Skip to content
HalloAmt
Start

Applying for a Training Voucher: Requirements, Process and Retraining

You don't apply for a training voucher (Bildungsgutschein) with a form. It comes out of a counselling session at the employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit): if the agency considers a training or retraining course necessary for you to find work again, it certifies with the voucher that the costs will be covered (§ 81 SGB III). Since January 1, 2025, this also applies if you receive basic income support (formerly Bürgergeld) from the job center (Jobcenter). In that case, the job center determines the need, and the employment agency makes the decision. Course fees, travel costs and childcare costs are covered; for a retraining course leading to a vocational qualification, unemployed people also get an additional 150 € training allowance per month.

As of: 12.10.2026 · Redaktion HalloAmt · General information, not legal advice (see note at the end).

You get the training voucher (Bildungsgutschein) through a conversation, there is no application form for it. If you receive basic income support and your approval period is ending, HalloAmt will go through the continuation application with you in your language and create the finished PDF. Start continuation application →

What is a training voucher?

The training voucher (Bildungsgutschein) is a certificate from the employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit) confirming that the requirements for funded training are met. It can be limited in time, to a region, and to a specific training goal (§ 81 para. 4 SGB III). In practice, the voucher states, for example, which occupation or qualification the course is meant to provide and by when you must use it.

With the voucher, you look for a suitable course yourself at an approved training provider. It can only be used with providers whose provider and course are approved under the Accreditation and Approval Ordinance for Employment Promotion (AZAV).

Job center or employment agency – who is responsible?

Until the end of 2024, job centers funded training for their own clients. Since January 1, 2025, the employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit) also decides on and funds training for people who receive benefits from the job center. This is stated on the training page of the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) and in fact sheet 6.

This means for you:

  • You receive unemployment benefit or are still employed: your contact is the employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit).
  • You receive basic income support (formerly Bürgergeld): First contact your job center (Jobcenter). It determines the need and checks your suitability in advance. The employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit) then provides counselling, makes the final decision and issues the training voucher (Bildungsgutschein). Your basic income support continues to be paid by the job center.

Many authorities still write "Bürgergeld". It is the same benefit: since July 1, 2026, it is called basic income support (Grundsicherungsgeld), and until the end of 2026 authorities are allowed to use both names.

Who gets a training voucher?

Under § 81 para. 1 SGB III, the employment agency can fund training if three conditions are met:

  1. The training is necessary for you to move from unemployment into work or to prevent impending unemployment.
  2. The agency has given you counselling before the start.
  3. The course and training provider are approved for funding.

Simply being unemployed is not enough. According to the guidelines of the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit), there must be a gap in your qualifications that the course closes.

Entitlement or discretion? Usually the agency decides at its own discretion, meaning you do not have a fixed entitlement. It is different if you are completing a vocational qualification (§ 81 para. 2 SGB III) or the Hauptschule leaving certificate (§ 81 para. 3 SGB III): if you meet all the requirements there, you have a legal right. For the vocational qualification, this means: you have no qualification in an occupation with a training period of at least two years, or you have one but are unlikely to still be able to work in it after more than four years in unskilled or semi-skilled work. In addition, you must be suited to the occupation, be likely to complete it successfully, and the qualification must improve your chances of finding work.

If you receive basic income support: Since July 1, 2026, SGB II again applies the priority of job placement (§ 3a SGB II). Funding then mainly comes into question if it offers better prospects of lasting employment than direct job placement, especially for people under 30.

If you are employed: Employed people can also be funded (§ 82 SGB III), but only in agreement with the employer. Fact sheet 6 explicitly advises: never quit your job on your own because of a training course.

Retraining (Umschulung): a vocational qualification in less time

A retraining course (Umschulung) is a training that leads to a qualification in a recognized training occupation. On a full-time basis, it usually takes at least one third less time than regular training (§ 180 para. 4 SGB III). For example, someone learning a three-year occupation is usually finished after two years on a full-time basis.

The retraining course runs through the training voucher (Bildungsgutschein) like any other training. To check your suitability, the agency may involve its medical service or its occupational psychology service.

What is paid for?

The employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit) covers the training costs (§ 83 SGB III). These include:

CostsWhat is covered
Course costsCourse fees, learning materials, exam fees (§ 84 SGB III)
Travel costsCosts for bus and train in the lowest class, otherwise a mileage allowance (§ 85 SGB III); according to fact sheet 6, up to 588 € per month for commuting trips
Childcare160 € per month per child (§ 87 SGB III), usually for children under 15
Accommodation away from home60 € per day, up to 420 € per month; meals 24 € per day, up to 168 € per month (§ 86 SGB III)

The employment agency usually pays the course fees directly to the training provider.

For a retraining course leading to a vocational qualification, there is additionally (§ 87a SGB III), if the occupation has a training period of at least two years:

  • 150 € training allowance per month, if you are unemployed
  • 1,000 € bonus after passing the interim exam
  • 1,500 € bonus after passing the final exam

You don't need a separate application for the training allowance, it is a mandatory benefit. For the bonus, you submit proof of having passed the exam.

Will I keep receiving money during the training?

Unemployment benefit: It continues to be paid during funded training, as long as the requirements are met (§ 144 SGB III). Your entitlement period is only shortened by one day for every two days received.

Basic income support (formerly Bürgergeld): Job center benefits continue during the training, as long as you meet the requirements. You still need to submit your continuation application on time when your approval period ends.

How it works – step by step

  1. Request a conversation. You can request an appointment online via "Förderung anfragen" on the website of the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) or contact your employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit) directly. If you receive basic income support, contact your job center first.
  2. Counselling. In the conversation, the agency clarifies whether training is necessary for you and which training goal fits. The counselling must take place before the course starts.
  3. Receive the training voucher. If the requirements are met, you receive the voucher (Bildungsgutschein). It states the training goal, the validity period, and usually the region in which you can commute daily.
  4. Find a course. You can find suitable approved courses in mein NOW, the training search tool of the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit). Ask the provider how the teachers support participants who have learned German as a second language – this tip is also given in fact sheet 6.
  5. Use the voucher. The provider confirms your enrollment on the voucher. This confirmation must reach the employment agency before the course starts and within the validity period, otherwise the voucher expires.
  6. Fill out the questionnaire. For the cost coverage, you fill out the "Questionnaire for Funding Participation in a Vocational Training Measure" (BA II FW 03), including your bank details, travel costs and childcare.
  7. Decision notice. The agency decides in writing. If you disagree, you can file an objection (Widerspruch) within one month.

What should I bring to the counselling appointment?

The Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) does not give a fixed list for this. Since the appointment is about your previous qualifications, we recommend bringing:

  • Your CV
  • School and work certificates; for foreign qualifications, also a translation or a recognition decision, if you have one
  • Language certificates, for example from the integration course
  • Your residence permit, if you are not an EU citizen
  • If you have already found a course: the provider's offer

For travel costs, a printout showing the distance between your home and the course location will help later. According to Fact Sheet 6, this speeds up processing.

I don't speak good German yet – should I do a language course first or go straight to retraining?

If you receive basic income support (Grundsicherungsgeld) and your German skills are not good enough for work, the Jobcenter must give priority to an integration course or job-related German language support (§ 3 Abs. 4 SGB II). Because of this, a vocational language course often comes first, followed by further training.

Both at the same time are possible: according to the instructions of the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit), a vocational language course can in individual cases be combined with funded further training. It will then be checked whether this double workload is manageable for you. Bring this up openly in your counselling appointment.

My residence permit is temporary – is funding still possible?

Yes, funding is also possible with a temporary residence permit. If the further training lasts longer than your permit is valid, the Agency will add a condition to the education voucher (Bildungsgutschein) and the decision: the funding ends when your right of residence ends. So make sure to apply for an extension of your residence permit in good time.

Frequently asked questions

Who gets an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein)?

You get an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein) if the Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) considers the further training necessary for you to move from unemployment into work or to prevent impending unemployment. In addition, the Agency must have advised you beforehand, and the course and training provider must be approved for funding (§ 81 SGB III).

Do I get the education voucher (Bildungsgutschein) from the Jobcenter or from the Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit)?

Since 1 January 2025, the Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) also decides for people who receive basic income support (Grundsicherungsgeld, formerly Bürgergeld) from the Jobcenter. The Jobcenter determines the need and checks your eligibility in advance; after that, the Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) provides counselling, makes the decision and issues the education voucher (Bildungsgutschein).

Am I entitled to an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein)?

Usually not: the funding is a discretionary benefit. There is only a legal entitlement if you are completing a vocational qualification or a lower secondary school certificate (Hauptschulabschluss) and meet all the requirements for this (§ 81 Abs. 2 and 3 SGB III).

What does the Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) pay for retraining?

The further training costs are covered: course fees, learning materials and exam fees, travel costs, childcare at 160 € per month per child, and, if needed, accommodation and meals away from home. People who are unemployed and are retraining in an occupation with at least two years of training also receive an extra 150 € further training allowance (Weiterbildungsgeld) per month, plus bonuses of 1,000 € (interim exam) and 1,500 € (final exam).

How long is an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein) valid?

The education voucher (Bildungsgutschein) is valid for a limited time; the date is shown on the voucher. According to the instructions of the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit), it is valid for a maximum of three months. The course must start within this time, otherwise the voucher expires.

Does my unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld) or basic income support (Grundsicherungsgeld) continue during the further training?

Yes, as long as the requirements for it are met. For unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld), the entitlement period is shortened during funded further training by only one day for every two days received.

Keeping track

Further training brings new appointments and new mail: decisions, questionnaires, notifications of changes. If you receive basic income support (Grundsicherungsgeld), your approval period (Bewilligungszeitraum) continues to run alongside it. HalloAmt guides you through the continuation application (Weiterbewilligungsantrag) question by question in your language and creates the finished PDF for the Jobcenter. You can only get the education voucher (Bildungsgutschein) itself through a counselling appointment with the Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit). Fill out the continuation application with HalloAmt →

This page provides general, carefully researched information (as of 12.10.2026) and does not replace legal or official advice. Amounts, deadlines and responsibilities may change; the responsible Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) decides in individual cases. For binding information, contact your Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit), your Jobcenter, a migration counselling service, or a lawyer. We cannot guarantee completeness or that the information is up to date.

Sources