Apply for seasonal short-time allowance

If your company belongs to the construction industry or an equivalent company and you lose work during the so-called bad weather period, you can partially compensate for your employees' loss of earnings with seasonal short-time allowance.

If your construction company is unable to carry out its work due to snowfall, for example, seasonal short-time allowance can partially compensate for the loss of earnings. It is intended to relieve your company and help to preserve jobs.

The seasonal short-time allowance is limited to companies

• the construction industry,
• the scaffolding trade,
• the roofing trade and
• gardening and landscaping.

You can only receive the benefit during the so-called bad weather period from December to March.

As an employer, you must apply for, pay and settle the seasonal short-time allowance. Your employees do not have to do anything.

Seasonal short-time work can be introduced for your entire company or limited to individual departments.

The actual amount of the seasonal short-time allowance depends on the respective income of your employees and the actual loss of work/earnings during the seasonal short-time working period:

• 60 percent of the lost net wage for employees without a child in the household
• 67 percent of the lost net wage for employees with at least one child in the household.

In addition to the seasonal short-time allowance, you can apply for additional benefits for your employees, such as the reimbursement of social security contributions.

You receive the seasonal short-time allowance from the first hour of absence.

As an employer, you initially pay wages and salaries to your employees in advance. The short-time working allowance is settled monthly in arrears with the Federal Employment Agency at the payroll office and paid to you retroactively.

• Application for seasonal short-time allowance (S-Kug) and supplementary benefits
• Settlement list for seasonal short-time allowance (S-Kug) and supplementary benefits - attachment to the application for benefits

Forms available: Yes
Written form required: Yes
Informal application possible: No
Personal appearance necessary: No
Online services available: Yes

The seasonal short-time allowance can be applied for in the event of temporary and unavoidable loss of working hours

• for economic reasons or
• for weather-related reasons or
• as a result of an unavoidable event.

Operational requirements:

• Your company belongs to the building trade, scaffolding trade, roofing trade or gardening and landscaping trade.
• Your company or company department employs at least 1 employee.

Personal requirements:

• You have employees subject to social security contributions who have not been dismissed and with whom no termination agreement has been concluded.

• Objection
• Action before the social court

You can apply for seasonal short-time allowance in writing or online. However, you can also use KEA (Kurzarbeitergeld-Dokumente elektronisch annehmen) if necessary.

If you want to apply for seasonal short-time allowance in writing:

• You calculate monthly wage and salary payments as well as the seasonal short-time allowance.
• You pay the remuneration for hours worked and the seasonal short-time allowance for hours not worked to your employees and pay the social security contributions.
• You apply for reimbursement of the seasonal short-time allowance retroactively each month at the responsible employment agency (application for seasonal short-time allowance and payroll list).
• The employment agency checks your application and the payroll list. If your application is approved, you will receive the seasonal short-time allowance. You will receive a written notification.
• At the end of the seasonal short-time working period, the Employment Agency will check the statements you have submitted as part of a final audit and, if necessary, correct the approved seasonal short-time allowance.

If you want to apply for seasonal short-time allowance online:

• Go to the "eServices" portal on the Federal Employment Agency's website.
• Log in with your user ID and call up the application for seasonal short-time allowance.
• Complete the application, upload the payroll list and submit the application.
• The employment agency will check your application and your documents. You will receive notification of the decision on your application from the Employment Agency.
• The remaining steps in the procedure are the same as the written procedure.

If you wish to use KEA for the application for seasonal short-time allowance and the associated payroll list:

• You will need certified payroll software that supports transmission using KEA.
• In this case, you can transmit your application for seasonal short-time allowance and the corresponding payroll list to the Employment Agency fully digitized and securely from your payroll software.

There are no costs.: Fee free of charge