Germany’s New Education Grants Come With a Catch: No Guarantee of Funding

Workers hoping to upskill under a pair of new state subsidies beginning June 8, 2026, will have to compete for limited funds. The Weiterbildungsbeihilfe (WBB) – worth between €40.40 and €67.94 per day – and its sibling, the Weiterbildungsteilzeitbeihilfe (WBT), replace the former Weiterbildungsgeld and Bildungsteilzeitgeld. Both are capped at one year (WBB) or two years (WBT), and applications must be filed exclusively through the MeinAMS portal.

The catch? There is no legal entitlement. The federal government has earmarked a total annual budget of €150 million, but the subsidies will be awarded only as long as money remains. That puts the onus on employees to move quickly once the window opens.

Parental leave and part-time parenting rules also tighten in June and July 2026. Any worker planning to take Karenz (parental leave) must notify their employer no later than the last day of the statutory maternity protection period. Leave itself ends at the child’s second birthday at the latest. For those returning under Elternteilzeit (parental part-time work), the right applies only in companies with more than 20 employees and after three years of service. Working hours must drop by at least 20 percent, with a floor of 12 hours per week. In return, the employee is shielded from dismissal until the child turns seven or eight.

A separate shift affects the roughly 7.6 million mini-job holders in Germany. As of July 1, 2026, they can reverse a prior opt-out from pension insurance. The request goes to the Minijob-Zentrale or the employer. Re-entering the state pension system builds contribution periods that unlock rehabilitation, disability pensions, and basic pension supplements, as well as easing access to company pension plans. Employer contributions remain at 15 percent in commercial settings and 5 percent in private households. Starting in 2027, mini-jobbers will also pay into long-term care insurance; the employer’s share is slated at 3.6 percent.

On the pay-equity front, the EU Pay Transparency Directive takes effect in Germany in June 2026. Public-sector employers and state-owned companies must comply directly from June 8. All firms will be required to disclose salary structures to job applicants and file a transparency report every three years. The impetus is clear: Austria’s gender pay gap stands at 17.6 percent – well above the OECD average of 12.4 percent – while the share of women in full-time work has slipped to 64.5 percent.

Finally, the federal cabinet extended the window for filing discrimination claims under the General Equal Treatment Act (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz) from two months to four, effective May 2026. Protection against sexual harassment now extends beyond the physical workplace, and an independent mediation body will be set up to resolve disputes before they reach court.

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