Social insurance · Germany
Bescheid from the Jobcenter (Grundsicherungsgeld, SGB II)
A dense table of figures decides what a household lives on for the next months — and the month to object starts before most people finish reading it.
How serious: needs actionAlso called: Bewilligungsbescheid, Änderungsbescheid, Aufhebungs- und Erstattungsbescheid, Bürgergeld-Bescheid
A Bescheid is the Jobcenter's formal decision under SGB II: granting benefit (Bewilligungsbescheid), changing it (Änderungsbescheid), or withdrawing it and demanding money back (Aufhebungs- und Erstattungsbescheid).
Since 1 July 2026 the benefit is called Grundsicherungsgeld; letters and forms issued before that date say Bürgergeld. The objection period and its form did not change with the name.
The amount is built from a standard rate, the accepted housing costs and whatever income was counted — and most disputes are about one line of that arithmetic, not about the decision as a whole.
Who sends it
The Jobcenter responsible for the district — a joint body of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit and the municipality, or a municipality acting alone.
The word 'Bescheid' in the heading, a Bedarfsgemeinschaft number and Aktenzeichen, a Bewilligungszeitraum, a calculation sheet (Berechnungsbogen) and, at the end, a Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung naming the Widerspruch.
The deadline
Widerspruch within one month of notification (§84 Abs. 1 SGG); the period is three months where the decision was notified outside Germany. A decision posted inside Germany counts as notified on the fourth day after posting (§37 Abs. 2 SGB X).
A Widerspruch must be lodged within one month of notification (§84 Abs. 1 SGG), and within three months where the decision was notified outside Germany. A decision posted inside Germany counts as notified on the fourth day after it was handed to the post office (§37 Abs. 2 SGB X).
If you do nothing
After the month the Bescheid becomes bestandskräftig: the figures it sets stand, including any repayment it orders. A repayment can then be offset against ongoing benefit under §43 SGB II or passed to the Inkasso-Service of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit. A final decision can afterwards be reopened only on the narrow grounds of §44 SGB X.
Compute your date
The rule above is what the law sets. Put in the dates on your own letter and it becomes a date.
How it escalates
- 01The Bescheid becomes final and its calculation can be challenged only under §44 SGB X.
- 02Where repayment was ordered, the Jobcenter may offset it against ongoing benefit (§43 SGB II).
- 03An unpaid Erstattung goes to the Inkasso-Service of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit and can be enforced.
- 04Where benefit was reduced or refused, the reduced amount simply continues until a new application or a successful objection.
How to respond
Response types
- File the objectionWiderspruch gegen den Bescheid des Jobcenters · §84 SGG
- Ask for clarificationAntrag auf Akteneinsicht und Übersendung des Berechnungsbogens · §25 SGB X
- Ask for instalmentsAntrag auf Ratenzahlung bzw. Herabsetzung der Aufrechnung · §43 SGB II
- Ask for more timeÜberprüfungsantrag nach §44 SGB X · §44 SGB X
Common questions
The letter says Bürgergeld, not Grundsicherungsgeld.
Both names appear in circulation: the benefit was renamed on 1 July 2026 and older letters and forms keep the earlier word. The objection period and its form are the same either way.
I was abroad when the letter arrived.
§84 SGG gives three months instead of one where the decision was notified outside Germany. Where it was notified to a German address while the person was away, the one-month period applies.
I only disagree with one figure.
A Widerspruch is lodged against the Bescheid; the reasons can name the single item in dispute, and they may be supplied after the objection itself.
Sources
Facts verified against the sources below on 10 September 2026.