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Apply for a Bildungsgutschein (education voucher)

Employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit) · Funding for continuing vocational training

Advice requiredAfter the conversation

The education voucher (Bildungsgutschein) is the employment agency's commitment to pay for continuing vocational training: course fees, plus, depending on the case, travel costs, childcare costs and, where accommodation away from home is required, also accommodation and meals (§ 83 SGB III).

§ 81 SGB III sets out three requirements that must all be met: the further training must be necessary to place you in work if you are unemployed, or to avert impending unemployment. The agency must have advised you before you start taking part. And the measure and the provider must be approved.

The most important sentence on this page is not about the money, but about the sequence. Under § 324 (1) SGB III, employment promotion benefits are only granted if they were applied for before the event giving rise to the benefit occurred. Anyone who books or starts a course before the education voucher has been issued pays for it themselves – even if all the substantive requirements would have been met. Nothing is cured retroactively.

Last updated27 August 2026
Legal basis§ 81 SGB III · § 83 · § 324 (1)
VerificationChecked against gesetze-im-internet.de
Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta
Independent information page: we are not the employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit), not an authority and not a paid advisory service — we do not submit applications on your behalf. All information comes from official sources and is explained here in simple terms; the competent body is always the authoritative source. Funding for further training is a discretionary benefit. All information is provided without guarantee. We are neither lawyers nor tax consultants: we document administrative procedures and check the information against the official source — this is information, not legal or tax advice.
Course feesFully coveredWith an approved measure
SequenceAdvice firstThen the voucher, then the course
Legal natureDiscretionary benefitNo legal entitlement
Voucher validUsually 3 monthsThe deadline is stated on the voucher
Required documents

What you need

Evidence of necessity

The core of the conversation. You must explain why this specific further training enables your placement in work or averts impending unemployment. Specific job advertisements that require the qualification you are missing are helpful here – they are far more convincing than a general interest in the subject.

Proof of AZAV approval

Both the measure and the provider must be approved for funding. Reputable providers state this openly. Check it before registering – a further training course that is professionally excellent but not approved will not be funded, even retroactively.

Course description and cost breakdown

Content, number of hours, duration, qualification and cost. The agency checks whether the measure matches the stated goal. An offer with a clear occupational link and a recognised qualification carries more weight than a loose bundle of courses.

CV and certificates

For assessing whether the further training builds on your career history and realistically leads to a job. Also submit proof of any previous further training.

Proof of childcare

Only relevant if you are claiming childcare costs. Under § 83 SGB III, childcare costs can additionally be covered – this is often overlooked and must be raised explicitly.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    First arrange an advisory appointment — before anything else

    Advice from the agency before you start taking part is a statutory requirement (§ 81 (1) no. 2 SGB III), not a formality. Arrange the appointment before you decide on a course or book anything. Everything else builds on this.

  2. 2

    Justify the necessity

    In the conversation, explain why this further training specifically improves your job prospects. Bring job advertisements that require the qualification you are missing. Note: since the return of the placement priority, the agency first checks whether direct placement is possible – your reasoning must show why that does not apply in your case.

  3. 3

    Choose an approved measure and provider

    Look for a course whose measure and provider are approved under the AZAV. The agency will tell you about the course database; providers also state their approval. Without approval there is no funding – regardless of the quality of the offer.

  4. 4

    Have the education voucher issued

    The agency decides at its discretion and issues the voucher. It states the training goal, duration and regional scope of validity, as well as a validity period, usually three months. You must start the course within this period, otherwise the voucher lapses.

  5. 5

    Only now register with the provider

    Present the voucher to the chosen provider; the provider then settles the costs directly with the agency. Do not register with binding effect beforehand and do not pay anything in advance – a course that started before the voucher was issued is no longer eligible for funding under § 324 (1) SGB III.

  6. 6

    Claim additional costs

    Ask explicitly about travel costs, childcare costs and – where accommodation away from home is required – accommodation and meals. These benefits under § 83 SGB III are not granted automatically, only on request and with proof.

Fee information

Costs and payment

The agency covers the course feesIf the sequence is right
Course feesFully covered
Travel costsOn application
Childcare costsOn application
Accommodation away from homeOn application
AdviceFree of charge and compulsory
Course started before the voucherNo funding

Where the measure is approved, the agency covers the course fees in full; in addition, under § 83 SGB III, travel costs, childcare costs and, where accommodation away from home is required, accommodation and meals can also be covered – each on request and with proof, not automatically. Anyone receiving unemployment benefit continues to receive it during the further training. However, the most expensive item on this page is not a figure but a sequence. § 324 (1) SGB III states that employment promotion benefits are only granted if they were applied for before the event giving rise to the benefit occurred. Anyone who books, pays a deposit for, or starts a course before the education voucher has been issued bears the full costs themselves – for a retraining programme lasting several months, this can quickly amount to a five-figure sum. This sequence cannot be cured retroactively, no matter how good the justification. Advice first, voucher second, registration third.

Good to know

Important notes

First the voucher, then the course — never the other way round. § 324 (1) SGB III requires the application before the event giving rise to the benefit. A course that has already started is no longer eligible for funding, however well it fits. This is the most expensive mistake at this authority.

Advice is a statutory requirement. § 81 (1) no. 2 SGB III expressly requires the agency to have advised you before you start taking part. Without this conversation, one of the three requirements is missing – no matter how sensible the further training would be.

Both the measure AND the provider must be approved. Both, not just one. Check the AZAV approval before registering; reputable providers state it openly.

There is no legal entitlement. Funding for further training is a discretionary benefit. The agency can refuse, particularly with reference to the placement priority. Argue your case with specific job advertisements rather than a general interest.

The voucher has a validity period. Usually three months; the exact deadline is stated on the document itself. You must start the course within this period; after that, the voucher lapses and the process starts over from the beginning.

The voucher names a training goal, not a provider. You choose the provider yourself within the stated goal and scope of validity. Compare several approved providers – quality and support differ considerably.

Travel and childcare costs do not come automatically. § 83 SGB III provides for them, but only on request. Single parents in particular often unknowingly forgo several hundred euros here.

Unemployment benefit continues. During funded further training, you continue to receive your unemployment benefit; participation does not count as an interruption of availability.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Starting the course before the voucher. The classic total loss. § 324 (1) SGB III leaves no room for manoeuvre: no funding, not even partial, not even with the best justification. For retraining programmes, this means five-figure amounts.

Planning without an advisory appointment. Advice before the start is a statutory requirement under § 81 SGB III. Anyone who gets in touch only after choosing a course has already broken the sequence.

Choosing an unapproved provider. AZAV approval of both the measure and the provider is compulsory. Check it before registering, not afterwards.

Counting on a legal entitlement. It is a discretionary benefit, and the placement priority works against it. Anyone who does not factor in a refusal has no plan B.

Letting the validity period lapse. The voucher is usually valid for three months. Anyone who lets it sit must repeat the entire process – with an uncertain outcome.

Not applying for travel and childcare costs. They are provided for, but are not granted automatically. Raise this explicitly in the advisory conversation.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

What does the education voucher pay for?

For an approved measure, the full course fees. In addition, under § 83 SGB III, travel costs, childcare costs and, where accommodation away from home is necessary, accommodation and meals can be covered – each on request. Anyone receiving unemployment benefit continues to receive it during the further training.

What happens if I start the course before the voucher?

Then there is no funding – not retroactively and not even in part. § 324 (1) SGB III states that employment promotion benefits are only granted if they were applied for before the event giving rise to the benefit occurred. This sequence cannot be cured, even if all the substantive requirements were met. So do not book, pay a deposit for or start anything before you have the voucher in hand. § 324 (1) sentence 2 does allow the agency, to avoid undue hardship, to permit a late application – but this is a narrowly interpreted discretionary decision for genuine exceptional cases, not something you can plan around.

What requirements does the law set out?

Under § 81 (1) SGB III, three requirements that must all be met: the further training must be necessary to place you in work if you are unemployed, or to avert impending unemployment; the agency must have advised you before you start taking part; and the measure and the provider must be approved for funding.

Am I entitled to an education voucher?

No, funding for further training is a discretionary benefit. The agency decides on a case-by-case basis and can refuse – particularly with reference to the placement priority, which has been given renewed emphasis since the reform of basic income support. You will argue more convincingly with specific job advertisements that require exactly the qualification you are missing.

How long is the voucher valid?

Usually three months; the exact deadline is stated on the voucher itself. You must start the measure within this time. If the deadline passes, the voucher lapses and you have to go through the whole process again, including the advisory conversation.

Can I choose the provider freely?

Within the training goal and regional scope of validity stated on the voucher, yes – provided the measure and the provider are approved under the AZAV. Compare several providers: the voucher covers the costs, but quality, level of support and placement rate differ considerably.

Are travel costs and childcare covered?

They can be covered – under § 83 SGB III, travel costs, childcare costs and, where accommodation away from home is necessary, accommodation and meals also count as further training costs. However, they are not granted automatically, only on request and with proof. Raise this explicitly in the advisory conversation.

Do I continue to receive unemployment benefit during the further training?

Yes. Anyone entitled to unemployment benefit during funded further training continues to receive it; participation in the measure does not count against availability. Under certain conditions, the further training can even extend the entitlement – have this calculated for your case in the advisory conversation.

Related official procedures

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Complete change of occupation
Free of charge
AVGS
Coaching and activation
Free of charge
Qualifizierungsgeld (training allowance)
For employees within the company
60–67 %

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