German course for employees: who pays, and what you can take over as the employer

Who pays for a German language course for an employee in Germany?

The course itself is paid from federal funds, but employed participants owe a cost contribution, and you as the employer may take that contribution over. For the vocational German courses (Berufssprachkurse) run under the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, the BAMF states that participation is in principle free of charge. Employed participants are the exception: they pay a cost contribution to the Federal Office. On its page for employers, the BAMF states that this contribution can also be paid by the employer.

No rule forces you to pay it. If you decide to, put it in writing with your employee before the course starts, so both sides know who settles the invoice from the course provider. Legal position as at 1 September 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Integration course or vocational German course: which route fits a new employee?

Entitlement to an integration course is not automatic for every new arrival. The law names the cases in which an entitlement can exist (§ 44 AufenthG) and the cases in which the responsible body can require participation (§ 44a AufenthG). Whether your employee is admitted is decided by the Federal Office. Treat the integration course as an option to check, not as a fixed part of your onboarding plan.

What is the cost contribution for a vocational German course, and when does nobody pay it?

Employed participants in a vocational German course pay a cost contribution of 50 percent of the cost reimbursement rate to the Federal Office, due at the start of the course and paid through the course provider. That rule is set out in § 4 DeuFöV, the ordinance on job-related German language support. The BAMF states the current amount as 2.56 euros per teaching unit of 45 minutes. Check the figure on the BAMF employer page before you budget, because rates are adjusted from time to time.

• No contribution if the gross pay does not exceed 33 percent of the annual contribution assessment ceiling in the general pension insurance. The ceiling is the income limit up to which pension contributions are charged.
• Higher limit with children: one dependent child raises the limit by 10 percent of the ceiling, two or more by 20 percent.
• Half back after the exam: whoever proves within two years of the issue of the course entitlement that the certificate exam was passed receives 50 percent of the cost contribution back on application.
• Dropping out does not cancel the bill: someone who does not take part or breaks off stays liable, unless they are not responsible for it.

Legal position as at 1 September 2026.

What does your company have to do if the German course runs at the workplace?

A German course at the workplace, the Job-BSK, only works if your company takes an active part. The BAMF describes this course type as targeted language learning at the workplace with 100 to 150 teaching units: communication training linked to the real job, subject-specific practice and individual language coaching.

• You coordinate with the course provider and the teaching staff.
• You let the teaching staff look at the actual workplace, so the course content matches the job.
• You release the employee for the course time or reduce the working time accordingly.

According to the BAMF employer page, the process starts with a needs analysis together with the field service for vocational German courses. Beside the workplace course, the BAMF names cross-occupational courses with a certificate exam of 400 to 500 teaching units and preparation courses for specialist language exams of 100 to 600 units. Plan the release hours into the shift roster early — a course that collides with every late shift ends before it starts. More on the first months in the job is in our guide to onboarding foreign employees.

Where do you apply for a place in a vocational German course: BAMF, Jobcenter or employment agency?

The right address for a vocational German course depends on your employee's situation, not on your company. The BAMF names two routes to the course entitlement.

• Employed, in training or in a recognition procedure and not drawing benefits: the application goes to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.
• Registered as a jobseeker or drawing benefits under SGB II or SGB III: the Jobcenter or the Agentur für Arbeit is responsible.

Courses are offered in person and virtually, full time and part-time alongside work, with target levels from A2 to C2. That matters for shift work: a part-time evening course can fit a production roster that a full-time course would break. Legal position as at 1 September 2026.

Can the Federal Employment Agency help pay for training your employees?

The Agentur für Arbeit funds continuing training for employed people under certain conditions, and the possible benefits include grants towards course fees and towards the wage during the training. Whether your case is funded, and at what level, is decided by the employment agency. For several employees at once there is a collective application procedure (Sammelantrag Qualifizierung Beschäftigter).

Do not assume that a German course counts as fundable continuing training. Ask the employer service of your local employment agency before you book anything, and ask in the same conversation which proof they want from the course provider. If the answer is no, the vocational German course route under the BAMF stays open — the two are separate systems with separate rules.

Which German level does your employee need for a regulated occupation?

The level of German required for a regulated occupation is set by the body responsible for that occupation, not by you and not by the course provider. In many regulated occupations, professional admission requires specialist language skills at a defined level, and the responsible body assesses this in the recognition procedure. The portal Anerkennung in Deutschland lists the qualification options for employers.

For this situation the BAMF offers preparation courses for specialist language exams with 100 to 600 teaching units. Ask the responsible body in writing which level and which exam it accepts before you book a course. For jobs that are not regulated, the level is a matter between you and the employee; our page on German language requirements at work goes into what a job really needs. If you are hiring from Albania or Kosovo and want to see how the whole process runs, you can register as an employer and tell us about the vacancy.