Unemployment Benefit

Agentur für Arbeit (Employment Agency)

You receive Arbeitslosengeld (unemployment benefit) from the Agentur für Arbeit (Employment Agency). It is an insurance benefit. This means that you have previously paid into unemployment insurance. You can apply for this benefit online.

Apply Online

You may be able to receive unemployment benefit if you…

• are unemployed or work less than 15 hours per week
• have registered as arbeitslos (unemployed) with the Agentur für Arbeit (Employment Agency) in time
• have worked for at least 12 months during the last 30 months in a job where you paid into Arbeitslosenversicherung unemployment insurance
• and are allowed to work in Berlin (meaning you do not have a work ban)

Tip: Even if you do not receive unemployment benefit, you may still be able to get counseling and support with your job search from the Agentur für Arbeit (Employment Agency). Find more information here:

Job Search

Jobseeker (Arbeitssuchend): Register with the Agentur für Arbeit (Employment Agency) as a jobseeker no later than 3 months before your employment contract ends. If you only find out later that you will become unemployed, you must register within 3 days after receiving notice of termination. Find more information at Agentur für Arbeit.

Unemployed (Arbeitslos): In addition, you must register as unemployed with the Agentur für Arbeit no later than your first day of unemployment. Find more information at Agentur für Arbeit.

Application for unemployment benefit (Antrag auf Arbeitslosengeld): You can submit your application at any time. It is best to apply on your first day of unemployment so that you receive your money quickly. Find more information at Agentur für Arbeit.

Waiting period (Sperrzeit): If you register too late, there may be a waiting period (1 week) during which you do not receive any money. If you resign or sign a termination agreement, there may be a waiting period (up to 12 weeks) during which you do not receive any money.

How much money you receive depends on how much you earned in your job. You receive 60% of your average net salary. If you have a child, you receive 67%.

Example: If you previously received €2,000 net in your bank account, you will receive about €1,200 in unemployment benefit. Here you can calculate how much unemployment benefit you will receive:

Rechner

How long you receive unemployment benefit depends on how long you have worked and how old you are:

• Under 50 years old: up to 12 months
• 50 years and older: up to 15 months
• 55 years and older: up to 18 months
• 58 years and older: up to 24 months

If you have not worked for very long, the period during which you receive unemployment benefit may be shorter. You may also not receive any benefit.

You can apply online. This way, you receive your money more quickly. To submit an online application , you must register online with the Agentur für Arbeit (Employment Agency). If you already have an account, you can log in online.

Register Now!

You can set the user portal to German, English, or Spanish. For online applications, you need a digital identification method, for example through the Bund-ID.

Bund-ID

Processing usually takes 2–4 weeks. It may take longer, for example if documents are missing. The money is transferred to your bank account once a month for the previous month.