Common Questions About the Agentur – Travel, Income and Reporting

Three questions recur more than any others for anyone receiving support in Germany: may I travel?, what happens if I work?, and what must I report? All three are of one kind: getting them wrong is not excused by good intentions, and the consequence is a stopped payment or a demand for repayment.

A note on the new name: from 1 July 2026 the benefit is called Grundsicherungsgeld, replacing Bürgergeld. It is the same benefit under a new name. Existing forms and online services stay usable, and decisions issued before that date remain valid. Many people — and at times the offices themselves — still use the old word, which is why both names appear side by side in this article.

This page gathers the answers from their official source, with the link and the form, because this is exactly the subject on which hearsay must not be relied upon.

First: travel and absence from your place of residence

The rule is that you must be reachable on working days: able to answer the office's messages, attend appointments, and go to a job interview. If you want to be absent — for travel or anything else — it must be agreed in advance with the office, not reported after you return.

How long is permitted?

• The Federal Employment Agency states that, with prior approval, absence is permitted for a total of at most three weeks per calendar year without losing the benefit
• In deciding, the office checks whether an appointment or a course falls within the requested period; if none does, approval is the normal outcome
• Weekends and public holidays do not in themselves need approval, unless they form part of a longer continuous absence
• Absence without approval has severe effects: payments stop, repayment of sums already paid may be demanded, and the statutory health insurance cover falls away with it

How to ask for approval in practice

• Ask before you book, not after
• Use the official absence enquiry form (Anfrage zur Nichterreichbarkeit) or the online service
• State the dates precisely, from the first day of absence to the first day back
• Wait for the written answer; do not travel on a verbal promise
• Keep a copy of both the request and the approval

Second: income and work

Every new income must be reported, however small, temporary or incidental. Income is not deducted in full — the allowances the law provides come off it first — but failing to report it is something else entirely: it surfaces later in a check, and the consequence is repayment and possibly worse. The practical rule is: report first, ask about the arithmetic second.

Third: what must be reported at once?

• Starting or ending work, and any change to its hours or pay
• Any new income, even a one-off
• A change of address or a move, and a change of rent
• Someone joining or leaving the household
• A birth, a marriage, a separation
• Long illness and a stay in hospital
• Any inheritance or substantial sum you receive

The official form and the responsible office

The rule and the form from their source:

• Absence and reachability – official page
• Absence enquiry form – official PDF
• Conditions, income and assets – official page

Common mistakes that delay a case

• Booking the travel before asking for approval
• Relying on a verbal approval with nothing in writing
• Counting the period from the day of arrival rather than the day of departure
• Postponing the report of a side income to the end of the month
• Assuming a short break inside Germany needs nothing when it is part of a continuous absence
• Travelling for an urgent family reason without telling the office at all

Frequently asked questions

Can I travel outside Germany?
With prior approval and within the period the office states. Travelling without approval exposes you to a stopped payment and a demand for repayment.

What if the travel is an emergency?
Tell the office as soon as you can, by any means, explain the reason and attach what proves it. A late report is far better than none; silence is the worst of the possibilities.

May I work while receiving support?
Normally yes, provided it is reported. Income is set against the benefit after the allowances, so you do not lose everything you earn.

What if I forgot to report something?
Report it the moment you remember, and state the correct date. Correcting it yourself is a far stronger position than having it found in a check.

Please note: Periods and rules are set by the official bodies and may change, and each case is assessed individually. What binds is what your own office tells you in writing — not this article and not the video.

Watch the video

The video is on the OK+ channel on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooc47pPlWK8

Also on OK+

• The main Grundsicherungsgeld application
• The WBA extension application
• How Jobcenter support is calculated

A tool that shortens the road

The OK Plus DE app gathers German administrative calculators and form templates in one place, free, ad-free, in seven languages. Android and iPhone, from the same page:
Get the OK Plus DE app