Apply for transfer short-time allowance

If your company has to permanently reduce its workforce due to restructuring, you can receive a temporary short-time transfer allowance for these employees, which partially compensates for the loss of earnings during this time and supports the search for new employment.

If your company has to permanently cut jobs, for example if a department has to be closed for economic reasons, you may be entitled to transfer short-time allowance. The employees affected by the permanent loss of work are grouped together in a company organizational unit. You can receive transfer short-time allowance for these employees.

As the employer or transfer company, you apply for, pay and settle the transfer short-time allowance. This means that you initially pay the wages and salaries to your employees in advance. Your employees do not have to do anything.

The transfer short-time allowance is settled monthly in arrears with the Federal Employment Agency at the payroll office and paid to you retroactively.

The amount of the transfer short-time allowance depends on the respective income of your employees:

• 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.

You will receive the transfer short-time allowance

• at the earliest from the calendar month in which the notification of the loss of working hours was received by the employment agency, and
• for a maximum of 12 months.

However, you cannot receive the transfer short-time allowance at the same time as the short-time allowance or the seasonal short-time allowance.

Before you can receive transfer short-time allowance, you may be eligible to participate in a transfer measure. The transfer short-time allowance and the support for transfer measures can be sensibly coordinated. Ask your employment agency for advice on this.

• Notification of work stoppage, additional:
  • If applicable, company agreement with the works council on transfer short-time work
  • Statement from the works council, if applicable
  • Copy of the applicable collective agreement(s), if applicable
  • Social compensation plan, reconciliation of interests
  • Sample contract for employees
  • Certification of transfer company

• Application for transfer short-time allowance, additionally:
  • Settlement list for transfer short-time allowance - attachment to benefit application

Any other documents required will be requested by your employment agency.

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

Minimum requirements:

• In order to receive transfer short-time allowance, you must first complete a transfer consultation with the employment agency.

Company requirements:

• You have to cut jobs due to changes in your company.
• The job cuts in your company are permanent and unavoidable.
• You have reported the job loss to your employment agency (notification of job loss in an organizationally independent unit)
• The affected employees are being looked after in an organizational unit (transfer company).
• The support provided to the employees is documented (transfer folder).
• You support your employees with suitable placement proposals and qualification measures.

Personal requirements:

• Your employees are at risk of unemployment and have registered as jobseekers.
• There is still an employment relationship subject to compulsory insurance.
• Your employees are not excluded from receiving short-time working benefits.
• As a rule, your employees have already taken part in a measure to determine their integration prospects, such as a job application seminar or further training.
• Your employees are actively involved in job placement.

Further requirements:

The transfer short-time allowance must not be used to subsequently re-employ the employees concerned in your business, company or group.

• Objection
• Action before the social court

You can apply for transfer short-time allowance in writing and online. The procedure has several stages. First, you contact your employment agency for a transfer consultation. You then report the loss of work and submit the application.

• You take advantage of a transfer consultation with your employment agency.
• You conclude a social plan to reconcile interests.
• You announce to your employees that they will be transferred to a transfer company and that they will receive transfer short-time allowance. A works agreement is often concluded with the works council. If there is no works council, you must obtain the consent of all employees who will be affected.
• You report the loss of jobs in writing to your employment agency (form: Notification of loss of employment in an organizationally independent unit).
• The employment agency checks the notification and decides whether transfer short-time allowance can be granted.
• They calculate the monthly wage and salary payments and the transfer short-time allowance.
• You pay the transfer short-time allowance to your employees and pay the social security contributions.
• You apply for reimbursement of the transfer short-time allowance retroactively each month at your employment agency office (application for transfer short-time allowance and payroll list).
• The employment agency checks the application and the payroll list and transfers the approved transfer short-time allowance. You will receive a written notification.
• Your billed reference periods will be finally checked after the end of your receipt of transfer short-time allowance.

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

• You submit the notification of absence from work, the application for transfer short-time allowance and any other documents via the upload service. "Transfer short-time allowance" of the Federal Employment Agency.
• The remaining procedural steps are the same as the written procedure.

Before concluding the social plan or reconciliation of interests, you must attend a transfer consultation with the employment agency.

There are no costs.: Fee free of charge