School supplies Jobcenter has not paid — how to get the 195 euros

In August 130 euros should be in your account, in February another 65 euros — the school supplies package (Schulbedarfspaket) from education and participation. If the school supplies were not paid by the Jobcenter or the decision contains a rejection ("no longer of school age", "school confirmation missing", "no longer entitled"), the frustration is high. The good news: many of these rejections can be challenged, and often an objection with the right documents is enough.

The essentials in 30 seconds

• The school supplies (Schulbedarf) under § 28 Abs. 3 SGB II (under social assistance: § 34 SGB XII) amount to 195 euros per school year — 130 euros on 1 August and 65 euros on 1 February.
• During ongoing Bürgergeld receipt the money is paid out automatically — a separate application is generally not required.
• The claim exists for pupils up to the age of 25, if they attend a general or vocational school and receive no training pay.
• Typical rejections such as "no longer of school age" or "vocational school does not count" are often wrong.
• Objection period: one month from receipt of the decision. If the instruction on legal remedies is missing, you have one year.

We review your decision within 24 hours. Free and non-binding.

Why does this happen?

The school supplies package is a benefit from education and participation (Bildung und Teilhabe, BuT). It is meant to cover notebooks, pens, school bags, calculators, atlases and other learning materials that cannot be financed from the normal standard need (Regelbedarf). The legislature wanted to keep the matter as unbureaucratic as possible: anyone who receives Bürgergeld and has a school-age child (or an older child still attending school) in the needs community (Bedarfsgemeinschaft, BG) gets the 195 euros into the account automatically.

In practice things still go wrong regularly — and when the school supplies were not paid by the Jobcenter, three patterns are usually behind it:

Example 1 — "no longer of school age": Frau A., 41, has a 16-year-old daughter who has been at the vocational school for medical assistants since August. She is not a trainee with pay but a pupil in full-time form. In September a decision arrives: "The claim to school supplies ends with the completion of the 15th year of life. Reclaim of the 130 euros paid." That is wrong. The age limit is 25 years, as long as the school is general or vocational and no training pay flows.

Example 2 — "school confirmation missing": During the change from middle school to upper secondary, no new evidence reaches the Jobcenter. Instead of asking, the August payment is simply suspended.

Example 3 — "calculator belongs to the standard need": A separate application for a more expensive graphing calculator is rejected with the note that this is included in the Regelbedarf. In this blanket form, that is not correct — school supplies and Regelbedarf are separate pots.

Your rights in concrete terms

1. Claim from § 28 Abs. 3 SGB II (or § 34 Abs. 3 SGB XII). Literally, "for the equipment with personal school supplies" an amount is recognised — currently 195 euros per school year, split into 130 euros on 1 August and 65 euros on 1 February. The amounts are set by law, not a discretionary benefit.

2. Automatic payment during ongoing benefit receipt (§ 29 SGB II). If you or your Bedarfsgemeinschaft receive Bürgergeld and the Jobcenter knows that a child goes to school, the school supplies must be paid out ex officio — without a new application.

3. Age limit: up to the age of 25. The often-cited "15 years" is a misunderstanding. Up to 15 the flat rate applies even when school enrolment is still pending — from 15 onwards school attendance must be documented. The upper limit is the 25th year of life, as long as the school is general or vocational (Gymnasium, vocational school, Fachoberschule, Berufsfachschule, evening school).

4. Vocational school counts — as long as no training pay flows. Full-time schools such as the Berufsfachschule for nursing or the school-form MFA training (instead of dual training) are not paid training. The claim remains.

5. Distinction school supplies vs. standard need. Typical school supplies that should be paid from the 195 euros: notebooks, pens, fountain pens, school bags, sportswear for class, calculators, atlases, compasses, pencil cases. Class trips and school lunches are separate BuT benefits. The general Regelbedarf (clothing, food, hygiene) is a third pot — no offsetting.

6. Duty of the Jobcenter to cooperate (§ 14 SGB I). If a school confirmation is missing, the Jobcenter must request that you submit it — not silently reject. An immediate rejection without inquiry is procedurally flawed.

7. Objection (§ 84 SGG) and emergency motion (§ 86b SGG). Against the rejection or revocation decision you file a written objection (Widerspruch). If the school material is urgently needed — typically before the start of the school year — an emergency motion at the Social Court comes into consideration.

Current case law

The Federal Social Court and the State Social Courts have repeatedly clarified the interpretation of the education and participation package. Central: BuT benefits are to be assessed individually, blanket rejections without clarification of the facts regularly do not hold. [URTEIL-REFERENZ]

For the question who counts as a pupil within the meaning of § 28 SGB II, settled case law on the school-attendance concept exists — in particular that school-form training without training pay (nursing, medical field) is covered. [URTEIL-REFERENZ]

On the distinction school supplies / standard need there are decisions according to which the Regelbedarf is precisely not meant to fully cover learning materials such as calculators or atlases — the school-supplies pot is there for that. [URTEIL-REFERENZ]

More important than the individual case number: if the decision works with a blanket formula ("not of school age", "that is Regelbedarf", "vocational school not covered"), the individual-case assessment is missing — and that is what the objection picks up.

How to proceed now

1. Note the deadline. Date on the decision plus one month. Without a correct instruction on legal remedies, one year. This deadline is hard — after that the decision becomes final.

2. Update the school confirmation. Request from the school a current confirmation with school type, class/level, school year and the note "no training pay". Most schools issue this within a few days.

3. Bundle the documents. Last benefit decision, school confirmation, for vocational schools additionally the confirmation of the school form (full-time school without pay), birth certificate of the child (for the age limit 25).

4. File objection in writing. One sentence is enough at first to meet the deadline: "Gegen Ihren Bescheid vom [Datum], Aktenzeichen [AZ], lege ich hiermit Widerspruch ein. Die Begründung reiche ich nach." Send by fax, registered mail or hand in in person against an entry stamp.

5. Submit the reasoning later. Address the rejection grounds directly. If it says "no longer of school age", refer to the statutory age limit 25 and enclose the school confirmation. For "school supplies are included in the Regelbedarf" cite § 28 Abs. 3 SGB II as an independent benefit.

6. Consider an emergency motion in case of acute need. School bag for enrolment, book list for 1 August — if it cannot wait, an application for an interim order at the Social Court is possible (§ 86b SGG). In parallel to the objection.

Typical mistakes to avoid

• Letting the deadline pass. The one-month deadline is the most common trap. First file objection, then submit the reasoning.

• Just calling. A phone call does not replace an objection. In writing, verifiable, with date.

• Pre-financing school items from the standard need and not reclaiming them. If you buy notebooks, school bags or calculators with your own money because the 130 euros did not arrive — collect the receipts. These costs can, where the claim is justified, be claimed as a subsequent reimbursement.

• Relying on the school confirmation from the previous school year. Jobcenters often only accept current evidence, especially after school changes. Get a new one in August.

• Believing that vocational pupils have no claim. This is one of the most common misinformation. As long as no training pay flows and the school is general or vocational, the claim remains until 25.

Frequently asked questions

My daughter is 16 and attends the Berufsfachschule — do we still get school supplies?

Yes, as a rule. Decisive is the combination school attendance + no training pay + under 25. A Berufsfachschule in full-time form (medical assistants, nursing) counts. Rejections with "no longer of school age" are almost always wrong for 16-year-olds.

I did not receive 130 euros in August. Do I now have to file an application?

During ongoing Bürgergeld receipt the payment is automatic. If nothing came, the first step is an inspection of the file or written inquiry at the Jobcenter. Often only an updated school confirmation is missing. Submit it later and demand the back payment — if necessary with a review application (Überprüfungsantrag) under § 44 SGB X, which can apply up to four years retroactively.

Does a calculator really belong to the school supplies and not to the standard need?

Yes. The school-supplies pot (195 euros) covers exactly such learning materials — calculator, atlas, compass, fountain pen, notebooks, school bag. The argument that this is included in the Regelbedarf contradicts the statutory system: Regelbedarf and school supplies are governed separately.

We receive social assistance, not Bürgergeld. Does this also apply to us?

Yes. For SGB XII households (basic security in case of reduced earning capacity, assistance with subsistence) § 34 Abs. 3 SGB XII governs the same claim — 195 euros per school year, split into 130 euros and 65 euros. Housing-benefit and child-supplement households also have a claim, then through the education package directly at the municipality.

What if my child changes to another school in the middle of the school year?

The claim exists per school year, not per school. If the August payment was made and your child changes in November, the payment remains. For the February payment (65 euros) a current confirmation from the new school is enough. Reclaims due to a change are usually inadmissible.

Can I get the school supplies retroactively for the previous school year too?

In many cases yes. The review application under § 44 SGB X allows incorrect or omitted benefits to be corrected up to four years retroactively. Enclose evidence (school confirmation, benefit receipt for the period) and state clearly for which school year and child payment is to be made.

Have your decision reviewed now

When the school supplies were not paid by the Jobcenter — whether completely, only the 65 euros in February or with a subsequent reclaim — every decision has its own angle of attack. We look at what is in your decision, what reasoning was used and where the lever for the objection sits.

We review your decision within 24 hours. Free and non-binding.