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Apply for Qualifizierungsgeld (training allowance)

Agentur für Arbeit · Training During Structural Change

OnlineBy the employer

Qualifizierungsgeld has existed since 1 April 2024. It is aimed at companies affected by structural change and is intended to keep employees in the company through further training rather than making them redundant. The legal basis is § 82a SGB III.

During the training, it replaces part of the pay that is lost: 60% of the net pay difference, or 67% for employees with at least one child. The measure must comprise more than 120 hours; the training provider and the measure itself must be approved.

Not to be confused with Kurzarbeitergeld (short-time working allowance): there, work is lost for economic reasons; here, it is lost because further training is taking place. Nor with the education voucher (Bildungsgutschein): that is aimed at individuals, usually unemployed people; Qualifizierungsgeld requires an existing employment relationship and a works agreement or collective agreement provision. The application is submitted by the company, not the employee.

Last updated27 August 2026
Legal basis§ 82a SGB III · § 324 Abs. 1
VerificationChecked against gesetze-im-internet.de and the Federal Employment Agency
Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta
Independent information site: We are not the 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 authoritative. The application is submitted by the company; the Agentur checks the requirements on a case-by-case basis. 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.
Amount60% of the differenceWith a child: 67%
Scope of the measureMore than 120 hoursThe provider must be approved
ApplicationBy the companyNot by employees
Since1 April 2024Relatively new benefit
Required documents

What you need

Works agreement or collective agreement provision

The key requirement, and the point at which applications most often fail in practice. A works agreement on the training, or a corresponding collective agreement provision, is required; in small companies without a works council, a written agreement with the employees takes its place.

Evidence of structural change

The company must demonstrate that a significant proportion of its employees are affected by a need for further qualification – for example, through technological change, altered business models or disappearing areas of work. A general intention to provide further training is not sufficient.

Evidence of the measure and the training provider

Both must be approved for funding, and the measure must comprise more than 120 hours. Check the approval before registering – a measure that is not approved will not be funded retroactively either.

Pay records for the reference period

The net pay difference is calculated from the target and actual pay; the reference period is the last completed pay period before the start of the measure. Keep the relevant payslips ready.

Notification and application to the Agentur für Arbeit

The company notifies the Agentur of the training and submits the application via the eServices for businesses. Note the principle in § 324 Abs. 1 SGB III: benefits are only provided if they were applied for before the event giving rise to the benefit occurs – that is, before the measure begins.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    Check whether Qualifizierungsgeld is the right instrument

    Qualifizierungsgeld requires an existing employment relationship, structural change within the company and a collective company-level agreement. If it concerns a single unemployed person, the education voucher (Bildungsgutschein) is the right route; if work is lost for economic reasons, it is Kurzarbeitergeld (short-time working allowance). The three instruments are regularly confused with one another.

  2. 2

    Conclude a works agreement

    Agree the planned training with the works council – or through a collective agreement, or, in small companies, in writing with the employees. Without this basis, the Agentur cannot provide funding. This step takes lead time and is often underestimated when planning the schedule.

  3. 3

    Check the measure and provider for approval

    Only approved measures from approved providers are funded, and the measure must comprise more than 120 hours. Clarify the approval before booking places – there is no retroactive recognition.

  4. 4

    Hold a consultation with the Agentur

    Contact the Agentur's Arbeitgeber-Service (employer service) early on. There, it will be checked whether the structural change has been sufficiently demonstrated and whether the planned measure is suitable. This consultation is free of charge and prevents planning mistakes.

  5. 5

    Submit the application before the measure begins

    Under § 324 Abs. 1 SGB III, employment promotion benefits are only provided if they were applied for before the event giving rise to the benefit. Anyone who lets the training start and then applies loses the funding – even if all the substantive requirements are met.

  6. 6

    Claim reimbursement during the measure

    The company pays out the Qualifizierungsgeld and has it reimbursed, similar to Kurzarbeitergeld. Keep attendance records and pay documents in good order – a final review follows here as well.

Fee information

Costs and payment

Free of charge for employeesCourse fees are partly borne by the company
Qualifizierungsgeld (training allowance)60% of the net pay difference
With at least one child67 %
Minimum scope of the measureMore than 120 hours
Application and adviceFree of charge
Timing of the applicationBefore the measure begins
Since1 April 2024

No costs arise for employees; Qualifizierungsgeld replaces part of the pay lost due to the training. It amounts to 60% of the net pay difference, or 67% for employees with at least one child – the same scale as for Arbeitslosengeld and Kurzarbeitergeld. The net pay difference results from the target and actual pay in the reference period, the last completed pay period before the start of the measure. The course fees themselves are to be distinguished from Qualifizierungsgeld: depending on the size of the company, they are either partially subsidised or borne by the company – clarify this point separately with the Arbeitgeber-Service. Whether there is any funding at all depends on the timing: under § 324 Abs. 1 SGB III, the application must be submitted before the start of the measure.

Good to know

Important notes

It does not work without a works agreement. Qualifizierungsgeld requires a collective basis – a works agreement, a collective agreement provision, or, in small companies, a written agreement with the employees. Most projects fail because of this, not because of their content.

Apply before the start. § 324 Abs. 1 SGB III is unforgiving: anyone who starts the measure and applies afterwards gets nothing. This rule applies to almost all employment promotion benefits.

More than 120 hours. Shorter measures are not eligible for funding. Check the number of hours before choosing a course.

Not the same as Kurzarbeitergeld. With Kurzarbeitergeld, work is lost for economic reasons; with Qualifizierungsgeld, it is lost because further training is taking place. The requirements and evidence differ fundamentally.

Not the same as the education voucher (Bildungsgutschein). The Bildungsgutschein is aimed at individuals, often unemployed people. Qualifizierungsgeld requires an existing employment relationship and a company agreement.

The provider and the measure must be approved. As with further training funding generally. A measure that is not approved will not be funded even if it is an excellent fit in substance.

Course fees are a separate matter. Qualifizierungsgeld replaces pay, not course costs. How these are borne or subsidised depends, among other things, on the size of the company and must be clarified separately.

The Arbeitgeber-Service advises free of charge. Use it early. It will tell you in advance whether the structural change you have demonstrated holds up and whether the planned measure is suitable – this prevents planning mistakes with a long lead time.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Applying after the measure has begun. The application must be submitted beforehand (§ 324 Abs. 1 SGB III). Anything else is lost funding, regardless of the quality of the project.

Planning without a works agreement. It is a requirement, not a formality, and takes lead time. Anyone who leaves it until the end misses the planned course start.

Choosing a measure under 120 hours. Not eligible for funding. The number of hours belongs at the start of course selection, not at the end.

Booking a provider without approval. Even training that is professionally suitable will not be funded without approval of the measure and the provider.

Confusing Qualifizierungsgeld with Kurzarbeitergeld. Anyone who wants to cover economic loss of work through Qualifizierungsgeld – or vice versa – chooses the wrong instrument and will be refused.

Assuming the course fees are covered by Qualifizierungsgeld. It replaces pay, not course costs. Anyone who equates the two will calculate the project too cheaply.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

What is Qualifizierungsgeld?

A wage replacement benefit under § 82a SGB III that has existed since 1 April 2024. It is aimed at companies undergoing structural change and is intended to keep employees in the company through training rather than making them redundant. During the training, it replaces part of the pay that is lost.

How much is it?

60% of the net pay difference; employees with at least one child receive 67%. This is the same scale as for Arbeitslosengeld and Kurzarbeitergeld. The net pay difference is calculated from the target and actual pay for the reference period – the last completed pay period before the start of the measure.

Who submits the application?

The company, not the employee. The employer notifies the Agentur of the training, submits the application via the eServices for businesses, pays out the Qualifizierungsgeld and has it reimbursed – similar to the procedure for Kurzarbeitergeld.

What requirements must the training meet?

It must comprise more than 120 hours, and both the measure and the provider must be approved for funding. In addition, a company-level basis is needed: a works agreement on the training, a collective agreement provision or – in companies without a works council – a written agreement with the employees.

What is the difference from Kurzarbeitergeld?

With Kurzarbeitergeld, work is lost for economic reasons – lack of orders, supply shortages, unavoidable events. With Qualifizierungsgeld, it is lost because further training is taking place. The requirements, evidence and objectives differ fundamentally, even though the amount and the settlement process are similar.

What is the difference from the Bildungsgutschein?

The education voucher (Bildungsgutschein) under § 81 SGB III funds the further training of individual people, typically those who are unemployed or at risk of unemployment, and covers the course fees. Qualifizierungsgeld, by contrast, requires an existing employment relationship and a collective company-level agreement, and replaces pay.

When must the application be submitted?

Before the start of the measure. § 324 Abs. 1 SGB III provides that employment promotion benefits are only granted if they were applied for before the event giving rise to the benefit occurred. A late application leads to refusal, even if all the substantive requirements are met. § 324 Abs. 1 Satz 2 does allow the Agentur to avoid undue hardship by permitting a late application – but this is a narrowly construed discretionary decision for genuine exceptional cases, not something that can be relied on in planning.

Are the course fees also covered?

Qualifizierungsgeld replaces pay, not course costs – the two must be kept separate. Whether and to what extent the course fees are subsidised depends, among other things, on the size of the company and is governed by the rules on funding the further vocational training of employees. Clarify this point separately with the Agentur's Arbeitgeber-Service.

Related official procedures

Kurzarbeitergeld (short-time working allowance)
In case of economic loss of work
60–67 %
Education voucher (Bildungsgutschein)
For individual people
Free of charge
Retraining
Complete change of occupation
Free of charge

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