefits in kind instead of money. The amount of the loan then corresponds exactly to the value of the required need.
You must use the loan for its intended purpose. The Jobcenter may request proof of this (e.g. proof of purchase).
You will have to repay the loan. If you continue to receive benefits under SGB II in the future, the loan will be offset against your benefit entitlement on a monthly basis:
- In the case of a loan: in the amount of 10 percent of your standard requirement (the relevant standard requirement level)
- In the case of several loans: a total of no more than 30 percent of your relevant standard requirement (the relevant standard requirement level).
How the loan will be offset in your specific case will be explained to you in writing. Repayment begins in the month following the disbursement of the loan.
Process flow
In order to get the loan, you must apply for it at your job centre. This can also be done online (via the digital citizen's allowance application).
- If possible, get in touch with your contact person at the Jobcenter.
- Submit an application. You can also submit an informal application. You can obtain a form that may be offered from the local job centre.
- Submit your application with all supporting documents to your Jobcenter.
- The Jobcenter will check your application and your documents.
- You will receive a notification from the Jobcenter about the decision on your application (approved or rejected).
- Usually, the loan amount will be transferred to your account. This is usually different, for example, in the case of electricity debts with an imminent power cut. The loan amount is then generally transferred directly to your utility company.
Requirements
In order for you to receive the loan from the Jobcenter, you must prove that:
- you have an acute, one-off need, which by its nature is part of everyday needs (standard needs),
- you are unable to compensate for this need with the benefit provided for this purpose (citizens' allowance) and you do not have any assets,
- You have no other way to meet the demand (for example, through a second-hand warehouse or clothing store) and,
- the need is undeniable. This is the case:
- if you can't postpone it, and
- You are unable to compensate for the need with the next services to cover the standard requirement.
Which documents are required?
- Evidence that and to what extent there is an undeniable need, for example
- Theft report,
- Quotation or order for repairs and/or
- up-to-date bank statements.
What are the fees?
You don't have to pay any costs if you have an account. If you do not have an account, you will receive a payment instruction to offset for a cash payment (ZzV-Bar). That's a check. However, this will incur costs that will be deducted directly from the benefit to which you are entitled. Since the amount of the costs for the payment order can vary, please contact your local job centre for more information. You can have the cheque paid out in cash. Payments are made exclusively through Postbank branches. The ZzV-Bar is a means of payment provided by Postbank AG, the use of which has been agreed separately between the Federal Employment Agency and Postbank.
What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?
There is no deadline.
Legal basis
Section 24 (1) of the Second Book of the Social Code (SGB II)
Section 37 (1) of the Second Book of the Social Code (SGB II)
§ 42a (1), (2), (4) and (6) of the Second Book of the Social Code (SGB II)
Applications / forms
Forms available: Depending on the job centre
Written form required: No
Informal application possible: Yes
Personal appearance required: No
Online services available: Yes
Appeal
- Contradiction
- Summary proceedings before the Social Court
- Appeal to the Social Court
What else should I know?
The technical instructions of the BA are only binding on the job centres, which are run in the form of a joint institution (gE) of the Federal Employment Agency and the local authority (municipality or district). Supervision is the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS).
In addition, there are job centres that are run as approved municipal bodies (so-called option municipalities). In the case of these, supervision is the responsibility of the respective countries.
Technically approved by
Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS)
Professionally released on
08.03.2023
Author
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.
