What Costs does the Bildungsgutschein actually cover?

A Bildungsgutschein is the German word for an educational or training voucher. It is issued by the Agentur für Arbeit or JobCenter. This voucher entitles you to learn new skills for free. Once you have obtained a Bildungsgutschein, the Jobcenter/Agentur für Arbeit will cover the costs of your chosen course.

Many people will like to know exactly what costs are covered by the Bildungsgutschein unfortunately, exact sums cannot be given, since the costs may vary. In addition, the voucher does not only cover the direct cost of the course. You can also finance various additional financial burdens that come with taking on the course or training with it. You can find out exactly what benefits and amounts are covered in your individual case by speaking directly to your case worker.

Here is a general overview of what costs are cover or eligible for reimbursement:

Cost of the training Course

Fees for the course and examinations including costs for work clothing, learning materials and test materials.

Travel costs

The Agentur für Arbeit reimburses commutes between home and the training center at 20 cents per kilometer. The maximum rate is 588 euros per month. However, other conditions apply to people who are funded by the Jobcenter, which you should inquire about in advance.

Costs for accommodation

 If you have to spend the night away from home, the Bildungsgutschein helps with the costs of accommodation and meals. Up to 60 euros per day are possible, monthly support through the education voucher is limited to 420 euros. You can receive up to 24 euros per day for meals, the maximum per month is 168 euros.

Costs for child care

Anyone who has children who require supervision – including all children under the age of 15 – can claim costs for childcare during the further training measure. You can receive up to 150 euros per child per month through the education voucher.

If you take part in further training measures that are funded by the Bildungsgutschein while you are unemployed, you are socially secure. Anyone who receives benefits under the Social Security Code (SGB) III has health, accident and pension insurance.

Continuing education bonus

If you pass the exam as part of the retraining, you can also receive a further training bonus. The Agentur für Arbeit and JobCenter reward successful further training with 1,000 euros for an intermediate examination or even 1,500 euros for the final examination. The prerequisite for this is that the training period is at least two years. You can provide proof that you have successfully passed the exam, for example with a copy of your certificate.