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Agentur für Arbeit

Bescheid über Arbeitslosengeld (unemployment benefit decision): what to check

What this letter means

In the Bewilligungsbescheid (decision granting benefits) the Agentur für Arbeit sets out from when, for how long and how much Arbeitslosengeld (unemployment benefit) you receive.

The amount is 60 percent of the standardised net pay (pauschaliertes Nettoentgelt), or 67 percent if you have at least one child as defined in tax law (§ 149 SGB III). It is based on your gross earnings in the period before you became unemployed. Your tax class (Steuerklasse) also plays a role, namely the one at the start of the year in which your entitlement arose (§ 153 Abs. 2 SGB III).

The length of the entitlement depends on how long you worked in a job with compulsory insurance and how old you are (§ 147 SGB III). Sperrzeiten (benefit suspension periods) shorten it (§ 148 SGB III).

What to do now

  1. 1Note the date of the decision and the end of the deadline.
  2. 2Check whether the start of the entitlement matches the day you registered as unemployed (Arbeitslosmeldung).
  3. 3Compare the pay used for the calculation with your payslips and the Arbeitsbescheinigung (employment certificate from your employer).
  4. 4Check your tax class and the benefit rate (60 or 67 percent).
  5. 5Check the stated length of the entitlement in days.
  6. 6Report changes such as a side job, illness or a move immediately (§ 60 SGB I).
  7. 7Write your reply in German. German authorities work in German, so a letter in German is the safest way to make sure your reply is understood and processed. The templates (Vorlagen) on this site are in German.

How you can reply

File a Widerspruch (objection)

If pay, tax class, children or the length of the entitlement were taken into account wrongly.

Template: Widerspruch gegen einen Bescheid (Jobcenter, Krankenkasse)

Request access to your file (Akteneinsicht)

If you want to check which Arbeitsbescheinigung your employer sent.

Template: Akteneinsicht bei einer Behoerde beantragen

Common questions

Why do I get 60 percent and not 67 percent?

You only get the higher rate if you or your spouse or partner have at least one child as defined in income tax law (§ 149 SGB III). If the child is missing in the decision, file a Widerspruch with proof.

I only noticed the mistake after the deadline. What now?

Submit an Überprüfungsantrag (request for review) under § 44 SGB X. The Agentur will then check the decision again.

Can I calculate my Arbeitslosengeld in advance?

The Bundesagentur für Arbeit offers a calculator. It gives you an estimate. Only the decision is binding.

Sources (German law and official pages)

  1. § 147 SGB III: Grundsatz zur Anspruchsdauer
  2. § 148 SGB III: Minderung der Anspruchsdauer
  3. § 149 SGB III: Grundsatz zur Höhe des Arbeitslosengeldes
  4. § 153 SGB III: Leistungsentgelt
  5. § 60 SGB I: Angabe von Tatsachen
  6. § 44 SGB X: Rücknahme eines rechtswidrigen nicht begünstigenden Verwaltungsaktes
  7. § 84 SGG: Frist und Form des Widerspruchs
  8. Bundesagentur für Arbeit: Arbeitslosengeld, den Bescheid verstehen
  9. Bundesagentur für Arbeit: Arbeitslosengeld, Anspruch, Höhe, Antrag

Research as of: 10 November 2026