Sources and method – Unemployed people

These 15 topic pages are based primarily on statutory texts (gesetze-im-internet.de), the Federal Law Gazette and technical directives (Fachliche Weisungen) of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency), supplemented by publications of the BMAS. The “Sources” field of each topic page lists the specific references.

Why “Bürgergeld” and “Grundsicherungsgeld” appear side by side here

On 1 July 2026 the Thirteenth Act Amending the Second Book of the Social Code and Other Laws entered into force (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 107, issued Bonn, 22 April 2026). It renamed the benefit “Bürgergeld” as “Grundsicherungsgeld” and at the same time introduced the priority of placement (§ 3a SGB II), a uniform sanction model with a 30% reduction (§§ 31, 31a, 32 SGB II) and protected assets graded by age (§ 12 Abs. 2 SGB II). The term “Neue Grundsicherung” (new basic income support), which circulated in political debate at times in 2025/2026, referred to proposals made before this act was passed; the decisive text for all pages is solely the law actually promulgated and in force, not earlier ministerial drafts or announcements. Because many forms, notices of decision and everyday language still use “Bürgergeld” and people affected search with both terms, the pages use both names side by side here.

Sources

1. Bundesgesetzblatt: BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 107, Thirteenth Act Amending the Second Book of the Social Code and Other Laws, issued Bonn 22 April 2026 (recht.bund.de/bgbl/1/2026/107). Basis for the renaming “Bürgergeld” → “Grundsicherungsgeld” and the changes to priority of placement, sanctions and protected assets that entered into force on 1.7.2026.
2. Gesetze im Internet (gesetze-im-internet.de), Federal Ministry of Justice and Federal Office of Justice, retrieved September 2026: consolidated versions of SGB I, SGB II (esp. §§ 3a, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11b, 12, 15, 16a, 16d, 19, 22, 31, 31a, 32, 37, 39, 41a), SGB III (esp. §§ 38, 81, 87a, 136 ff., 142, 147, 149, 159), SGB V (§ 5), SGG (§§ 84, 86b, 87, 183), Bundeskindergeldgesetz/BKGG (§§ 6a, 9a), Insolvenzordnung/InsO (§§ 287, 287a, 305). Basis for all paragraphs cited in the text.
3. Fachliche Weisungen der Bundesagentur für Arbeit (technical directives of the Federal Employment Agency), in particular on § 12 SGB II (consideration of assets) and on §§ 31, 31a, 31b SGB II (sanctions), each as of 01.07.2026 (arbeitsagentur.de). Basis for the administrative interpretation of the provisions amended on 1.7.2026.
4. Application form “Jobcenter-HA”, Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Formularcenter, as of 04/2026 (arbeitsagentur.de). Basis for the application procedure.
5. Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales (BMAS) (Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs), publications on the Education and Participation Package (Bildungs- und Teilhabepaket), as of 2026 (bmas.de). Basis for the Education Package benefits named in the article “Kinderzuschlag und Familienleistungen”.
6. Förderdatenbank des Bundes (foerderdatenbank.de), example: state funding programme for advice for the unemployed in Lower Saxony, retrieved September 2026 – as evidence that independent advice for the unemployed, according to available information, is funded at state or municipal level and not uniformly nationwide.

Where information is expressly marked as uncertain

For some figures, no direct official primary source with the exact euro amount could be found or cross-checked during research. This applies in particular to:

• the exact table of benefit duration for unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld I) under § 147 SGB III (core values were taken from the statutory text but should be checked again against the original in individual cases, since automated analyses produced slightly differing wording);
• the 2026 mini-job limit (according to several consistent but not individually officially verified secondary sources around €603/month);
• the exact amount of the health and long-term care insurance contribution borne by the federal government during receipt of Grundsicherungsgeld;
• the amount of the additional-expenses allowance for work opportunities (“one-euro jobs”) – the law names only an “appropriate allowance”, not a nationwide euro amount;
• whether and in what form families with children automatically receive supplementary benefits in kind when the standard need is withdrawn entirely;
• the exact legal nature of the cooperation plan after the 2026 reform (cooperative vs. more binding – there is no clear statutory amendment on this).

In all these cases the relevant topic page names the uncertainty expressly, rather than presenting a figure or assessment as established law.

What this platform does – and what it does not

• Figures, deadlines, amounts and legal bases come from the sources named. Nothing was added that is not supported there. Where a statement could not be reliably verified, this is noted on the page in question, rather than guessed.
• Values that differ by municipality (e.g. reasonableness limits for rent under the “coherent concept” of the municipality concerned, the amount of the additional-expenses allowance) are marked as “varies by municipality” rather than given an invented nationwide figure.
• Social law is still in flux even after the 2026 reform; courts will have yet to clarify some of the new questions. The information does not replace legal advice in an individual case.
• Deadlines are often short and run from service of the document. If in doubt, go immediately to an advice centre, the Jobcenter or a lawyer – see Advice and points of contact.