BAföG is the abbreviation for the Federal Training Assistance Act. BAföG is the colloquial term for the financial assistance you can receive under this law.

As the legal regulations are very complex, you should contact your local education funding office at an early stage.

You can receive BAföG funding to finance

• your school attendance or
• , under certain conditions, for a mandatory internship as part of your schooling.

In order to receive the monthly funding, you must meet certain requirements in addition to being financially needy. The most important ones are:

• You are pursuing your school-leaving qualification on a full-time basis.
• Age limit at the start of training: 45 years of age (exceptions are possible).

The amount of your BAföG is based on a fixed monthly requirement. Money is deducted from this requirement if your parents, your spouse or partner, or you yourself earn a little more.

As a student, you will usually receive financial support in the form of a grant. You do not have to pay anything back. As a student at a higher technical college, you will receive support in monthly installments, half of which will be a grant and half of which will be a loan.

In principle, you can receive BAföG if you want to obtain a vocational qualification as part of school-based vocational training or a further school qualification. If you attend a general education school, however, this only applies from grade 10 onwards and only if you cannot live at home. This is the case, for example, if you cannot obtain the desired qualification nearby.

The monthly requirement for students is:

• If you live with your parents:
  • 442 EUR if you are attending a technical college class that requires completed vocational training, an evening high school, or a college
  • EUR 276 if you attend a vocational school or a technical college that you can attend without having completed vocational training, or
  • 498 EUR if you are attending an evening secondary school, vocational extension school, evening secondary school, or technical college class that you can only attend if you have completed vocational training.
• If you do not live with your parents:
  • a total of EUR 666 if you attend a secondary general education school, a vocational school, or a technical college that you can attend without having completed vocational training, or
  • a total of EUR 775 if you attend an evening secondary school, vocational training school, evening secondary school, or technical college class that you can only attend if you have completed vocational training.
• If you have a child under the age of 14 living in your household, you will also receive a childcare allowance of EUR 160 for each child.

You can also receive BAföG if you spend a year abroad during your school years, for example. If you stay abroad, you will receive supplements for the travel costs for the outward and return journey.

The following amounts are taken into account, i.e., they reduce your BAföG requirement:

• The income of your parents and your spouse or partner in the year before last before the start of the approval period, if it exceeds the allowance. The allowance is:
  • EUR 2,540 if your parents live together,
  • EUR 1,690 per parent if your parents live separately, and
  • EUR 1,690 for your spouse or partner.
  • A further 50 percent of the parental income calculated in this way – plus an additional 5 percent for each sibling in non-eligible education – remains exempt from deduction.
  • In addition, there may be further allowances, for example for additional children or other dependents of the above-mentioned persons under civil law.
  • Note: If your parents or your spouse or partner currently earn significantly less than in the year before last before approval, you can submit an update request.
• Your own income, if it exceeds EUR 556 per month. In addition, there may be further additional allowances if you have to pay maintenance to other persons.
• Your own assets, if they exceed EUR 15,000 until you reach the age of 30 or EUR 45,000 after you reach the age of 30.

Parent-independent BAföG: Your parents' income is not taken into account if you

• have been employed for 5 years after reaching the age of 18, or
• have completed a three-year vocational training program and have been employed for at least 3 years thereafter. If your training was shorter, you must demonstrate a correspondingly longer period of employment.
• are over 30 years of age at the start of your training.

If you attend an evening high school or college, you will receive parent-independent BAföG. This means that your parents' income is not taken into account when calculating your BAföG requirements.

Note: The starting point for calculating income is always the total positive income. In education funding law, for employed persons this is the gross income minus

• income-related expenses,
• social security contributions, and
• taxes actually paid, including church tax and solidarity surcharge.

Child benefit that your parents receive for you is not taken into account.

Interns:

BAföG can only be used to fund internships that

• you complete while you are in training that is eligible for BAföG funding.
• Mandatory internships are those that are required by your training plan in order for you to complete your training.
• Mandatory internships are those that take place within the EU or
• Mandatory internships that take place outside the EU and last at least 12 weeks.

You must immediately notify the Office for Education in writing of any change in your financial situation or in your family or educational circumstances. This includes, for example,

• if your income changes,
• if you change your training program,
• if you discontinue your training,
• if you complete your training, or
• if such changes occur in relation to your siblings.

• As a student or trainee, you attend one of the following types of school:
  • secondary general education school and vocational school (including classes of all forms of basic vocational training) from grade 10 onwards, if you cannot live with your parents due to your education,
  • technical college and technical secondary school classes (without completed vocational training) if you are unable to live with your parents,
  • vocational school or technical college (without completed vocational training), if it provides a vocational qualification in a course lasting at least two years,
  • Technical and technical college classes (with completed vocational training),
  • Evening secondary school, vocational extension school, evening secondary school, evening high school, and college or
  • Higher technical college or academy that awards a qualification that is not equivalent to a university degree under state law.
• You attend school full-time.
• You are German or
• You are from abroad and:
  • have a permanent right of residence or a settlement permit,
  • are a citizen of the European Union and, as an employee or self-employed person, have the right of free movement under EU law or, as a family member of such a citizen of the European Union, have the right of free movement yourself,
  • have prospects of remaining in Germany, for example, a corresponding residence permit for family, humanitarian, or political reasons, or
  • have already resided in Germany for 5 years or longer before starting the training and have worked during this time.
• Internship:
• You will receive BAföG for the internship if it is required by the training regulations and lasts at least 12 weeks for internships outside the EU. Shorter internships may also be eligible for funding for stays abroad within the EU.

If you would like to apply for BAföG for your school education online:

• Open the BAföG Digital website and create a BundID user account.
• Fill in the form fields online using the application wizard and send your data electronically to the relevant office.

If you would like to submit your application in paper form:

• Go to the BAföG Digital website and download the application forms (forms) that apply to you. Alternatively, you can also pick up the applications at your local municipal office for educational assistance.
• You can fill out the forms on your computer and print them out, or print them out and fill them out by hand. You must enter your name at the end of the application form.
• Attach the necessary supporting documents.
• Send the completed application forms with the supporting documents directly to the office responsible for educational assistance in your area.

The office for educational assistance will check the documents for completeness. If any documents are missing, they will be requested. If the application is complete, it will be reviewed and the decision will be communicated by mail.

Please note the following:                

• Incorrect or incomplete information or failure to report changes may result in fines or criminal penalties. Amounts paid in error may be reclaimed.
• If necessary, information on income or assets can be verified by comparing data with the relevant authorities.

There is no deadline. BAföG is only granted from the start of your education, but at the earliest from the beginning of the month in which you submit your application. Submit your application as complete as possible so that a decision can usually be made quickly.

You must immediately notify us in writing of any change in your or your family's financial situation.

• Completed application
• Certificate from the school or training institution (Form 02)
• If applicable, a copy of your
  • current residence permit
• If you do not live with your parents: 
  • Copy of your registration certificate or
  • copy of the rental agreement, if requested by the Office for Educational Assistance
• If you are not covered by family health insurance: Proof of health and long-term care insurance with legal basis and contribution amount
• If applicable, proof of your own income during the approval period, for example
  • pay slip from your part-time job or a copy of your contract for work,
  • Orphan's pension notice,
  • scholarship notification, or
  • Riester pension certificate
• Proof of assets or debts on the date of application, for example bank statement.
  • If the value of the apprentice's assets does not exceed EUR 10,000, the "Simplified Asset Assessment" form can be attached.
• If you have a car:
  • Estimate of the value, for example, a printout from a website with a comparable offer, and
  • vehicle registration certificate.
• Depending on the case, additional documents may be required. Please follow the instructions in the application forms. The BAföG office responsible for you will request any missing documents.