In connection with this, new rules for receiving benefits for able-bodied but long-term unemployed German residents are being introduced, reports DW.
Job centers will now more thoroughly check the value of assets and housing, and penalties for violating payment procedures will be tougher.
Job centers will prioritize the prompt employment of benefit recipients over training or professional development.
The approach to imposing sanctions is changing: if benefit recipients miss appointments at job centers or fail to apply for employment, their benefits may be reduced or eliminated entirely.
Regarding job offers, unemployed people will be required to accept even lower-skilled work if they are physically, mentally, or psychologically capable of performing it.
The new rules also shorten the grace periods during which job centers disregarded savings and rental housing expenses beyond the reimbursement limits.
From now on, savings of up to €40,000 must be used by social assistance recipients within the first year of applying for benefits (previously, these funds were not touched for one year). Housing costs will only be covered to a limited extent.
Approximately 5.5 million Germans will receive a basic income instead of social assistance starting July 1.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainians with temporary protection in Germany have also received «burgergeld.» The German government had previously agreed to abolish these payments for Ukrainians who arrived after April 1, 2025.
Instead of «burgergeld,» newly arrived Ukrainians receive payments equal to those received by asylum seekers. This amount varies depending on family status, but generally amounts to approximately 120 euros per month less—441 euros for a single person.
Photo: ostwest.tv.
