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BriefDiener
DE

BAföG-Amt (student finance office)

BAföG-Bescheid (BAföG decision): what to check

What this letter means

In the BAföG-Bescheid (BAföG decision), the office decides how much support you receive. It states your need (Bedarf) and the income and assets counted from you, your spouse or civil partner and your parents (§ 50 Abs. 2 BAföG). For students it also states when the maximum support period (Förderungshöchstdauer) ends.

The decision usually covers one year (§ 50 Abs. 3 BAföG). If you submit your follow-up application (Folgeantrag) essentially complete at least two months before the period ends and the decision is delayed, payments continue for the time being (§ 50 Abs. 4 BAföG).

If the decision says "unter dem Vorbehalt der Rückforderung" (subject to repayment), it is provisional. This happens, for example, if your parents' tax assessment is still missing (§ 24 Abs. 2 BAföG). A final decision is made later.

What to do now

  1. 1Write down the date of the decision and work out when the deadline ends, for example with the deadline calculator.
  2. 2Check your need, for example whether you are classed as living with your parents or living away from home.
  3. 3Compare the parental income counted with your parents' tax assessment.
  4. 4Check whether siblings in education were taken into account.
  5. 5Check whether the decision is "unter Vorbehalt" (provisional) and keep all documents.
  6. 6File a Widerspruch (objection) or a Klage (court action), depending on the Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung. Write it in German. The templates (Vorlagen) on this site are in German.

How you can reply

File a Widerspruch (objection)

If your need, income or allowances (Freibeträge) were taken into account wrongly and your Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung provides for a Widerspruch.

Template: Widerspruch gegen einen Bescheid (Jobcenter, Krankenkasse)

Submit an Aktualisierungsantrag (application to update the income)

If your parents' income in the approval period is likely to be much lower. The application must be made before the approval period ends (§ 24 Abs. 3 BAföG).

Request Akteneinsicht (access to your file)

If you want to check the calculation in detail (§ 25 SGB X).

Template: Akteneinsicht bei einer Behoerde beantragen

Common questions

What does "unter dem Vorbehalt der Rückforderung" mean?

The office has made a provisional decision, for example because your parents' tax assessment is missing. Once it is available, the office makes a final decision. This can lead to an additional payment or a repayment demand (§ 24 Abs. 2, § 20 Abs. 1 Nr. 4 BAföG).

My parents earn less this year. What can I do?

Submit an Aktualisierungsantrag (application to update the income). The office then uses the expected lower income. The application must be made before the approval period ends (§ 24 Abs. 3 BAföG).

When do I have to submit the follow-up application?

Ideally at least two months before the approval period ends and essentially complete. Then the office continues to pay for the time being if the decision is delayed (§ 50 Abs. 4 BAföG).

Can I write to the BAföG-Amt in English?

Write 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.

Sources (German law and official pages)

  1. § 50 BAföG: Bescheid
  2. § 24 BAföG: Berechnungszeitraum für das Einkommen
  3. § 20 BAföG: Rückzahlungspflicht
  4. § 68 VwGO: Vorverfahren
  5. § 70 VwGO: Form und Frist des Widerspruchs
  6. § 74 VwGO: Klagefrist
  7. § 37 SGB X: Bekanntgabe des Verwaltungsaktes
  8. § 25 SGB X: Akteneinsicht durch Beteiligte

Research as of: 10 November 2026