Overview
- The BMAS draft for the 13th SGB II amendment lowers the point at which job search or measures are deemed reasonable to a child’s first birthday, contingent on available childcare.
- A ministry spokesperson said the text is still in government coordination and not final.
- Reports cite an estimate that roughly 60,000 recipients would be affected by the earlier activation rule.
- An IW 2024 study finds about 300,000 daycare places for under‑threes are missing despite a legal entitlement from age one, raising practical hurdles for enforcement.
- SoVD chair Michaela Engelmeier says any requirement should apply only when an actual childcare place exists and calls for case-by-case checks and part-time options for measures.