BAB in 30 seconds
BAB is a monthly grant from the Agentur für Arbeit for apprentices in their first company-based training who can no longer live with their parents because the company is too far away. Amount: depends on your training salary, your rent and your parents' income. Application: online, ideally 2 months before your apprenticeship starts — paid from the application month at the earliest, never retroactively. Repayment: none.
Am I eligible? The 4 conditions
- 1Company-based training: You have a signed training contract (Ausbildungsvertrag) for a recognised occupation — the dual system of company plus vocational school. Purely school-based programmes fall under BAföG instead.
- 2First apprenticeship: As a rule, only your first vocational training is funded.
- 3You need your own place: Your training company cannot reasonably be reached from your parents' home — what counts is travel time by public transport, not kilometres. A furnished room in a shared flat (WG) with a rental contract in your name fully qualifies. For apprentices whose parents live abroad, this condition is met by definition — the agency checks your residence status instead.
- 4Your need exceeds your income: Your training salary (plus part of your parents' income) is below the monthly need the agency calculates for rent and living costs. Whether that applies to you is what the calculator is for — not gut feeling.
The application in 6 steps
- 1Check your eligibility. 10 minutes in the official BAB calculator (Agentur für Arbeit) ↗ — anonymous and non-binding. If it shows more than €0, applying is always worth it.
- 2Start the application — before you move in. Online via the arbeitsagentur.de portal (create an account, choose „Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe“). Rule of thumb: two months before your training starts.
- 3Collect your documents. The full checklist is below — the core pieces are your training contract, rental contract and proof of your training salary.
- 4Get the parents' income form moving early. Your parents fill in a form about their income (usually the year before last) — this regularly takes longest. If your parents live abroad, income evidence from there counts too; ask the agency which documents they accept.
- 5Submit — even if something is missing. The application month is what counts for payment. Missing documents (e.g. the rental contract while you are still searching) can simply be handed in later.
- 6Check the decision letter. After a few weeks you receive the Bescheid with a calculation sheet. If rent or salary are wrong in it, you can object (Widerspruch) within one month — an informal letter is enough.
Document checklist
- ✓Training contract (signed by the company and registered with the chamber, IHK/HWK)
- ✓Rental contract stating the rent — with an all-in rent the total is written in one figure, which keeps this simple
- ✓Proof of your training salary (it is stated in the training contract; otherwise a note from your company)
- ✓Your parents' income evidence (usually the year before last — tax assessment or salary statements; foreign documents are accepted, ask what the agency needs)
- ✓ID card or passport — international apprentices: residence permit that allows vocational training
- ✓Bank details (IBAN) for the monthly payment — a German account makes this easiest
- ✓If applicable: ticket costs to vocational school and one family visit home per month — both can increase your calculated need
How much will I get?
There is no fixed amount. The agency adds up a monthly need from standard rates for housing and living costs (plus travel and, where relevant, work clothing), then deducts your training salary and the countable part of your parents' income — with generous allowances, for example for siblings still at school. Whatever remains is paid to you monthly. In practice the range goes from a small top-up to several hundred euros per month.
Two things worth knowing: parents earning “too much” does not automatically mean €0 — with a high rent and a first-year salary there is often still a claim. And BAB is recalculated per approval period (18 months): when your salary rises in year two, the grant shrinks a little but usually stays worth having.
Rejected? Three routes remain
Objection
Within one month, informal. Most common errors: outdated parental income, forgotten sibling allowances, wrong rent figure.
Wohngeld
If you are not eligible for BAB in principle (e.g. second apprenticeship), housing benefit from your district's Wohngeld office can step in.
Employer pays part
More and more training companies cover part of the rent as a recruiting benefit — raise it in your interview.
FAQ: BAB for apprentices
What is BAB (Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe)?
A monthly grant from the German Federal Employment Agency for apprentices in their first company-based vocational training who have to move out because the training company is too far from their parents' home. It never has to be repaid.
Can international apprentices get BAB?
Often yes: apprentices with a German training contract can be eligible regardless of nationality if their residence status permits vocational training — including many non-EU apprentices. EU citizens are treated like German applicants. Ask the Agentur für Arbeit to check your case; applying costs nothing.
How much does BAB pay?
There is no fixed amount: the agency calculates your monthly need for housing and living costs, then deducts your salary and part of your parents' income. Several hundred euros per month are possible. The official BAB calculator gives a first estimate.
When should I apply?
Around two months before your apprenticeship starts. BAB is paid from the application month at the earliest — never retroactively. Applying mid-apprenticeship is possible too, for example when you move out later.
Do I have to pay it back?
No. BAB is a grant, not a loan — it is paid monthly on top of your training salary and is never repaid.
Read on
New to Germany? Everything about arriving, registering and living in the Stuttgart region: Moving to Germany — the practical guide. Auf Deutsch: BAB beantragen — Schritt für Schritt.