Start of work

What documents do I need to submit when I start working?

In order to make a further decision regarding your entitlement to benefits, we require your employment contract. If this is not yet available, we require the following information:

1. Name of employer
2. Commencement of employment
3. Scope: Full-time/part-time/mini-job (520 euros)
4. Information about the date of the first wage payment

In order to check your entitlement until the first wage payment, it is important to know when the employer will pay the first wage. If your employment contract does not contain any information on this, you should also have the first wage payment from the employer confirmed in writing.


You can report your start of employment by calling our service number, online at jobcenter.digital, or in person during our opening hours. If you would like to report the change in writing, please fill out Appendix VÄM (change notification) and Appendix EK and attach any existing evidence, e.g., a copy of your employment contract.

Can I get a (bridging) loan?

Until your first wage payment, you have the option of applying for a loan. You will receive the loan, for example, if your wages are not paid until the 15th or 30th of the current month and you do not have the financial means to bridge the gap until your first wage payment. The loan must be applied for in writing. It can be granted up to a maximum of your previous benefit entitlement. If you are still entitled to benefits, the loan will be offset against 5% of your standard benefit from the month after it is paid out (deducted directly). If you are no longer entitled to benefits, you will receive a request from the fund to repay the loan in a timely manner. You can then apply to the fund in writing for payment by installments.

Do I have to accept every job, even with temporary employment agencies or mini-jobs?

According to Section 10 SGB II (Social Security Code II) Paragraph 1, the legislator stipulates that you must take up any job that reduces or ends your need for assistance (benefit receipt). This includes a job with a temporary employment agency as well as a mini-job.
Any work is therefore reasonable for a person who is capable of working and entitled to benefits, unless

1. she is physically, mentally, or emotionally incapable of performing the specific work,
2. the performance of the work would make it significantly more difficult to continue performing the previous predominant work, because the previous activity places special physical demands on the employee,
3. performing the work would jeopardize the upbringing of her child or her partner's child [...],
4. the performance of the work would be incompatible with the care of a relative and the care cannot be provided in any other way, or there is another important reason preventing the performance of the work.