Notifying short-time work and claiming the allowance in Germany

Short-time work allowance (Kurzarbeitergeld) runs through TWO steps, and the first one fixes the start date: the notification of the loss of working time (Anzeige über Arbeitsausfall) goes to the employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit) for the district where the establishment has its seat, in writing or electronically (§ 99(1) sentence 1 SGB III). The allowance is paid AT THE EARLIEST from the calendar month in which that notification was RECEIVED by the agency (§ 99(2) sentence 1 SGB III) — a notification arriving the following month costs the whole previous month. After that, the allowance is claimed separately for each calendar month, within a preclusive period of three calendar months after the end of the month claimed for (§ 325(3) SGB III).

Up to date for 2026 — verified on September 23, 2026Official procedure, no printed formGuide: about 40 min

This content is part of the path: Notifying and claiming short-time work· Step 3 of 4· Next step: German short-time work allowance — the monthly application (Kug 107)

Deadlines

Notification: RECEIVED in the month short-time work starts: § 99(2) sentence 1 SGB III — payment at the earliest from the month of receipt; for an unavoidable event, a notification filed without delay counts as filed for the month concerned (sentence 2)
Monthly claim: for each calendar month, within three calendar months: § 325(3) SGB III — preclusive period starting at the end of the month containing the days claimed for
Duration: at most twelve months, temporarily up to 24 months: § 104(1) sentence 1 SGB III says twelve months; according to the Federal Employment Agency, up to 24 months apply from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2026 at the latest under the Third and Fourth Ordinances on the duration of the allowance (enabling rule: § 109(4) SGB III)
Break of three months: new notification: § 104(3) SGB III — after three months without the allowance a new entitlement period begins; the agency then requires a fresh notification

Documents to prepare

Establishment number (Betriebsnummer) and address of the establishment's seat
Cause of the loss of working time with evidence (cancelled orders, missing materials, official measures)
Headcount excluding apprentices, and number of employees losing pay
Remaining leave and working-time credits
Employment-law basis: works agreement, short-time clause, collective agreement or individual agreements
Works council opinion, where there is a works council
Access to the agency's eServices or KEA-enabled payroll software
Monthly working-time records and the settlement list for the monthly claim

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Employment agency and reference numbers

Employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit) — postcode(optional)

5 digits

Employment agency — town(optional)

1 Short-time allowance number (Kug-Nummer), if known(optional)

2 Establishment number (Betriebsnummer)(optional)

8 digits

A. The establishment

3 Name of the establishment(optional)

4 Street(optional)

5 House number(optional)

6 Postcode(optional)

5 digits

7 Town(optional)

8 Contact person — first name(optional)

9 Contact person — last name(optional)

10 Telephone(optional)

6 to 20 characters: digits, spaces, + and .

11 Email(optional)

12 Type of establishment / sector(optional)

Payroll office (if different from the establishment)

13 Name of the payroll office(optional)

14 Street(optional)

15 House number(optional)

16 Postcode(optional)

5 digits

17 Town(optional)

18 Contact person — first name(optional)

19 Contact person — last name(optional)

20 Telephone(optional)

6 to 20 characters: digits, spaces, + and .

21 Email(optional)

B. Planned reduction of working time

22 Working time reduced from (MM.YYYY)(optional)

MM.YYYY

22 Expected until (MM.YYYY)(optional)

MM.YYYY

23 Affected(optional)

23 Department affected(optional)

C. and D. Weekly working time and the establishment

24 Usual weekly working time in the establishment (hours)(optional)

Up to 2 decimals, separated by a comma

25 Weekly working time during short-time work (hours)(optional)

Up to 2 decimals, separated by a comma

26 Has the business existed for more than a year?(optional)

26 If not: in existence since (DD.MM.YYYY)(optional)

DD.MM.YYYY

27 Is the establishment bound by a collective agreement?(optional)

Collective agreements

28 Collective agreement applying in the establishment(optional)

29 Weekly working time under that agreement (hours)(optional)

Up to 2 decimals, separated by a comma

30 Does this agreement contain a short-time work clause?(optional)

31 Does it provide a notice period before short-time work?(optional)

32 Length of the notice period(optional)

33 Further collective agreement(optional)

34 Weekly working time under the further agreement (hours)(optional)

Up to 2 decimals, separated by a comma

35 Does the further agreement contain a short-time work clause?(optional)

36 Does the further agreement provide a notice period?(optional)

37 Length of the notice period(optional)

Works council and introduction of short-time work

38 Is there a works council (Betriebsrat)?(optional)

39 Introduced by a works agreement with the works council

39 Works agreement dated (DD.MM.YYYY)(optional)

DD.MM.YYYY

39 Introduced by agreement with the employees (no works council)

39 Introduced by notices of change

39 Other

39 Other / remarks(optional)

40 Short-time work introduced with effect from (DD.MM.YYYY)(optional)

DD.MM.YYYY

E. Employees affected

41 Number of employees(optional)

Whole number, up to 5 digits

42 Number of temporary agency workers(optional)

Whole number, up to 5 digits

43 Number of employees losing more than 10% of pay(optional)

Whole number, up to 5 digits

F. The loss of work

44 Causes of the loss of work (short — use a separate sheet if needed)(optional)

45 Products or services, main customers and suppliers(optional)

46 Steps taken to avoid it, and expected duration(optional)

47 Are sector-typical, usual or seasonal causes decisive?(optional)

G. and H. Declaration and attachments

48 Place(optional)

49 Date (DD.MM.YYYY)(optional)

DD.MM.YYYY

Attachment: organisation chart and list of names

Attachment: works agreement

Attachment: extracts from the collective agreements

Attachment: agreement with employees / notices of change

Attachment: other

Other attachments(optional)

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Official form pre-filled with your data: read every box and check the amounts before filing or paying.

Who this applies to

Employers whose establishment or department suffers a substantial loss of working time with loss of pay (§ 95 sentence 1 no. 1 SGB III, § 97 sentence 2 SGB III)
Establishments employing at least one employee — that is the entire establishment-related condition (§ 97 sentence 1 SGB III)
The works council (Betriebsvertretung): it may itself file the notification and the claim (§ 99(1) sentence 2, § 323(2) sentence 2 SGB III); where the employer files, its opinion must be attached (§ 99(1) sentence 3 SGB III)
NOT the employees themselves: the notification can be filed only by the employer or the works council (§ 99(1) sentence 2 SGB III)
NOT employees under notice of dismissal or whose employment has been ended by a termination agreement (Aufhebungsvertrag): they do not meet the personal conditions (§ 98(1) no. 2 SGB III)
NOT temporary agency workers: according to the Federal Employment Agency they cannot receive the allowance
NOT a loss of working time that is mainly customary in the sector or the establishment, or seasonal: it is deemed avoidable (§ 96(4) sentence 2 no. 1 SGB III)

Worked example

Metallbau Kessler GmbH loses its main order in March

Metallbau Kessler GmbH employs twelve people, two of them apprentices. On 10 March its largest customer cancels; from 16 March most of the workforce has no work. The test is whether, in the calendar month, at least one third of the employees each lose more than 10 percent of their monthly gross pay (§ 96(1) sentence 1 no. 4 SGB III) — apprentices are not counted (sentence 2). Of ten employees, at least four must be affected; at Kessler eight are. Remaining leave and working-time credits are checked first, since a loss that paid leave or permitted working-time fluctuations could prevent is deemed avoidable (§ 96(4) sentence 2 nos. 2 and 3 SGB III). The managing director files the notification, with the works council's opinion, on 27 March at the agency for the establishment's seat: the allowance is thus possible from March (§ 99(2) sentence 1 SGB III). Had it arrived on 2 April, March would have been lost, because a cancelled order is an economic cause, not an unavoidable event. The agency confirms the substantial loss of working time by decision (§ 99(3) SGB III). Kessler advances the allowance with the March payroll and claims reimbursement for March by 30 June at the latest (period running from the end of 31 March, three calendar months: § 325(3) SGB III). The amount per employee is worked out by the short-time work allowance calculator.

How to fill it in, step by step

Check the cause: the loss of working time must stem from economic reasons or an unavoidable event, be temporary and not avoidable (§ 96(1) sentence 1 nos. 1 to 3 SGB III).
Count: at least one third of the employees, apprentices excluded, must each lose more than 10 percent of monthly gross pay in the calendar month (§ 96(1) sentence 1 no. 4 and sentence 2 SGB III).
Use up first what makes the loss avoidable: paid annual leave and permitted working-time fluctuations (§ 96(4) sentence 2 nos. 2 and 3 SGB III), respecting the protected working-time credits (§ 96(4) sentence 3 SGB III).
Put the employment-law basis in place, such as a works agreement, a short-time clause in the employment contract, a collective agreement or individual agreements — the agency lists these expressly.
Obtain the works council's opinion where there is one (§ 99(1) sentence 3 SGB III).
File the notification of loss of working time with the agency for the establishment's seat, via eService, the upload service or in writing — so that it is RECEIVED in the month short-time work starts (§ 99(1) sentence 1 and (2) sentence 1 SGB III).
Substantiate that a substantial loss of working time exists and the establishment conditions are met (§ 99(1) sentence 4 SGB III), and await the agency's decision (§ 99(3) SGB III).
Keep monthly records of hours worked, lost and absent, and advance the allowance to employees with the payroll.
Claim reimbursement for each calendar month, with the settlement list (Abrechnungsliste), from the agency for the seat of the payroll office, within three calendar months after month-end (§ 325(3) SGB III) — electronically, for instance via KEA from the payroll software.
Keep all records for the final audit (Abschlussprüfung): payments are made subject to review, and after short-time work ends the agency checks conditions and amounts.

Good to know

Receipt counts, not dispatch: § 99(2) sentence 1 SGB III refers to the calendar month in which the notification was RECEIVED by the agency.
The notification goes to the agency for the establishment's seat (§ 99(1) sentence 1 SGB III); the monthly claim, according to the Federal Employment Agency, goes to the agency for the seat of the payroll office — with outsourced payroll these can be two different agencies.
The period in § 325(3) SGB III is preclusive: miss it and the entitlement for that month is lost. The target date of the 15th of the following month in § 323(2) sentence 5 SGB III applies only to seasonal short-time allowance and supplementary benefits under § 102.
For this allowance, an establishment includes a department (§ 97 sentence 2 SGB III): the one-third rule can apply to the affected department.
The loss of pay may reach 100 percent per employee (§ 96(1) sentence 1 no. 4, second half-sentence SGB III) — zero-hours short-time work is covered.
Employees who fall ill during the allowance still meet the personal conditions while continued pay in sickness applies or would apply without the loss of working time (§ 98(2) SGB III); those receiving sickness benefit (Krankengeld) do not (§ 98(3) no. 2 SGB III).
For the hours lost, the employer alone bears health, long-term care and pension contributions, according to the agency, assessed on 80 percent of the difference between target and actual pay; no unemployment insurance contributions are due on them.
The benefit rates are in § 105 SGB III and in the short-time work allowance calculator, not in this guide.
The agency provides the forms notification of loss of working time, claim for the allowance and settlement list; they were not read field by field here.

Common mistakes

Filing the notification the following month because short-time work began at month-end. Payment starts at the earliest in the month of receipt (§ 99(2) sentence 1 SGB III).
Confusing notification and claim. The notification opens the entitlement once; the claim must be made for each calendar month (§ 325(3) SGB III).
Counting apprentices in the one-third test. They are not counted (§ 96(1) sentence 2 SGB III).
Leaving remaining leave and working-time credits untouched. A loss they could prevent is deemed avoidable (§ 96(4) sentence 2 nos. 2 and 3 SGB III).
Including employees under notice in the settlement list. They do not meet the personal conditions (§ 98(1) no. 2 SGB III).
Forgetting the works council's opinion. It must accompany the employer's notification (§ 99(1) sentence 3 SGB III) and the claim (§ 323(2) sentence 1 SGB III).
Resuming after a three-month break without a new notification. A new entitlement period begins (§ 104(3) SGB III), and the agency requires a fresh notification.
Treating payment as final. It is made subject to the final audit.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get the allowance retroactively for a month before the notification?

No. It is paid at the earliest from the calendar month in which the notification was received by the agency (§ 99(2) sentence 1 SGB III). The only exception: where the loss stems from an unavoidable event, a notification filed without delay counts as filed for the month concerned (sentence 2).

By when must I claim the allowance for a given month?

Within a preclusive period of three calendar months, beginning at the end of the month containing the days claimed for (§ 325(3) SGB III). For March it therefore ends on 30 June.

How many employees must be affected?

At least one third of the employees in the establishment, each losing more than 10 percent of monthly gross pay; apprentices are not counted (§ 96(1) sentence 1 no. 4 and sentence 2 SGB III).

Who may file the notification?

Only the employer or the works council (§ 99(1) sentence 2 SGB III). Where the employer files, the works council's opinion must be attached (sentence 3).

How long can the allowance be paid?

Under § 104(1) sentence 1 SGB III, at most twelve months. According to the Federal Employment Agency, up to 24 months apply from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2026 at the latest under the Third and Fourth Ordinances on the duration of the allowance; from 1 January 2027, twelve months again.

How much is the allowance?

The benefit rates are set by § 105 SGB III; the short-time work allowance calculator applies them. This guide covers the procedure, not the computation.

Go further

Compute the related amounts

Short-time work allowance — 60 or 67 per cent of what exactly?

Related forms

Official sources

§ 99 SGB III — notification of the loss of working time (Gesetze im Internet, Federal Ministry of Justice) — September 23, 2026
§ 96 SGB III — substantial loss of working time — September 23, 2026
§ 98 SGB III — personal conditions — September 23, 2026
§ 325 SGB III — effect of the claim (preclusive period, subsection 3) — September 23, 2026
§ 323 SGB III — requirement of a claim (subsection 2) — September 23, 2026
§ 104 SGB III — duration — September 23, 2026
Federal Employment Agency — short-time work allowance: notification, claim and calculation — September 23, 2026

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