Applying for benefits for education and participation may vary depending on which eligibility criteria you meet. Ask the office responsible for you how you can apply for the benefits.

As soon as an online service is available for the benefit, you will find the link here in the family portal.

You can find the office responsible for you in the List of local contact points of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

You can receive benefits from the education and participation package for your children if they have not yet reached the age of 25, attend a general or vocational school or a child day care facility and do not receive a training allowance.

The prerequisite is that your children or you yourself receive basic income support for jobseekers, social assistance or benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act or receive the child supplement or housing benefit. There is an exception to this if you receive benefits in accordance with SGB XII: The age limit of 25 does not apply here. Another exception is benefits for participation in social and cultural life, where the age limit is 18.

What benefits are available?

For participation in excursions and trips lasting one or more days within the framework of school regulations or within the framework of day care centers or child day care facilities, the actual costs can be covered.

Personal school supplies

From January 1, 2024, a total of EUR 195 per child and school year (EUR 130 for the first half of the school year and EUR 65 for the second half) will be paid out for personal school supplies, such as writing, arithmetic and drawing materials, sportswear and school bags.

Pupil transportation

Pupils who are dependent on school transportation to attend the nearest school of their chosen course of education will be reimbursed for the actual costs incurred. The prerequisite for this is that the transportation is not covered by a third party, such as the school authority.

Learning support

As a supplement to school lessons, pupils can receive suitable learning support to help them achieve their learning goals. In particular, the prerequisite is that no comparable school offers or other support, e.g. from the youth welfare office, exist.

Lunch at daycare centers and schools

If lunch is provided by the daycare center or school and served communally, the corresponding costs are covered. Lunch at school must be the responsibility of the school.

Participation in social and cultural life

Children and young people who have not yet reached the age of 18 are entitled to €15 per month for participation in social and cultural life in the community. If the benefits are not used in one or more months, they are pooled as a budget and can be paid out collectively. Membership fees in the areas of sport, games, culture and socializing, lessons in artistic subjects (e.g. music lessons), guided cultural activities (e.g. museum visits) and participation in leisure activities are covered. The leisure activities must be organized and supervised by a sponsor, for example. It is also possible to be reimbursed for equipment and facilities for participation in the activities, e.g. soccer boots if the child is registered with a soccer club.

The application can be submitted once or several times a year, depending on the component applied for (e.g. school trip or club membership).

• The benefits for education and participation are intended to support low-income families. The prerequisite is that you and your children receive basic income support for jobseekers, social assistance or benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act or receive child supplement or housing benefit.
• Furthermore, your children must not have reached the age of 25. They must be attending a general or vocational school or a child day care facility and may not receive a training allowance.
• However, the age restriction does not apply if you receive benefits in accordance with SGB XII
.
• If you want to apply for benefits for participation in social and/or cultural life for your children, these can only be paid up to the age of 18.
• The following applies to one-day or multi-day (class) trips:
• Class trips lasting several days must be within the scope of school regulations. The beneficiary must not receive a training allowance. Trips are also covered for children in day-care centers or day-care facilities.
You can only apply for personal school supplies once per school year. This will then be paid to you at the beginning of the first and second half of the school year.
• The costs for school transportation can be covered if this has not already been done by a third party, such as the school authority. If only part of the travel costs are covered by the school authority, for example, the school's own share can be reimbursed via "education and participation". The distance between the place of residence or the school or institution is regulated by the local authority and is therefore not eligible for funding, as it does not have to be covered by local public transport. Depending on the type of school (e.g. differences between primary school pupils and secondary school pupils), there may be differences in the reasonable distance.
• If you wish to make use of learning support for your children, the school must assess whether additional learning support is necessary and suitable in order to achieve the essential learning objectives set out in the school regulations. An existing risk of promotion is not relevant here. The provider of the learning support must be a suitable provider.
• If you would like your child to take part in lunchtime catering at school or in the daycare center, the prerequisite is that the lunchtime catering is offered under the responsibility of the school or is agreed in a cooperation agreement between the school and the daycare center. In addition, the food must be served and consumed communally

In order to claim benefits for education and participation, you must submit an application to your local social welfare office. Please remember to enclose your current notice of approval for housing benefit or child supplement with the application.

If you are represented by someone else when submitting your application, please remember to provide a power of attorney.

If you receive benefits in accordance with SGB II (Hartz IV), you no longer need to submit a separate application, as the benefits for education and participation are applied for directly with the main application. In this case, it is sufficient for you to inform the job center responsible for you of your needs/specify your needs.

Apply in good time

So that your child can take part right from the start, please submit your application as early as possible. Your child will then receive money from the education and participation package as quickly and easily as possible.

The average processing time varies from region to region.