German insolvency pay — how much does the agency actually cover?
Only the last THREE MONTHS OF THE EMPLOYMENT preceding the insolvency event are covered (SGB III s. 165(1)) — if the employment ended earlier, its last three months; older arrears remain claims in the insolvency proceedings.
2026 rules — verified on September 22, 2026Free, no account
This content is part of the path: When the employer becomes insolvent· Step 4 of 8· Next step: German insolvency pay levy (U3): rate and contribution base
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Sources and assumptions
- gesetze-im-internet.de — SGB III § 165 Abs. 1 Satz 1 — tax year 2026, verified on September 22, 2026
Excerpt from the source : « Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmer haben Anspruch auf Insolvenzgeld, wenn sie im Inland beschäftigt waren und bei einem Insolvenzereignis für die vorausgegangenen drei Monate des Arbeitsverhältnisses noch Ansprüche auf Arbeitsentgelt haben. »
Calculation assumptions
- Net pay is entered by you: § 167 (1) refers to statutory deductions whose rates the text does not state.
- All unpaid months are equal; differing monthly amounts must be computed separately.
- Excludes third-party pre-financing. SGB III s. 167(2) is not modelled: for an employee liable to German income tax without tax being withheld from pay, or not liable to German income tax and whose insolvency benefit is not taxed, the taxes that would be withheld from pay under German income-tax liability are deducted — for these employees the benefit is lower than the calculator shows.
Go further
Understand this calculation: the related course
File it
The official form or forms to complete once you know the amount, explained field by field.
- Applying for German insolvency pay (Antrag auf Insolvenzgeld, employee form)
- Supplementary sheet for family members to the German insolvency pay application (Zusatzblatt Familienangehörige)
- German insolvency benefit for shareholder-managing directors — the supplementary sheet
- Issuing the German insolvency pay certificate (Insolvenzgeldbescheinigung)
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This result is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute personalised tax advice. Check your situation with the tax authorities or a professional.