Not every trainee gets BAB
The vocational training allowance is not automatic. Before the employment agency calculates anything, it checks whether you are eligible in principle. The rules are in sections 56 to 60 SGB III. This article walks through the requirements one by one — and shows where the exceptions lie.
1. Eligible training
Funding is available for vocational training in a state-recognised occupation for which a training contract has been signed. This can be in-company training or external training with an education provider.
Purely school-based training, for example at a full-time vocational school, is not funded. School BAföG may apply there instead. A university degree is not training in the BAB sense either — student BAföG is responsible for that. If you want to compare what studying costs, the university cost calculator gives an orientation.
2. As a rule, only the first training
Under section 57(2) SGB III, the first vocational training is eligible as a rule. Anyone who has already successfully completed training with a standard duration of at least two years usually gets no BAB for a second one. An exception is possible if lasting integration into work cannot be achieved otherwise and the second training makes it possible.
Dropping out of training does not automatically end your entitlement. Under section 57(3) SGB III, funding can be granted again if there was a justified reason for ending the training relationship — such as health reasons or the company's insolvency.
3. Living outside the parental home
The most important requirement: during training you must live outside the household of your parents or one parent (section 60(1) SGB III). Anyone living with their parents gets no BAB during regular vocational training — no matter how low the family income is. The only exception is pre-vocational training measures.
4. The distance rule — and when it doesn't apply
If you are under 18, you must also show that the training place cannot be reached from your parents' home in reasonable time. The law sets no fixed limit in kilometres or minutes; the agency checks actual public transport travel times case by case.
Under section 60(2) SGB III, the distance rule does not apply if you
1. are at least 18 years old,
2. are or were married or in a civil partnership,
3. live with at least one child of your own, or
4. cannot reasonably be expected to live with your parents for serious social reasons.
An adult trainee can therefore receive BAB even when moving into their own flat in the same city as their parents. They then forgo two allowances, however: the €85 on training pay and the additional €901 on parental income. Both apply only if commuting from the parents' home is unreasonable.
5. Insufficient income
Only when the basic requirements are met does the calculation start: need minus countable income. If your pay together with countable parental income exceeds the need, BAB is zero. This is often the case with higher collectively agreed training pay. The BAB calculator shows in seconds whether this applies to you.
Checklist
Before applying, check: Is it recognised training with a contract? Is it your first completed training? Do you live outside your parents' home? Are you under 18 — and if so, is the parental home too far away? If all answers fit, the application is worthwhile. The BAB guide 2026 explains the complete procedure.
One more practical tip: keep a short note of how you reached your answers, for example timetable printouts showing the travel time from your parents' home. If the agency asks, you can back up your statements immediately, which speeds up the decision.