💼 Unemployment benefit I (Arbeitslosengeld I)

Unemployment benefit I is an insurance benefit: amount and duration depend on your contribution period, not on need.

unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld I) qualifying period disqualification period (Sperrzeit) benefit pay (Leistungsentgelt) early job-seeker registration § 147 SGB III § 159 SGB III

In brief

The Agentur für Arbeit pays unemployment benefit I if you were previously in employment subject to social insurance contributions for at least 12 months within the last 30 months, have registered as unemployed and are available for placement. The amount depends on your previous net pay, the duration on your insurance period and – from age 50 – additionally on your age.

Step by step

Register earlyIf the end date of your employment is known (e.g. fixed-term contract, termination notice), register as a job-seeker at the latest 3 months beforehand (§ 38 Abs. 1 SGB III); otherwise within 3 days of learning of it.
Register as unemployedOn the first day of unemployment you must additionally register as unemployed, in person or online – this is a condition for payment.
Submit the applicationSubmit the benefit application to your Agentur für Arbeit, if possible with the employment certificate from your last employer.
Stay availableBe available for job placement: you must be willing and able to accept reasonable employment and to take part in integration measures.
Top up if neededIf unemployment benefit I does not secure your livelihood, you can additionally apply to the Jobcenter for basic income support.

Deadlines

3 months beforehand

Early job-seeker registration when the end date is known§ 38 Abs. 1 SGB III

3 days

Job-seeker registration after learning of an unforeseeable end date§ 38 Abs. 1 SGB III

12 of 30 months

Qualifying period: minimum insurance period before registering as unemployed§ 142 SGB III

12 weeks

Standard disqualification period for self-inflicted unemployment (e.g. resigning without good cause)§ 159 SGB III

Watch out – common mistakes

If you miss the duty of early registration, you risk a one-week disqualification period (§ 159 Abs. 1 Satz 2 Nr. 7, Abs. 6 SGB III) – in addition to any disqualification period for the termination itself.
Resigning without good cause or signing a termination agreement as a rule triggers a 12-week disqualification period, which additionally shortens the total benefit duration.
The exact benefit-duration table in § 147 SGB III is graded by insurance period and, from age 50, additionally by age – have the Agentur für Arbeit confirm in writing the duration that applies to you, rather than relying on rules of thumb.
Unemployment benefit I does not mean paying health and long-term care insurance contributions out of your own pocket – during receipt the Bundesagentur für Arbeit takes these over automatically.

In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

Qualifying period (§ 142 SGB III)

In principle you need at least 12 months in insurable employment within the last 30 months before registering as unemployed (reference period). For employees with predominantly short fixed-term employment relationships (each up to 14 weeks), a shortened qualifying period of 6 months applies under additional conditions.

Amount (§ 149 SGB III)

Unemployment benefit I is 60% of the flat-rate net pay (benefit pay, Leistungsentgelt) from the assessment period, or 67% if you have at least one child entitled to child benefit.

Duration (§ 147 SGB III)

The benefit duration is graded by the insurance period within the extended reference period and – from age 50 – additionally by age. As a rough guide (details are to be read in the statutory text, since administrative practice and secondary sources use slightly differing wording here): 12 months of insurance period lead to 6 months of benefit, 16 to 8, 20 to 10 and 24 months of insurance period to the standard maximum duration of 12 months without an age bonus; at age 50 and 30 months of insurance period up to 15 months are possible, at 55 and 36 months up to 18 months, at 58 and 48 months up to 24 months (maximum duration). Since automated analyses of the statutory text produced inconsistent values here, the duration applying in an individual case should always be verified in the original text of § 147 SGB III or directly with the Agentur für Arbeit before it is communicated as binding.

Disqualification period (§ 159 SGB III)

Conduct contrary to the insurance – for example resigning or signing a termination agreement without good cause, refusing reasonable employment or refusing an integration measure – triggers a disqualification period (Sperrzeit). Standard duration when the employment relationship is ended: 12 weeks; reduced to 3 weeks if the employment relationship would have ended within 6 weeks anyway, or to 6 weeks if it would have ended within 12 weeks or in cases of particular hardship. The disqualification period also reduces the total entitlement period.

Relationship to Grundsicherungsgeld

Unemployment benefit I and Grundsicherungsgeld do not mutually exclude each other: if unemployment benefit I does not secure the livelihood of the benefit unit (Bedarfsgemeinschaft), Grundsicherungsgeld can be applied for in addition; the unemployment benefit I is counted as income (subsidiarity principle, § 5 SGB II).

Who is responsible

Agentur für Arbeit

Quick questions

What is “Unemployment benefit I (Arbeitslosengeld I)”?

Unemployment benefit I is an insurance benefit: amount and duration depend on your contribution period, not on need.

Which deadlines and figures matter?

3 months beforehand: Early job-seeker registration when the end date is known (§ 38 Abs. 1 SGB III)
3 days: Job-seeker registration after learning of an unforeseeable end date (§ 38 Abs. 1 SGB III)
12 of 30 months: Qualifying period: minimum insurance period before registering as unemployed (§ 142 SGB III)
12 weeks: Standard disqualification period for self-inflicted unemployment (e.g. resigning without good cause) (§ 159 SGB III)

What should I do first?

Register early: If the end date of your employment is known (e.g. fixed-term contract, termination notice), register as a job-seeker at the latest 3 months beforehand (§ 38 Abs. 1 SGB III); otherwise within 3 days of learning of it.
Register as unemployed: On the first day of unemployment you must additionally register as unemployed, in person or online – this is a condition for payment.
Submit the application: Submit the benefit application to your Agentur für Arbeit, if possible with the employment certificate from your last employer.

What do I need to watch out for?

If you miss the duty of early registration, you risk a one-week disqualification period (§ 159 Abs. 1 Satz 2 Nr. 7, Abs. 6 SGB III) – in addition to any disqualification period for the termination itself.
Resigning without good cause or signing a termination agreement as a rule triggers a 12-week disqualification period, which additionally shortens the total benefit duration.
The exact benefit-duration table in § 147 SGB III is graded by insurance period and, from age 50, additionally by age – have the Agentur für Arbeit confirm in writing the duration that applies to you, rather than relying on rules of thumb.

Evidence

§§ 38, 142, 147, 149, 159 SGB III (gesetze-im-internet.de)
§ 5 SGB II (gesetze-im-internet.de)

As of

As of: September 2026 (legal position since 1 July 2026, 13th SGB II Amendment Act, BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 107). · Sources and method

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