200-euro one-off payment for students at higher education institutions, trade and technical schools (Fachschulen) and full-time vocational schools (Berufsfachschulen)

The following groups are eligible to apply for the one-off payment of 200 euros:

• Students in higher education,
• Students taking a course at a trade and technical school (Fachschule) for which a prior professional qualification is an entry requirement,
• Students enrolled in a vocational training programme at a trade and technical school (Fachschule) or full-time vocational school (Berufsfachschule) which lasts at least two years and leads to a professional qualification,
• Students enrolled in a vocational training programme at a higher vocational school (höhere Fachschule) or academy,
• Trainees enrolled in a vocational training programme at certain education or training establishments set out in an ordinance under section 2 (3) number 1 of the Federal Training Assistance Act (Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz).

The following requirements must also be met:

• The education or training establishments must be located in Germany;
• Students at higher education institutions need to have been matriculated on 1 December 2022, while students at trade and technical schools (Fachschulen) or full-time vocational schools (Berufsfachschulen) and students enrolled in equivalent courses need to have been enrolled at the education or training establishment on 1 December 2022; and
• The individual’s domicile or habitual residence has to have been in Germany on the reference date.

Important note: Students and school students at private education or training establishments are only eligible to apply for the payment if, on 1 December 2022, a course at the establishment was recognised as being equivalent to one at a public institution.

Please note: Receiving the 300-euro energy price allowance for people in employment (Energiepreispauschale) or the heating subsidy (Heizkostenzuschuss) does not affect your entitlement to the one-off payment of 200 euros.

A domicile is the place where someone has a home that he or she recognisably intends to retain and use. Habitual residence is the place where someone is resident in circumstances which indicate that he or she is not just staying temporarily in this place or area. To meet the “habitual residence” requirement for the purposes of the Students’ Energy Price Allowance Act (Studierenden-Energiepreispauschalengesetz), it is sufficient for you to have been resident in Germany for the normal duration of a one-semester educational visit.

If you spend six consecutive months abroad, you are normally considered to no longer be habitually resident in Germany, unless there are special circumstances which indicate that your ties to Germany remain intact. The key question in this context is whether you have made another country your home and whether you recognisably have a settled intention not to return to Germany.

If you remain matriculated in Germany, that is one example of a factor which suggests that you are still habitually resident in Germany. In other words, you can still apply for the one-off payment of 200 euros if, on the reference date of 1 December 2022, you were studying abroad or undertaking an internship abroad for a maximum duration of two semesters while remaining matriculated/enrolled at your education or training establishment in Germany, as it can be assumed that you have not given up your domicile or habitual residence in Germany.

Being on leave of absence from your education or training establishment in Germany does not disqualify you from receiving the one-off payment either. However, if you have been living abroad continuously for longer than one year, it is normally assumed that you are no longer habitually resident in Germany.

A BundID account is a federal user account. It enables you to register for many e-government services.

To log in to the Einmalzahlung200.de website, you generally require a BundID account to which you have added one of the following types of identification:

• The electronic identification (eID) function of your German identity card, your electronic residence permit, or your German eID card for EU citizens (Unionsbürgerkarte), or
• Your eID from your EU home country, or
• A personal ELSTER certificate.

If you do not yet have a BundID account, you can create one at any time, for example by using the eID function.

If you are unable to provide electronic proof of your identity, you can alternatively use your access code in combination with a PIN. In that case, you will receive the PIN from your education or training establishment, separately from the access code. To log in using your access code and PIN, you will still need a BundID account. In this case, it is sufficient to use the BundID account option “Username & Password”. Further information can be found in this FAQ under the question “How does PIN access work?”