Decisions from the Jobcenter, the Agentur für Arbeit, a Krankenkasse or the pension insurance arrive as dense German letters with a number in them. They can be challenged, and the objection procedure is free.
1. One month, and it is free
You generally have one month from receiving a decision to file an objection — a Widerspruch (§ 84 SGG). Sent to an address abroad, the period is normally three months. Where the decision carried no instructions on how to challenge it, or wrong ones, it is usually a year.
The objection procedure itself costs nothing. There is no fee, and you do not need a lawyer to file one. That asymmetry — free to object, permanent if you do not — is the reason to file first and work out the detail afterwards. Estimate your date here.
2. How to file an objection, with a letter to copy
It does not need to be well argued to be valid. It needs to be in time, in writing, and identifiable. Include:
- your name, address and the reference number (Aktenzeichen or Kundennummer);
- the date of the decision you are objecting to;
- the sentence "Hiermit lege ich Widerspruch gegen den Bescheid vom [date] ein.";
- optionally, that grounds will follow ("Die Begründung reiche ich nach.").
That last line is the useful one. It preserves the deadline while you gather documents or find help — you do not have to have your full argument ready inside the objection period.
The letter below does exactly that, in German. Replace the parts in square brackets; the reference number and the date are on the decision itself.
Objection letter (German)
[Ihr Name]
[Ihre Anschrift]
An: [Behörde und Anschrift aus dem Bescheid]
[Ort], [Datum]
Betreff: Widerspruch gegen den Bescheid vom [Datum des Bescheids]
Aktenzeichen / Kundennummer: [Nummer aus dem Bescheid]
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
hiermit lege ich Widerspruch gegen den Bescheid vom [Datum des Bescheids] ein.
Die Begründung reiche ich nach.
Bitte bestätigen Sie mir den Eingang dieses Widerspruchs schriftlich.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
[Unterschrift]
[Ihr Name]
What it says, in English
Your name and address, the office's address from the decision, place and date. Subject: objection to the decision of [date], with its reference number. You object to that decision, say the grounds will follow, and ask them to confirm in writing that they received the objection.
Print it and sign it, or use the office's online portal where it accepts objections. An ordinary email is generally not enough for an objection (§ 84 SGG).
Send it so you can prove it arrived, and keep a copy. If you hand it in at the office, ask for a stamped receipt on your copy.
3. If they want money back
A demand to repay benefit (Erstattungsbescheid) is frightening, especially when the sums are large and the reasoning is impenetrable. These decisions are challengeable like any other, and the grounds are often practical rather than legal:
- income was attributed to the wrong month, or counted twice;
- a change was in fact reported, and the office has it on file;
- the overpayment arose from the office's own error, which affects whether it can be reclaimed at all;
- household members' income was miscounted, or people counted as a household who are not one.
Separately from challenging it, repayment can often be spread over instalments. Do not let a demand you cannot pay become a reason to avoid opening the post.
4. Sanctions and reductions
Benefit can be reduced for missing appointments or failing to meet obligations. These decisions turn on details that are frequently wrong: whether you were properly informed of the consequences in advance, whether the invitation reached you, and whether you had good reason — illness, childcare, a language barrier, a clashing appointment.
"Good cause" is a real legal concept, not a plea for sympathy. If there was a reason, say it in writing within the objection period, and back it up with evidence.
Most of the reform of Jobcenter benefit took effect on 1 July 2026. Bürgergeld is now called Grundsicherungsgeld, but letters may still use the old name until the end of 2026. For some questions the earlier rules still apply: the reduction for a breach or missed appointment that happened before 1 July 2026, and how savings count in an award period that began before then (§ 65a SGB II). So note when the alleged breach happened, or when the award period began.
5. Health insurance refusals
Refusals from a Krankenkasse — a treatment, an aid, a rehabilitation measure, sick pay — follow the same objection route and the same periods: normally one month, or three months if the decision was notified to you abroad.
One rule applies to statutory health insurance only — it is not a general rule for benefits decisions. A Krankenkasse must decide applications within fixed periods, and if it misses its deadline without telling you in time, with sufficient reasons, the application counts as approved (§ 13(3a) SGB V). That does not entitle you to the treatment itself. It can support reimbursement of treatment you obtain yourself after the deadline, under conditions, and a late refusal cannot be set aside for lateness alone. Applications for medical rehabilitation follow separate rules in SGB IX.
Have the dates and conditions checked before you take on any costs; our guide to a refused Krankenkasse decision explains the limits.
Refusals are also commonly based on an assessment by the medical service. You are entitled to know what that assessment said, and to put forward evidence from your own doctors against it.
6. If the objection is rejected
You then receive a Widerspruchsbescheid. A claim to the social court (Sozialgericht) normally has to be filed within one month of its notification to you. If it was notified to you abroad, the period is normally three months (§ 87 SGG). Read the instructions at the bottom of the Widerspruchsbescheid, and have any disputed date checked promptly.
Proceedings before the social courts are free of court fees for claimants in these matters, and if you win, your reasonable legal costs are generally reimbursed. Legal aid is available where income is low. The financial risk of going to the social court is far lower than most people assume — this is a deliberately accessible part of German law.
7. What to do this week
- Work out when the decision was notified to you and which period applies — normally one month, three if notified abroad. An envelope may show the posting date or a formal service date, and those are different things.
- File the objection now, even in one sentence, with grounds to follow.
- Ask for the file — you have a right of access to what the office holds on you.
- Keep every letter, including the envelopes.
- Do not stop attending appointments while you object.
- Get advice on the substance once the deadline is safe.
A note on the language
These letters are hard to read for native speakers too — that is not a failing on your part. The decision is usually near the top, the reasoning in the middle, and the part that matters most, the instructions on how to challenge it, at the very bottom. If you read nothing else, read the bottom.