Germany’s Inclusion Levy Hits €815 Per Month for Firms Without Disabled Workers
Published on 07/22/2026 at 08:22 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
Companies with 20 or more employees that fail to meet the statutory five-percent quota for hiring severely disabled workers have been paying steeper penalties since March 2026. The monthly cost for businesses that employ no such workers at all now stands at €815 per unfilled mandatory position.
The graduated fee structure imposes different burdens depending on how far a firm falls short. Employers with a disabled-worker rate between three and five percent pay €155 per month. Those with rates below two percent are charged €405. Companies submitted their annual employment figures to the Federal Employment Agency by the end of March, as required by law.
Schleswig-Holstein Offers Training Bonuses
The northern state has set aside a one-time sum of €5 million, plus €1.5 million annually through 2027, to encourage inclusive hiring. Businesses that create new apprenticeship slots in inclusion-focused companies receive up to €10,000 per position. An additional payment of the same amount goes to employers who convert apprentices into permanent, open-ended contracts after they complete their training.
Since the program launched, 146 participants have completed it. Funding comes from the same inclusion levy pool. At the national level, the 13th Inclusion Days in Berlin earlier this month awarded the Federal Participation Prize to standout initiatives, including a theater-acting training project and a mentoring program for startups.
Free Advisory Services Expand
The German Pension Insurance’s corporate service now offers on-site consultations at no cost to businesses. The focus lies on return-to-work management (BEM) and workplace health management (BGM), both aimed at preserving employees’ long-term ability to work and preventing early exit from the labor force.
Meanwhile, the Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege (BGW), the statutory accident insurer for health and social-care workers, is recruiting rehabilitation managers. Applications close at the end of July. The role involves reviewing and approving benefits for participation in working life under Book IX of the Social Code. In districts such as Biberach, so-called “procedural navigators” help young people with disabilities up to age 27 apply for integration assistance.
Job-to-Job Trial Periods Proposed
A draft law to modernize Germany’s employment-promotion system would introduce probationary work stints. Employees could try out a new employer for up to four weeks—or six weeks in exceptional cases—while keeping their existing contract and dismissal protection intact. The current employer continues to pay wages, and the measure requires approval from the Federal Employment Agency.
Separately, the minimum wage for sheltered workshops is being challenged in court. A plaintiff is demanding that pay be raised to the general minimum wage of €13.90 per hour. The ruling could set a precedent for the entire sector.
The Pension Security Commission in June also recommended raising the retirement age starting in 2031. Legislation is expected to be finalized by the end of 2026. Until then, the existing rules governing transitions from sick pay through unemployment benefits to disability pensions remain in effect.
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