Wegweiser Homeless people · Rights & support Deutsch

💼 Work despite homelessness

Not having a fixed address is no ground for exclusion from job placement. Practical hurdles such as a postal address or opening a bank account can usually be solved with a c/o address and a basic account.

§ 4 SGB III § 35 SGB III Job placement Basic account (Basiskonto) Zahlungskontengesetz

In brief

The priority of placement (§ 4 SGB III) and the placement service of the Agentur für Arbeit (Employment Agency, § 35 SGB III) apply regardless of whether you have a fixed home address. In practice, however, a missing postal address, missing bank account or missing application documents make the job search harder. For a bank account, there is a separate entitlement to a basic account (Basiskonto) under the Zahlungskontengesetz (ZKG), regardless of residence status.

Step by step

  1. Register with the Agentur für ArbeitRegister with the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter – not having a fixed address is no ground for exclusion from placement.
  2. Use a c/o addressUse the c/o address of an advice centre for application documents and post.
  3. Apply for a basic accountApply for a basic account at a bank so that you can receive wages – the entitlement arises from the Zahlungskontengesetz, regardless of residence status.
  4. Ask for enhanced supportAsk for enhanced support if placement is made more difficult (§ 35 SGB III provides for this in the case of obstacles to placement).
  5. Involve specialist adviceIf you lack application documents, clothing or travel costs, involve a specialist advice centre.

Deadlines

Watch out – common mistakes
  • A bank may in principle not refuse a basic account solely because of a missing fixed address – the entitlement arises from the Zahlungskontengesetz, not from social law.
  • Nationwide uniform special programmes of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit specifically for homeless people could not be clearly verified in this research – there are mainly local cooperations between Jobcenters and providers of homeless assistance, which are designed differently from place to place.
  • Receiving basic income support (Grundsicherungsgeld/Bürgergeld) remains possible even without proof of accommodation – only the share for housing costs is then omitted proportionately.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

Priority of placement and placement service

§ 4 SGB III emphasises the priority of placement in training and work over other benefits. § 35 SGB III obliges the Agentur für Arbeit to make a placement offer to people able to work; where integration is made more difficult – which homelessness can in fact amount to – enhanced support is provided. These provisions are not tied to a residence status.

Basic account (Zahlungskontengesetz)

The Zahlungskontengesetz (ZKG) in principle grants every consumer with lawful residence in the EU an entitlement to the opening of a basic account. This entitlement is anchored independently in payment services law, not in social law, and is independent of a fixed home address.

Supplementary municipal support

Beyond the municipal integration services under § 16a SGB II (see "Debt and homelessness"), local cooperation projects between Jobcenters and providers of homeless assistance exist in many places. A nationwide uniform, specialised funding structure of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit for homeless people could not be verified in this research.

Who is responsible
  • Agentur für Arbeit / Jobcenter
  • Banks (basic account)
Further reading
Debt and homelessnessPostal address and contact with authorities without a fixed address

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Work despite homelessness“?
Not having a fixed address is no ground for exclusion from job placement. Practical hurdles such as a postal address or opening a bank account can usually be solved with a c/o address and a basic account.
What should I do first?
  • Register with the Agentur für Arbeit: Register with the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter – not having a fixed address is no ground for exclusion from placement.
  • Use a c/o address: Use the c/o address of an advice centre for application documents and post.
  • Apply for a basic account: Apply for a basic account at a bank so that you can receive wages – the entitlement arises from the Zahlungskontengesetz, regardless of residence status.
What do I need to watch out for?
  • A bank may in principle not refuse a basic account solely because of a missing fixed address – the entitlement arises from the Zahlungskontengesetz, not from social law.
  • Nationwide uniform special programmes of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit specifically for homeless people could not be clearly verified in this research – there are mainly local cooperations between Jobcenters and providers of homeless assistance, which are designed differently from place to place.
  • Receiving basic income support (Grundsicherungsgeld/Bürgergeld) remains possible even without proof of accommodation – only the share for housing costs is then omitted proportionately.
Evidence
  • § 4, § 35 SGB III (gesetze-im-internet.de)
  • Zahlungskontengesetz – ZKG (gesetze-im-internet.de)
  • BAG Wohnungslosenhilfe, position paper "Work and qualification" (bagw.de)
As of

As of September 2026. · Sources and method

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