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Vocational Training Allowance Calculator 2026

How much Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe (BAB) are you entitled to? Calculate need, countable training pay and parental income — step by step, following the rules of the Federal Employment Agency.

100% freeNo data storedRates as of 2026

Non-binding estimate

The calculator reproduces the statutory calculation in simplified form (€822 need under § 61 SGB III, 22.3% social flat rate, allowances under § 25 BAföG and § 67 SGB III). Only the Federal Employment Agency decides on your application.

Training & Living Situation

€
years

Travel Costs & Children

€
€

Parents' Income

Parents
€
Your estimated BAB

€116

per month · €1,392 per year · €2,088 over the 18-month period

Total need

€938

Counted training pay

− €692

Counted parental income

− €130

Need − countable income = BAB

How your BAB is calculated

Living need (€442 + €380 housing)€822.00
+ Work clothing flat rate€16.00
+ Travel costs incl. trip home€100.00
= Total need€938.00
Training pay gross€1,000.00
minus 22.3% social flat rate€777.00
− Allowance on training pay€85.00
− Countable training pay€692.00
Parents' net income€4,500.00
− Parents' allowances€4,211.00
of which not counted (55 %)€158.95
− Countable parental income€130.05
= BAB per month (rounded)€116

Assumptions & notes

  • Need with your own flat: €822 (€442 basic need + €380 accommodation under § 13 BAföG, to which § 61 SGB III refers). Different rates apply in residential homes, boarding schools or accommodation provided by the employer.
  • As in the Federal Employment Agency's leaflet, a 22.3% social flat rate is deducted from gross training pay. Income tax is ignored; work-related expenses are not deducted under § 67 SGB III.
  • The €85 allowance on training pay and the additional €901 parental allowance only apply if commuting daily from the parents' home is unreasonable. Parental income from the year before last is decisive.
  • Not covered: a spouse's income, separated parents with two incomes, hardship allowances, advance payment under § 68 SGB III. This estimate does not replace a decision by the employment agency.

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Guide: Vocational Training Allowance

Eligibility, parental income, travel costs and application explained

Vocational Training Allowance (BAB) 2026: Eligibility, Amount and CalculationFeatured

Vocational Training Allowance (BAB) 2026: Eligibility, Amount and Calculation

The complete BAB guide: who gets the vocational training allowance, how the €822 need is made up, how training pay and parental income are counted — with a worked example.

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BAB Eligibility: The Requirements Trainees Must Meet

BAB Eligibility: The Requirements Trainees Must Meet

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BAB and Parental Income: How the Allowances Work

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Travel, Work Clothing, Childcare: What BAB Covers on Top

Travel, Work Clothing, Childcare: What BAB Covers on Top

Besides the €822 living need, commuting, trips home, €16 work clothing and €160 childcare per child increase the BAB need.

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BAB Application and Your First Flat: Deadlines, Documents, Housing Benefit

BAB Application and Your First Flat: Deadlines, Documents, Housing Benefit

When to file the BAB application, which documents you need, why housing benefit is usually ruled out and what helps if your parents don't pay.

2026-09-245 min read

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Frequently Asked Questions

There is no fixed amount. BAB is the difference between your need and your countable income. The living need with your own flat is €822 per month (€442 basic need plus €380 accommodation), plus travel costs, €16 for work clothing and possibly €160 childcare per child. Your training pay and part of your parents' income are deducted from this. The Federal Employment Agency's leaflet shows examples with €148 and €493 BAB.

Trainees in their first in-company or external training in a recognised occupation who do not live with their parents. Those under 18, single and without a child also need a reason: the company must not be reachable from the parents' home in reasonable time. From 18, if married or in a civil partnership, or with a child of your own, this distance condition does not apply (§ 60 SGB III). Purely school-based training is not funded by BAB.

Yes, but only above generous allowances. Married parents have a €2,540 allowance, one parent €1,690. For each other child without funded training of their own, €770 is added. If commuting from the parents' home is unreasonable, there is another €901. Of the income above this total, a further 50% plus 5% per child remains uncounted. The income from the year before last before the approval period starts is decisive.

Training pay is generally counted in full — but after deducting a 22.3% social flat rate. €1,000 gross thus becomes €777. If commuting daily from the parents' home is unreasonable, a further €85 remains uncounted; in the example, €692 is then counted. Work-related expenses such as commuting are not deducted because travel costs are already part of the need.

No. The vocational training allowance is a grant and — unlike half of student BAföG — does not have to be repaid. The agency can only reclaim amounts paid wrongly, for example if your pay increases and you don't report it. So report changes in income, housing or training immediately.

BAB is paid for the duration of the training and is usually approved for 18 months at first; after that you file a continuation application. If you apply after training starts, it is paid retroactively at most from the start of the month of application. So it is best to apply before training begins.

Usually not. Under § 20(2) WoGG there is no housing benefit entitlement if all household members are in principle entitled to BAB or BAföG — even if BAB is zero because of income. It may differ if you live with people who have no such entitlement themselves. Housing costs are already covered in BAB through the €380 flat rate.

Then the employment agency can pay BAB in advance under § 68 SGB III — i.e. without deducting the parental contribution if your training would otherwise be at risk. You must show credibly that your parents don't pay or don't provide information. The agency then reclaims the money from your parents. Raise this directly in your application.