I completely forgot to inform Jobcenter that I have signed a contract and as a result, they transferred me benefits for an extra month. I have sent the money back since, but they sent me a letter titled "Ermittelungsverfhren wegen Verdachts einer Ordnungswidrigkeit". What happens now? Do I have to court? Should I pay a huge fine?
Answers (8)
Advisor
Hello Sara,
Thank you for your inquiry. I will try to explain the situation and the procedure to you.
Not informing the job center about employment is a "Ordnungswidrigkeit" (irregularitie). A little bit like wrong parking.
The job center can impose a fine or a warning for this. However, this depends on the severity of the case and the amount of damage. Both are quiet small in your case, so you shouldn't worry too much.
In the letter you received, you can explain your situation and state that you have already remitted the benefits you received wrongly.
Try to explain that it was a misunderstanding and that you tried to clear things up as quickly as possible.
The job center has the option of issuing a warning or a fine of 55 euros or more.
You don't have to go to court now. After a certain time you will receive a notification from the job center. This may inform you the amount of the fine (or just a warning). If you do not agree to this, you can object to the decision.
Feel free to write again if you have any more questions.
Best regards
Jens Leuner
Thank you very much for your detailed answer, Jens! The only correction I have to make is that I am dealing with Arbeit Agentur, not Jobcenter. The benefits mentioned above is, in fact, Arbeitslosengeld I. Does that change anything? Is it true that the fine could be as large as €5000? And are there going to be any other consequences?
Hi Sarah, I think the procedure is not that different at the Agentur für Arbeit. The only difference is that the fine might be slightly higher because you receive higher benefits from the Agentur für Arbeit than from the JobCenter. Please correct me if I am wrong Jens Leuner Faire Integration BB.
Hi Sara,
I agree with Yara. The procedure is not different. What might be different are the individual instructions that the authorities have in dealing with such cases. I've experienced already almost everything here, from "nothing happened" to a fine of between 200 and 300 euros. Unfortunately, this cannot be reliably predicted.
I would suggest you let us know when you get the next reply from the employment agency. Then we can see in which direction things are going and what to do.
Dear Yara and Jens, thank you both very much! I will let you know how things proceed.
OK. I keep my fingers crossed.
So a little update here: I filled the form the Employment Agency sent me (in which I accepted my fault of not informing them on-time) and sent it back to them along with a letter in which I explained my personal situation and why I have completely forgotten to react on time due to some personal issues. After a few weeks, they wrote back and said they only issue me a "warning" (so, no fines) and urged me to keep in mind that I need to inform them in similar situations in future. Thank you both very much for your help! :)
Hi Sarah, great news! I am glad they just issued you a warning.
In case you have any further questions, we are always happy to help.
Best wishes
Yara