When a job or training contract comes to an end, it is important to register as a jobseeker promptly. To avoid a suspension of benefits, it is necessary to register at the federal employment agency as a jobseeker at least three months before the job is due to end, or, if a person loses their job at short notice, within three days of them finding out. It is possible to register as a jobseeker online (available in German), by telephone or in person.

During a suspension of benefits, the entitlement to financial support is suspended. A one-week suspension of benefits is imposed if a person fails to register as a jobseeker or if they do so too late.

In 2023, the Federal Employment Agency imposed approximately 748,000 suspensions of benefits. Of all the suspensions of benefits, 42.4 percent, or approximately 317,000 suspensions of benefits, were because people had registered as a jobseeker too late, which meant that they lost part of their entitlement to Unemployment Benefit. In comparison with 2022, the number of suspensions of benefits attributable to people who registered as a jobseeker too late increased by 13.2 per cent, or approximately 37,000 suspensions of benefits.

Detailed information on this topic is available online on the page Registering as unemployed and applying for Unemployment Benefit (available in German).