Here you will find answers to questions about eligibility and about BundID.
To log in on the Einmalzahlung200 site, you will need:
To use the eID function, you also need a smartphone with an NFC function and an identification app, such as AusweisApp2.
You do not require any other documents for the application process itself. The form only takes a few minutes to complete. Make sure you have your bank account details (IBAN) to hand.
If you are unable to provide electronic proof of your identity, you can alternatively use your access code in combination with a separate PIN (see: Do I need to enter a PIN together with my access code when I log in?)
Here is a step-by-step guide to applying for the one-off payment using your electronic identification (eID).
Guide
In most cases, you will receive an access code which can be used without a PIN. Your education or training establishment will inform you if you need a PIN in addition to your access code. If that is the case, you will receive this PIN from your education or training establishment, separately from the access code.
The option of logging in using the access code and PIN is mainly intended for people who are unable to provide electronic proof of their identity.
If you do not already have an email address stored in your BundID account, you will be taken to an email confirmation page after you have logged in. Enter a valid email address. You will then receive an email containing a link to verify your email address.
Once you have confirmed your email address, you have completed the log-in process. You can now submit an application for the one-off payment.
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:
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?”
If you have a German identity card, it has a chip that you can use to prove your identity online. German identity cards have been issued with an activated eID function since July 2017. You can use the eID function once you have changed the five-digit transport PIN to a six-digit self-selected PIN. The transport PIN can be found in the PIN letter you received after applying for your identity card.
You can check whether the eID function has been activated by using the AusweisApp2 app, for example. If the eID function has been activated, you can set your PIN in the app. The eID function is then ready for use.
If you have an electronic residence permit, you can follow the same steps as for a German identity card to ensure the eID function is ready for use.
If you have a card for EU citizens issued by the German authorities (Unionsbürgerkarte, also known as an eID card), the eID function is automatically activated. You can receive this kind of card if you are a citizen of another EU country, or of Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway (European Economic Area), so that you can identify yourself electronically.
If you want to create a BundID account using the eID function, go to the BundID website and select “eID card”.
To register using the eID function, you will need the following:
Incidentally, you can also use your BundID account to access other e-government services, for example to apply for assistance under the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG).
You can activate the eID function for your identity card and order a PIN reset letter free of charge on the “Order a PIN reset letter” website. The reset letter will be sent to your registered address in Germany and you will need to accept it in person.
You can also easily activate the eID function at your local Bürgeramt. You can set your PIN there immediately as well.
Please note that you can order a PIN reset letter with a German identity card or an eID card for EU/EEA citizens (Unionsbürgerkarte). This is not possible with an electronic residence permit. Other questions are answered in the FAQ on the “Order a PIN reset letter” website.
A BundID account is a federal user account.
If you are a citizen of another European country, in many cases you can prove your identity using the electronic identification (eID) offered by your home country. Select “EU Identity (non-German)” on the BundID registration page.
This function is not yet available for all European countries.
You can find information about how to set up and use your electronic identification on your home country’s websites.
Alternatively, if you are a citizen of the European Union or a country in the European Economic Area, you can apply for a card for EU citizens issued by the German authorities (Unionsbürgerkarte), also known as an eID card for EU/EEA citizens, so you can identify yourself electronically. The eID card for EU/EEA citizens includes an eID function with which you can identify yourself electronically.
You can receive this card irrespective of whether or not your home country uses electronic identification.
Further information about the eID card is available on the German National Identity Card website, a website of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (BMI).
ELSTER stands for the “Elektronische Steuererklärung” (electronic tax return) of the German tax administration. You can now also use your ELSTER certificate when submitting applications to other agencies.
You need a personal ELSTER certificate to prove your identity. Select "ELSTER certificate" on the BundID registration page, then upload your certificate and enter your ELSTER password.
You cannot use an ELSTER certificate issued to a company or organisation to submit an application on the Einmalzahlung200 site.
It is not possible to register using ElsterSecure, the Sicherheitsstick (USB security stick), Signaturkarte (signature card) or the mobile login option.
Further information is available on the ELSTER website.
No, you need to log in using a BundID account. Incidentally, you can also use your BundID account to apply for assistance under the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG) and access other e-government services.
If you are unable to use an identity card with an eID function, you may be able to use one of the other options to identify yourself electronically.
These options are the eID function of an electronic residence permit, an eID issued by another EU country (EU Identity (non-German)), a card for EU citizens issued by the German authorities (Unionsbürgerkarte, also known as an eID card for EU/EEA citizens), or a personal ELSTER certificate.
If none of these options are open to you, you can, instead of an eID, use your access code together with a PIN. In this case, you will receive your PIN separately from your education or training establishment. You can then log in as follows:
The digital application platform for the one-off payment was designed, from a technical perspective, to enable you to apply easily and securely for the 200 euros.
With around 3.5 million eligible applicants at more than 4000 education and training establishments, this is a large-scale process which can only be properly managed by an application system which is fully digital. As the applications and payments are handled digitally, applicants need to be able to provide secure digital proof of their identity. The use of BundID draws on expertise from successful digital projects, such as BAföG Digital, the digital application platform for assistance under the Federal Training Assistance Act.
Alternatives – such as the campus management systems used by many higher education institutions – were considered, but would have been more complicated from a technical perspective and could not have been implemented in the short term. In addition, these systems are not available everywhere.
The use of BundID also ensures that the application platform for the one-off payment complies with important principles enshrined in data protection law:
Besides the eID function of your German identity card or a similar identity document, there are other ways in which you can provide proof of your identity. Details of these alternatives can be found in the answer to the question “I can’t use my identity card’s eID function. What alternatives are there? How does PIN access work?”.
You will receive the access code from your education or training establishment. If you have any questions about this, please contact your education or training establishment.
The access code is a series of characters, consisting of the numbers 0 to 9, the lower-case letters a to f, and hyphens (-).
Check whether you have entered your access code correctly. If you continue to experience problems, please contact the support team.
Please note that the confirmation link expires within 15 minutes. If you have not confirmed your email within this timeframe, you can log in again. You will then receive a new confirmation link.
Keep your access code until the one-off payment is paid into your bank account. Once you have submitted an application, you can use the access code to log back in on antrag.einmalzahlung200.de , where you can view your application and check its status.
As part of the application process, under the heading “Confirmation of eligibility and general declarations by the applicant”, you made the following declaration: “I declare that the information I have provided is correct and complete; in particular, that I was matriculated/enrolled at an education or training establishment in Germany on 1 December 2022”. Intentionally or recklessly providing false information can have legal consequences.
There are various reasons why discrepancies may exist between the personal details held by your education or training establishment and those associated with your BundID account, your eID or your ELSTER certificate; for example, you may have changed your name.
This is why you have the option to provide different details during the application process. However, it generally takes longer for an application to be processed if discrepancies exist.
No. However, you can view your submitted application (read-only) on the Einmalzahlung200 site. Please keep your access code if you want to be able to view your application on the Einmalzahlung200 site.
Later in the process, you will receive an email from the competent body to officially notify you that your application has been approved. This email also confirms that your one-off payment is being paid.
You can view the status of your application on the application overview page. You are taken to this page after logging in. Under the heading “Your applications”, you will find the column “Status”. This will show you whether your one-off payment has been paid.
You will also receive an email from the competent body to officially notify you that your application has been approved. This email also confirms that your one-off payment is being paid.
You should usually receive the one-off payment within a few days after submitting your application.
You will receive an email from the competent body notifying you that payment has been authorised.
No. You do not need to repay the money.
The one-off payment of 200 euros for students at higher education institutions, trade and technical schools (Fachschulen) and full-time vocational schools (Berufsfachschulen) under the Students’ Energy Price Allowance Act (Studierenden-Energiepreispauschalengesetz – EPPSG) has been launched by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The Act entered into force on 21 December 2022. The one-off payment is intended to support young people in view of the rise in heating, electricity and food costs.
The one-off payment for students is 200 euros per person.
Yes. In addition to the one-off payment, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research is supporting recipients of assistance provided under the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG) by increasing the rates of support and providing a higher housing allowance rate and heating subsidies. Students in higher education who are employed can also receive the energy price allowance for people in employment (Energiepreispauschale), worth 300 euros.
You can find more information about how the Federal Government is supporting young people on the website of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
No. The one-off payment is not subject to income tax. It is not taken into account in
In addition, the one-off payment is exempt from attachment.
Yes. Forms of financial assistance provided under other laws do not affect your entitlement to the one-off payment.
BAföG recipients also need to apply for the one-off payment. It is not paid automatically.
You can apply for the one-off payment online at antrag.einmalzahlung200.de.
Applications can be submitted until 30 September 2023.
This website is a joint initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the state of Saxony-Anhalt. It can be used to apply for the one-off payment in all of the German Länder (states) and can only be reached at the following address: https://www.einmalzahlung200.de.
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Depending on the browser, this information is only visible after further clicks on the detailed view of the certificate.
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Any sites which look similar but are located at a different web address, or where the address has a different ending, are fake websites.
The following groups are eligible to apply for the one-off payment of 200 euros:
The following requirements must also be met:
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.
To receive the one-off payment, you need to have been matriculated or enrolled at the education or training establishment on the reference date of 1 December 2022. If you ceased to be matriculated after the reference date, this does not affect your entitlement to the one-off payment.
Yes. All students who were matriculated at a higher education institution in Germany on the reference date of 1 December 2022 and who meet the other requirements established by the Students’ Energy Price Allowance Act (Studierenden-Energiepreispauschalengesetz – EPPSG) can apply for the one-off payment. The same applies to doctoral students.
Guest students (Gasthörer) are not eligible, however. People enrolled in a preparatory course (Studienkolleg) at a higher education institution are not eligible for the one-off payment either.
Yes. International students whose domicile or habitual residence was in Germany on 1 December 2022 and who were matriculated at a higher education institution in Germany at that time can apply for the one-off payment. To meet the “habitual residence” requirement, it is sufficient for the student to have been resident in Germany for the normal duration of a one-semester educational visit.
Yes. The same conditions apply as for other students in higher education.
It depends on what type of education or training establishment they are attending and what type of qualification they are working towards. People undertaking a vocational training programme at a full-time vocational school (Berufsfachschule) or a trade and technical school (Fachschule) which lasts at least two years and leads to a professional qualification are eligible to receive the one-off payment. The same applies to people taking a course at a trade and technical school (Fachschule) for which a prior professional qualification is an entry requirement.
However, people attending a part-time vocational school (Berufsschule) as part of a dual vocational training programme are not eligible to receive the one-off payment.
People taking classes at night school (Abendgymnasium) cannot receive the one-off payment. School students are only eligible to receive it if they are enrolled in a vocational training programme leading to a professional qualification and meet the other requirements established by the Students’ Energy Price Allowance Act (Studierenden-Energiepreispauschalengesetz – EPPSG).
If, on the reference date of 1 December 2022, you were undertaking an internship abroad or spending a semester abroad and you were still enrolled or matriculated at an education or training establishment in Germany (e.g. while taking a semester-long leave of absence (Urlaubssemester)), this does not prevent you from having had a domicile or habitual residence in Germany.
You are also entitled to the one-off payment of 200 euros if you were studying or undertaking an internship abroad, with 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 continued to have a domicile or habitual residence in Germany. Being on leave of absence from your education or training establishment in Germany is not an obstacle to receiving the one-off payment either.
Are you matriculated or enrolled at a German education or training establishment, but live abroad and take part in your course as a cross-border student? In that case, you are not eligible for the payment because your habitual residence is not in Germany. The exception is if you regularly stay overnight at the place in Germany where your education or training is taking place, and only return to your home abroad at the weekend, or for public holidays and in the semester breaks/school holidays; in that case, you are habitually resident at the place in Germany where your education or training is taking place.
If you are only matriculated at an education or training establishment abroad, you are not eligible. To receive the one-off payment, you have to be matriculated or enrolled at an education or training establishment in Germany.
Students at trade and technical schools (Fachschulen) or full-time vocational schools (Berufsfachschulen) who are enrolled in a programme which lasts at least two years and leads to a professional qualification can receive the one-off payment if they were enrolled at an education or training establishment in Germany on 1 December 2022 and their domicile or habitual residence was in Germany on the reference date.
Students at trade and technical schools (Fachschulen) who are taking a course for which a prior professional qualification is an entry requirement can also receive the one-off payment if they were enrolled at an education or training establishment in Germany on 1 December 2022 and their domicile or habitual residence was in Germany on the reference date.
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.
The following requirements must also be met:
Students who are employed and have received the 300-euro energy price allowance for people in employment (Energiepreispauschale) can receive the one-off payment of 200 euros as well. You need to have been matriculated at a higher education institution in Germany on 1 December 2022.