The COVID-19 pandemic is an enormous burden for many people. Some are sick for a long time and have great difficulty getting back into working life again; others have financial worries because their working hours have been reduced or because their income as self-employed people has disappeared.

A number of national support schemes are in place to lessen social hardship due to the pandemic. The Federal Labor Ministry’s Coronavirus guide helps you find out what support you can get.

What financial aid is available to families in the pandemic? You can find out on the family website of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.

The Federal Employment Agency provides information about coronavirus support for self-employed people, short-time working benefit and other potential forms of assistance.

The social advocacy organizations (VdK and SoVD) provide information about which additional benefits you may be able to receive from the pension insurance system, the federal employment agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) and other sources.

Talk to your health fund (Krankenkasse) to find out whether there could be additional support available that you have not yet accessed. For example, if your household includes a child or a family member in need of care, you may be entitled to household help.

The “Support” section lists more sources of advice and support including help in psychological crisis situations.

3