Rechtsstand Herbst 202643 life situations645 topic pages41 roadmapsFree, no account

I want to apply for something from an authority, but I get no answer or am treated badly

Jobcenter, social welfare office (Sozialamt), Agentur für Arbeit (employment agency), pension insurance, health insurance fund, Familienkasse (family benefits office), Bürgeramt (citizens' office) or immigration office (Ausländerbehörde): how to make an application properly and prove it, what the authority may demand in documents, and what helps when nobody answers. Also advance payments, access to your file, data access requests and complaint routes.

How the roadmap works. Answer the questions. Your roadmap is built from them. It shows how to make an application and prove it, what you can do if the authority does not answer, and who can help you. Important: an application needs no particular form, and the date it is received is what counts. If you have already received a notice of decision (Bescheid) and disagree with it, use the roadmap "I have received a Bescheid".

Your answers are not stored or transmitted; they only appear in your browser's address bar. Anyone who shares the link also shares the answers. Legal position as of November 2026: SGB I, SGB X (deemed notification after 4 days since 1 January 2025), SGB II as amended since 1 July 2026 (basic income support, Grundsicherungsgeld, formerly Bürgergeld), SGB V, SGB IX, SGG, VwVfG and VwGO, AO and FGO, AufenthG, BGG, DSGVO, IFG, BerHG, Art. 17 GG.

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As of November 2026. The roadmap arranges general information according to your answers. It does not review an individual case, does not replace legal advice and does not assess your dismissal or any deadline as valid, met or missed. Whether an entitlement exists is decided by the responsible office; deadlines and amounts change often – check important details with an advice centre.

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On a decision, deadline, application or responsibility. You get an answer with the matching page, the responsible office and the next step, usually within two working days. No legal advice in individual cases, no sharing of your data.