The entry allowance is intended to provide you with a financial incentive if, at first, your income is not higher—or only slightly higher—than your previous basic income support benefits.

The entry allowance is granted to you as a non-countable subsidy.

The amount of the benefit can be determined by each Job Center based on statutory criteria and amounts to a maximum of 50 percent of the standard rate of the citizen’s income. When calculating the amount, factors such as the duration of your unemployment and the size of your household are taken into account. Therefore, the amount of the entry allowance varies depending on the individual case.

For certain groups of people, your job center may also apply a flat-rate assessment. This facilitates consistent decisions in similar cases and applies in particular to:

• the long-term unemployed,
• single parents,
• Migrants,
• Older adults,
• people with health impairments,
• women in households with a partner who is eligible for benefits.

You can receive the entry allowance for a maximum of 24 months.

Whether you are eligible for the entry allowance—and, if so, how much—is determined solely by your Jobcenter. This means you have no legal entitlement to it.