You can receive the grant if you
- receive or are entitled to citizen's allowance
- want to become self-employed (business start-up),
- want to expand a previously marginal self-employed activity into your main occupation or
- are already self-employed as your main occupation.
The aim is for you to be able to earn your own living within a reasonable period of time and no longer require a citizen's allowance.
Financial support for the purchase of material goods
If you want to purchase material goods that you need for your work, you can get a loan or a grant from your Jobcenter. Material goods can be, for example
- Computers,
- software,
- telephone,
- office furniture,
- Marketing measures, e.g. creation of a homepage,
- Vehicles, machinery, equipment, tools
- Deposit for business premises
- Initial equipment and operationally necessary replenishment of your material, goods or spare parts warehouse.
No ongoing operating costs are covered, such as
- Wages and personnel costs,
- rent,
- telephone bills or
- maintenance costs.
Financial support for the purchase of tangible assets is usually provided in the form of a loan. In individual cases, grants of up to EUR 5,000 are possible, loans even more, and a combination of both is possible. The loans and grants are paid out in monthly installments or as a total amount, depending on the intended use. You have to repay the loan later, but not the grant.
You must apply for funding from the Jobcenter before you make the purchase. It is not possible to receive a loan or grant for material goods that have already been purchased.
Free advice and training for the self-employed
If you are already self-employed as your main occupation, you can also be supported by
- Advice that helps you to maintain or realign your self-employed activity. However, tax and legal advice is not funded.
- Training courses that provide you with entrepreneurial knowledge, for example in the areas of marketing, accounting, acquisition or project management.
Both are free of charge for you. Your job center will commission your local Chamber of Industry and Commerce or Chamber of Crafts, private training providers, innovation, technology or start-up centers, for example.
Your integration specialist will check and decide which of the above-mentioned services you can receive. This also applies to the amount of a loan or grant. This means that you are not legally entitled to them.