Apply for transfer measures

If your company has to cut jobs, you can use transfer measures to help your employees find a new employer and avoid becoming unemployed. The employment agency will contribute to the costs of this on a pro rata basis.

As an employer, you are planning a change in operations with permanent job cuts. You and the works representatives (works council) take part in a transfer consultation with the Federal Employment Agency and apply for funding for participation in transfer measures for your affected employees. You will then receive a grant from the Federal Employment Agency for transfer measures. The subsidized measures are intended to help integrate your existing employees into other companies or facilitate their transition to self-employment.

You can apply for funding for the following measures:

• Measures, for example tests, to determine the performance, labor market opportunities and qualification requirements of the workforce ("profiling")
• Application or orientation seminars that offer targeted help with applications and job searches
• External placement ("outplacement counseling")
• Short qualification measures, for example practical craft training without theory or
• Teaching basic skills for a new profession
• internships
• Continuation of training for trainees
• Business start-up advice (self-employment)

The Federal Employment Agency covers 50 percent of the costs of the transfer measures, up to a maximum of EUR 2,500 per employee.

As an employer, you initially pay for the transfer measures in advance. The subsidy will be paid to you retroactively.

You can apply for transfer measures for employees whose jobs are permanently lost.

After receiving financial support for a transfer measure, you can usually also apply for transfer short-time allowance for your employees. Ask your employment agency for advice on this.

• Application for support for participation in transfer measures
• Social plan, reconciliation of interests or comparable agreement
• Personnel adjustment concept
• Project calculation
• List of participants
• Agreement on operational changes and implementation of transfer measures
• Measure concept
• Declaration by the project sponsor that the implementation of the measure is assured
• After completion of transfer measures: Settlement list for funding participation in transfer measures.

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 subsidies for transfer measures in your company, you must carry out a transfer consultation with the employment agency in advance.

Operational 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.
• You bear 50 percent of the costs of the measure.

Personal requirements:

• Your employees are at risk of unemployment and have registered as jobseekers.
• You have not yet given notice to your employees subject to social security contributions and have not concluded a termination agreement.

Further requirements:

• The transfer measure you have applied for is not carried out by you, but by an approved measure provider. This provider must apply its own quality assurance system.
• The measure will be carried out in any case.
• Your transfer measure is not intended to subsequently re-employ the employee in your company, business or group.

• Objection
• Action before the social court

You can apply for transfer measures in writing and online. The application procedure has several stages. First, contact your employment agency for a transfer consultation. You then submit the written application and settle the costs of the measure in writing:

• Report the impending job loss to your employment agency.
• You discuss the appropriate transfer measures with your employment agency in a transfer consultation.
• You then submit an application for funding for the transfer measures (form: Application for funding for participation in transfer measures).
• The employment agency will review the application and you will receive a written decision.
• Once the measure has been completed, you apply for payment of the subsidy using a settlement list.
  • You complete the relevant application (form: settlement list for funding participation in transfer measures) and submit it to your local employment agency.
  • The employment agency will check the statement. You will receive a written notification. Approved grants will be transferred to you.

If you want to apply for the transfer measures online:

• You submit the application, the statement of account and any other documents via the Federal Employment Agency's "Transfer Measures" upload service.
• The remaining procedural steps are the same as the written procedure.

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

You must apply for funding for a transfer measure before the transfer measure begins.

There are no costs.: Fee free of charge