AVGS self-test: do you qualify for a voucher?

Five questions show whether you qualify under the statutory rules for an AVGS voucher for start-up coaching. They check your registration, your benefit, your goal, the timing and how concrete your idea is. Only the Agentur für Arbeit (employment agency) or the Jobcenter can give you a binding answer. The voucher is a discretionary benefit.

No legal entitlement: The employment agency or job centre alone decides on the AVGS, at its own discretion.

Whether AVGS coaching could work for you, the Fit Check shows you after five questions. Already have a voucher? Here’s how to redeem it.

Contents

1. How the self-test works
2. Question 1: Are you unemployed, registered as a jobseeker or at risk of unemployment?
3. Question 2: Do you receive Arbeitslosengeld or Grundsicherungsgeld?
4. Question 3: Do you want to become self-employed full time?
5. Question 4: Are your business and your coaching both still ahead of you?
6. Question 5: Can you describe your idea in one or two sentences?
7. Your results
8. Frequently asked questions about the AVGS self-test
9. Your next step

How the self-test works

Answer the questions in order. After each answer you see what it means and where to go next. The test follows the rules in § 45 SGB III (in German) and, for basic income support, § 16 SGB II (in German). It does not replace legal advice or a decision by the office. The guide on AVGS eligibility explains the rules in detail.

Question 1: Are you unemployed, registered as a jobseeker or at risk of unemployment?

Support is available to unemployed people, people looking for vocational training and jobseekers at risk of unemployment (§ 45 (1) SGB III). You are at risk, for example, if you have been given notice or your fixed-term contract is ending. In every case, you must be registered.

• Yes. You belong to the group the voucher is meant for. Continue with question 2.
• No, I am permanently employed and my job continues. Then the AVGS is usually not an option for you. How to start a business alongside your job is covered in the guide side business or full-time self-employment.
• My job ends soon, but I have not registered yet. Register as a jobseeker no later than three months before it ends. If you find out at shorter notice, register within three days (§ 38 (1) SGB III, in German). Then continue with question 2.

Question 2: Do you receive Arbeitslosengeld or Grundsicherungsgeld?

This question decides which office is responsible. It also determines which support is possible after you start.

• Arbeitslosengeld, or I am registered as a jobseeker. The Agentur für Arbeit is responsible. After you start, the Gründungszuschuss (start-up grant) can follow if at least 150 days of entitlement remain when you start (§ 93 SGB III, in German).
• Grundsicherungsgeld. The Jobcenter is responsible. After you start, the Einstiegsgeld (a Jobcenter start-up allowance) can follow (§ 16b SGB II, in German). What has applied since the reform in July 2026 is explained in the guide Grundsicherungsgeld and self-employment.
• No benefit, but registered as unemployed. You can still receive support, and the Agentur für Arbeit is responsible. Without an entitlement to Arbeitslosengeld, however, there is no Gründungszuschuss.

Continue with question 3.

Question 3: Do you want to become self-employed full time?

Start-up coaching through the AVGS has the statutory goal “Heranführung an eine selbständige Tätigkeit”, meaning preparation for self-employment (§ 45 (1) sentence 1 no. 4 SGB III). The Gründungszuschuss and the Einstiegsgeld require full-time self-employment. According to the Federal Employment Agency (in German), that means at least 15 hours a week.

• Yes. Your goal fits the purpose of the voucher. Continue with question 4.
• I would rather go back to employment. Then coaching with a different goal fits, for example for job applications. The AVGS covers that too, with a different goal on the voucher. The available goals are listed in the guide on the AVGS voucher.
• I do not know yet. You can work out whether self-employment suits you with the guide find and test a business idea.

Question 4: Are your business and your coaching both still ahead of you?

Employment promotion benefits are only available if you applied for them beforehand (§ 324 SGB III, in German). The Träger (provider) must present the voucher before the measure begins (§ 45 (4) SGB III).

• Yes, neither has started. The timing is right. Continue with question 5.
• No, I have already started a coaching programme. For coaching that is already under way, the office usually no longer covers the costs. Clarify open questions with your current provider.
• No, I have already become self-employed full time. Then you are no longer unemployed, and preparation for self-employment no longer fits. You will usually not get the voucher.

Question 5: Can you describe your idea in one or two sentences?

The agency is meant to base the issue of the voucher on your suitability and your personal circumstances (§ 45 (5) SGB III). You do not need a finished business plan for this; it is created in the coaching. For this test, what counts is whether you can say what you want to offer and to whom.

• Yes. You can make your plan tangible. Continue to your results.
• Not yet. Then that is the next step before the voucher. How to arrive at an idea that holds up is covered in the guide find and test a business idea.

Your results

Your answers	What it means
Yes to questions 1, 3, 4 and 5	You meet the rules under which a voucher can be issued. The office makes the decision.
No to question 1	The AVGS is not meant for you at the moment. How to start a business alongside your job is covered in the guide side business or full-time self-employment.
No to question 3 or 5	Clarify your goal or your idea first.
No to question 4	For this plan, the voucher usually comes too late.

Even if everything fits, there is no legal entitlement. At the Jobcenter, your life situation and how lasting your integration into work is likely to be also count (§ 3 (1) SGB II, in German). Since July 2026, placement in work has had priority there again, unless a measure promises more lasting integration (§ 3a SGB II, in German).

How the application works is explained in the guide how to apply for AVGS. What to bring to your appointment is shown in the AVGS checklist.

Frequently asked questions about the AVGS self-test

Is the self-test an official assessment?

No. It follows the statutory rules, but it does not replace the decision of the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter.

How is it different from the Fit Check?

The self-test checks whether you qualify for a voucher under the public rules. The Fit Check checks whether our coaching suits your plan.

Can I repeat the test?

Yes. If your situation changes, for example through a dismissal or a move to Grundsicherungsgeld, go through the questions again.

Your next step

If everything fits, AVGS start-up coaching can support you up to your business plan and your funding application. The coaching is in German and requires German at B2 level or above. The Fit Check shows you in five questions whether it suits your plan. The Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter decides on the voucher at its own discretion.