Questions & Answers
Information you need to clarify your concerns.
Mail from the employment office
What is a hearing?
During a hearing, you will be informed that the Jobcenter intends to make a decision that is not favorable to you. You will then have the opportunity to comment on this.
You can comment on a hearing, but you are not required to do so. The job center will make a decision after the deadline specified in your hearing and send you the corresponding notification.
It is not possible to appeal against a hearing, as no decision has yet been made; you are merely being informed of what the job center intends to decide.
You will receive hearings in the event of upcoming benefit reductions (sanctions), overpayments, so-called cancellation and reimbursement decisions, or intended offsetting of claims.
If you have received a hearing and would like to respond to it, you can submit the completed hearing form via our message center.
Submit documents
Submit your documents to us quickly and easily using our online form – securely and directly from home.
Why are my benefits being canceled or why do I have to repay benefits?
A cancellation is made if your entitlement to benefits has been or will be wholly or partially revoked. This may be the case, for example, if you move house or start work.
A refund is often issued in connection with a cancellation. In this case, it has been determined that you have been paid more benefits than you were entitled to.
You must repay the benefits. Every adult receives their own notification of the benefits they have received in excess.
Your notice will tell you whether you have to transfer the benefits or whether they will be deducted from your monthly benefits (offset).
Why have my benefits been reduced?
As a SGB II benefit recipient, you are obliged to do everything you can to reduce or end your need for assistance. You therefore have obligations, such as attending appointments, participating in measures, and making your own efforts to find work. If you fail to meet your obligations, this constitutes a breach of duty, which will result in a reduction in your benefits. If you fail to report, i.e., you have missed an appointment at the job center, your benefits will be reduced by 10% for one month.
If you breach your obligations in other ways, e.g., you drop out of a program or fail to show up for work without excuse, your benefits will be reduced. The amount and duration of the reduction depend on the type of breach. For a first-time breach, your benefits will be reduced by 10% of your standard benefit for one month. For the first repeated breach of duty within one year of the first breach of duty, benefits will be reduced by 20% of the standard benefit to which you are entitled for 2 months. Each further breach of duty within one year will result in a reduction of 30% of the standard benefit to which you are entitled for 3 months.
You will be given a hearing before any reduction in benefits. This will give you the opportunity to comment on the facts of the case and, if necessary, to explain important reasons for your behavior. If there are important reasons, your benefits will not be reduced.
What is a denial or revocation?
A refusal is the rejection of an application that cannot be decided upon due to missing documents. This means that you have not complied with a request to submit documents, or have not complied fully.
Benefits will be withdrawn if you do not submit the documents that were requested from you (and you are already receiving basic security benefits). This means that you have not responded to a request to submit documents, or have responded inadequately or not within the specified period.
You should submit the documents immediately. The job center will then decide whether to grant or continue granting the benefits.
You can easily upload/photograph and submit documents here:
Submit documents
Submit your documents to us quickly and easily using our online form – securely and directly from home.
What is a provisional permit?
A provisional approval is issued if a final decision cannot yet be made regarding your entitlement to benefits or the amount of benefits. This means that it is not yet certain whether you are entitled to benefits and, if so, how much you will receive. There may be several reasons for this, e.g., your monthly income varies. You cannot rely on the provisional decision, as the benefits will be recalculated using the actual figures at the end of the approval period.
After the approval period has expired, you will receive a request to submit documents by a certain deadline for review of the provisional benefit payment. If you do not submit the documents, the job center may determine that you were not entitled to benefits for that period and you will have to repay all benefits for that period.
What is a provisional suspension of payments?
If your benefits have been temporarily suspended, there may be doubts or uncertainties as to whether you are still entitled to these benefits. This may be the case if you have taken up employment, if you cannot be reached by mail, or if there are other circumstances that cast doubt on your need for assistance.
How can I file an objection?
Appeals are subject to a specific form. A simple message via the app is not sufficient for this purpose.
You can write your appeal and send it to us signed, or you can submit your appeal digitally via the Jobcenter.digital platform.
To do this, you need access to jobcenter.digital. Once you have logged in/registered, you can use the "Lodge an appeal" function.