# How much unemployment benefit do you get in Germany compared with the UK?

In the UK, new style Jobseeker's Allowance pays £95.55 a week, about £414 a month, for up to 182 days, whatever you earned before. In Germany, Arbeitslosengeld pays 60 per cent of your previous standardised net pay (67 per cent with a child) for six to twelve months if you are under 50 and up to 24 months from 58. For a worker on the UK median wage that is roughly £414 a month here against £1,324 a month under the German rules. On the OECD's standard measure a single person on the average wage keeps 11 per cent of their income in the second month out of work in the UK and 60 per cent in Germany.

Source page: https://britishresilienceindex.com/deep-dive/unemployment-benefit-uk-germany
Machine readable data: https://britishresilienceindex.com/data/deep-dive/unemployment-benefit-uk-germany.json

## How to read this

The rules are read from the statute and the responsible agency on 20 September 2026: the DWP benefit rates for 2026 to 2027 and GOV.UK guidance for the UK, SGB III and the Bundesagentur für Arbeit for Germany, and the equivalent sources for Denmark, the Netherlands, France and Austria. The worked examples apply UK income tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027 to UK gross wages so that the two systems can be compared at the same wage; Germany calculates its benefit on a standardised net figure under German tax rules, so the comparison is of rates, not of euros. The OECD figures come from its tax and benefit model and are quoted with their assumptions and year.

## Side by side: what each system pays, for how long, and who qualifies

Both countries have a contributory benefit for people who have paid in and lose their job. The difference is that the UK's is a flat weekly amount and Germany's is a share of the previous wage. Everything in the table is from the statute or the agency that administers it.

| item | uk | germany |
|---|---|---|
| The benefit | New style Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) | Arbeitslosengeld (often called Arbeitslosengeld I) |
| How much, single adult without children | £95.55 a week, about £414 a month, in 2026 to 2027 | 60 per cent of standardised net pay |
| With a child | the same; children are supported through Universal Credit, which is means tested | 67 per cent of standardised net pay |
| Upper limit | none needed; the rate is flat | pay above the contribution ceiling of 8,450 euro a month in 2026 is not counted |
| How long | up to 182 days (26 weeks) | 6 months after 12 months insured, rising to 12 months after 24; 15 months from age 50, 18 from 55, 24 from 58 with the matching record |
| Qualifying condition | Class 1 National Insurance paid or credited in the two full tax years before the claim | at least 12 months of insured employment in the reference period |
| Means test | none for new style JSA; savings and a partner's income do not affect it | none; it is insurance |
| Counted against other benefits | yes, JSA is income for Universal Credit | not applicable; Bürgergeld is the separate means tested tier |
| Paid for by | National Insurance, 8 per cent employee and 15 per cent employer, not ring fenced for unemployment | a separate unemployment insurance contribution of 2.6 per cent of pay, half from the employee and half from the employer |
| Short time working | no standing scheme | Kurzarbeitergeld pays 60 per cent of the net pay lost when hours are cut, for up to 12 months, extendable to 24 by regulation |
| Statutory redundancy pay | a week's pay per year of service from 22, one and a half from 41, capped at £751 a week and 20 years: at most £22,530 | no statutory formula; severance is negotiated through works councils and social plans |

- **Note**: German figures are of the pauschaliertes Nettoentgelt, a standardised net pay worked out under German tax rules, not the actual take home figure. The reference period within which the 12 months must fall is set by section 143 of SGB III, which was not verified for this page and is not stated.

## The same wage under each system

Take the UK median monthly pay on PAYE in August 2026, £2,657, and the finance and insurance median, £4,295. Apply UK income tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027 to get a take home figure, then apply each country's rule to it. Germany's real calculation uses German tax rules on a standardised basis, so these are illustrations of the rates, not what a German claimant would be paid in euros.

| item | avg | fin |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay a month | £2,657 | £4,295 |
| Take home a month at UK 2026-27 rates | £2,206 | £3,371 |
| UK: new style JSA a month | £414 | £414 |
| UK: JSA as a share of take home pay | 19 per cent | 12 per cent |
| Germany: 60 per cent of take home pay a month | £1,324 | £2,023 |
| Germany: 67 per cent with a child | £1,478 | £2,258 |
| UK: six months of JSA | £2,484 | £2,484 |
| Germany: six months at the general rate | £7,943 | £12,135 |
| Gap over six months | £5,459 | £9,651 |

**Paragraphs**

- The UK amount does not move with the wage; the German amount does. A UK claimant on the median wage gets 19 per cent of their previous take home pay from JSA, and a finance worker 12 per cent. Universal Credit can add to that for people with low savings, no working partner and rent to pay: the standard allowance for a single adult aged 25 or over is £424.90 a month, with JSA counted as income against it. The German claimant on the median wage receives about £1,324 a month and, if they have a child, £1,478.
- Over six months, the longest a UK claim can run, the gap for a median earner is £5,459 and for a finance worker £9,651. After the UK's 182 days the contributory benefit stops; a German claimant under 50 with two years of contributions has six months still to run, and one aged 58 with four years has 18.

## Who pays, and how much Germany's system costs when it pays out

Germany's benefit is dearer because it pays more, for longer, to more people. The figures are the Bundesagentur für Arbeit's own accounts.

| label | value | source |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution rate | 2.6 per cent of pay | SGB III section 341; half employee, half employer (section 346) |
| Contribution ceiling, 2026 | 8,450 euro a month | BMAS, Sozialversicherungsrechengrößen 2026 |
| Recipients, annual average 2025 | about 999,000 | BA Geschäftsbericht 2025; 895,000 in 2024 |
| Arbeitslosengeld spending, 2025 | 26.47 billion euro | BA Geschäftsbericht 2025; 22.16 billion in 2024 |
| Contribution income, 2025 | 39.91 billion euro | BA Geschäftsbericht 2025 |
| BA deficit, 2025 | 4.23 billion euro | reserve exhausted; a federal loan covered the rest |
| Kurzarbeit at its peak, April 2020 | 6.00 million people | BA Geschäftsbericht 2020, with about half of working time lost |
| Kurzarbeit cost, 2020 | 22.07 billion euro | BA Geschäftsbericht 2020, including social insurance reimbursements |

**Paragraphs**

- The UK does not publish a comparable figure because it does not run a separate fund: National Insurance goes into the National Insurance Fund alongside the state pension and is not ring fenced for unemployment, and the UK reports no data to the OECD's labour market programme database on out of work income support for 2018 to 2024. Germany spent 0.89 per cent of GDP on it in 2024 on that measure, Denmark 0.70 and France 1.71.

## The OECD's like for like measure

The OECD's tax and benefit model asks the same question of every country: what share of previous net income does a single person without children, who earned the average wage, keep in the second month of unemployment. Two versions are shown for the UK because the answer depends on whether Universal Credit and rent support are assumed to be claimed and paid in full.

**Bars**

| label | display | value |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands (2024) | 74% | 74 |
| France | 68% | 68 |
| Germany | 60% | 60 |
| Denmark (2024) | 59% | 59 |
| Austria | 55% | 55 |
| OECD average | 54% | 54 |
| United Kingdom, with Universal Credit and rent support | 37% | 37 |
| United Kingdom, contributory benefit only | 11% | 11 |

**Comparators**

| country | rate | duration |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 60 per cent of standardised net pay, 67 per cent with a child | 6 to 12 months under 50, up to 24 from 58 |
| Denmark | 90 per cent of previous income, capped at 22,041 kroner a month | 2 years within 3 |
| Netherlands | 75 per cent of the monthly wage for two months, then 70 per cent | 3 to 24 months by work history |
| France | 57 per cent of the gross daily reference wage, at most 75 per cent | 6 to 18 months under 55 (548 days) |
| Austria | 55 per cent of net income | 20 weeks, up to 52 with age and record |
| United Kingdom | £95.55 a week, flat | 182 days |

**Paragraphs**

- The comparators barely change between the two assumptions because their contributory benefit already replaces most of the wage. The UK moves from 11 per cent to 37 per cent because almost all of its support for an unemployed person is means tested rather than earned. The OECD average is 54 per cent.

- **Note**: OECD TaxBEN, net replacement rate in unemployment, single person, no children, previous earnings 100 per cent of the average wage, month 2. Denmark and the Netherlands have no 2025 observation, so their 2024 value is shown; the others are 2025.

## Britain paid an earnings related benefit from 1966 to 1982

The UK's flat rate is a choice made in 1980, not a founding principle. For sixteen years the contributory benefit carried an earnings related supplement.

**Paragraphs**

- The National Insurance Act 1966 added a supplement of one third of average weekly earnings between £9 and £30 on top of the flat rate, capped so that total benefit could not exceed 85 per cent of earnings, for up to 6 months. Introducing it, the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, Margaret Herbison, told the Commons it was there to promote the mobility of labour needed to meet economic and technological change, alongside the Redundancy Payments Act of the previous year.
- The Social Security (No. 2) Act 1980 abolished it. In the report stage debate the saving from that clause was put at £360 million a year, and the last payments ended in 1982. Since then the contributory benefit has been flat rate, and the earnings related element of the UK system is redundancy pay, which is capped at £751 a week.
- The current Government's Pathways to Work green paper of March 2025 consults on a single 'Unemployment Insurance' replacing new style JSA and ESA for people with a contribution record, paid flat rate at the NS ESA higher rate and time limited to 6 to 12 months. It would be contributory, and it would still be flat rate.

## Questions people ask

**How much is Jobseeker's Allowance in 2026?**

New style Jobseeker's Allowance is £95.55 a week for people aged 25 or over in 2026 to 2027, about £414 a month; the rate for people under 25 is lower. It is paid for up to 182 days and does not depend on your previous salary.

**How much unemployment benefit do you get in Germany?**

Arbeitslosengeld is 60 per cent of your previous standardised net pay, or 67 per cent if you have a child, on pay up to 8,450 euro a month. It is paid for 6 to 12 months if you are under 50 depending on how long you paid in, and for up to 24 months from age 58.

**How long can you claim unemployment benefit in the UK compared with Germany?**

New style JSA lasts up to 182 days, or 26 weeks. German Arbeitslosengeld lasts 6 months after 12 months of contributions, 12 months after 24, then 15, 18 and 24 months at ages 50, 55 and 58 with matching contribution records.

**Why does the OECD say a UK worker keeps only 11 per cent of their income when unemployed?**

Because the OECD's headline measure counts the contributory benefit only, and the UK's is a flat £95.55 a week. For a single person on the average wage that is 11 per cent of previous net income in the second month; Germany's earnings related benefit gives 60 per cent. If Universal Credit and rent support are assumed to be claimed and paid in full the UK figure rises to 37 per cent.

**Do you pay more for unemployment insurance in Germany?**

Germany has a separate unemployment contribution of 2.6 per cent of pay, split equally between employee and employer, on top of pension, health and care contributions. The UK has no separate unemployment contribution: National Insurance at 8 per cent for employees and 15 per cent for employers funds the state pension and other contributory benefits together.

**Did the UK ever pay unemployment benefit based on earnings?**

Yes. From 1966 to 1982 the earnings related supplement paid a third of average weekly earnings between £9 and £30 on top of the flat rate, for up to 6 months, capped at 85 per cent of earnings. It was abolished by the Social Security (No. 2) Act 1980.

**Does Germany have anything like furlough?**

Yes, permanently. Kurzarbeitergeld pays 60 per cent of the net pay an employee loses when their hours are cut (67 per cent with a child) for up to 12 months, extendable to 24 by regulation. In April 2020 it covered 6.00 million people. The UK's furlough scheme was temporary and has no standing successor.


## Sources

- Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027, HMRC (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rates-and-thresholds-for-employers-2026-to-2027) · Open Government Licence v3.0
- Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information, UK: September 2026, ONS and HMRC (https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/earningsandemploymentfrompayasyouearnrealtimeinformationuk/september2026) · Open Government Licence v3.0
- Redundancy: your rights, statutory redundancy pay, GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/redundancy-your-rights/redundancy-pay) · Open Government Licence v3.0
- Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027, Department for Work and Pensions (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69931706ceeaa48d377f6bd5/Benefit-and-pension-rates-2026-2027.pdf) · Open Government Licence v3.0
- New Style Jobseeker's Allowance, GOV.UK guidance (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-style-jobseekers-allowance) · Open Government Licence v3.0
- Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, green paper, Department for Work and Pensions, March 2025 (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pathways-to-work-reforming-benefits-and-support-to-get-britain-working-green-paper/pathways-to-work-reforming-benefits-and-support-to-get-britain-working-green-paper) · Open Government Licence v3.0
- National Insurance Bill, second reading, HC Deb 7 February 1966 vol 724 (Margaret Herbison), Hansard (https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1966/feb/07/national-insurance-bill) · Open Parliament Licence v3.0
- Social Security (No. 2) Bill, clause 4, HC Deb 21 May 1980 vol 985, Hansard (https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1980/may/21/reduction-and-abolition-of-earnings) · Open Parliament Licence v3.0
- SGB III section 149 (Arbeitslosengeld rate), gesetze-im-internet.de (https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_3/__149.html) · Bundesministerium der Justiz
- SGB III section 147 (Arbeitslosengeld duration), gesetze-im-internet.de (https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_3/__147.html) · Bundesministerium der Justiz
- SGB III section 142 (qualifying period), gesetze-im-internet.de (https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_3/__142.html) · Bundesministerium der Justiz
- SGB III sections 341 and 346 (contribution rate and equal split), gesetze-im-internet.de (https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_3/__341.html) · Bundesministerium der Justiz
- Sozialversicherungsrechengrößen 2026, Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales, 8 October 2025 (https://www.bmas.de/DE/Service/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2025/sozialversicherungsrechengroessen-2026.html) · BMAS
- Geschäftsbericht 2025, Bundesagentur für Arbeit (https://web.arbeitsagentur.de/cms-zentrales-portal-prod-media/prod/s3fs-public/2026-05/Geschaeftsbericht_2025_Bundesagentur_fuer_Arbeit.pdf) · Bundesagentur für Arbeit
- SGB III sections 104 and 105 (Kurzarbeitergeld duration and rate), gesetze-im-internet.de (https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_3/__105.html) · Bundesministerium der Justiz
- Geschäftsbericht 2020, Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Kurzarbeit in April 2020) (https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/datei/geschaeftsbericht-2020_ba032090.pdf) · Bundesagentur für Arbeit
- Vejledning om satser mv. på arbejdsløshedsforsikringens område 2026 (VEJ nr 10230), Danish Ministry of Employment (https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/retsinfo/2025/10230/pdf) · Retsinformation
- Lov om arbejdsløshedsforsikring m.v., sections 48 and 55 (LBK nr 1077 af 28/08/2025), Retsinformation (https://www.retsinformation.dk/api/pdf/250912) · Retsinformation
- WW-uitkering: hoogte en duur, Rijksoverheid (https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/ww-uitkering/vraag-en-antwoord/hoe-lang-heb-ik-recht-op-een-ww-uitkering) · Rijksoverheid
- Allocation d'aide au retour à l'emploi (ARE), Unédic, updated 30 April 2026 (https://www.unedic.org/indemnisation/fiches-thematiques/allocation-daide-au-retour-lemploi-are) · Unédic
- Arbeitslosengeld in Österreich, Arbeitsmarktservice Österreich (https://www.ams.at/arbeitsuchende/arbeitslos-was-tun/geld-vom-ams/arbeitslosengeld) · AMS
- Net replacement rates in unemployment (TaxBEN), OECD Data Explorer, latest year per country (https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ag]=OECD.ELS.JAI&df[id]=DSD_TAXBEN_NRR%40DF_NRR&df[vs]=1.0) · OECD
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## Caveats and data notes

- German benefit is calculated on a standardised net pay (pauschaliertes Nettoentgelt) under German tax rules. The worked examples apply UK income tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027 to UK gross wages, with no pension contribution or student loan, so they compare the two rules at the same wage; they are not amounts a German claimant would receive in euros.
- The UK figures are for new style (contribution based) Jobseeker's Allowance for a person aged 25 or over. Income based JSA is closed to new claims; the means tested tier is Universal Credit, whose standard allowance is shown but whose housing and child elements depend on circumstances.
- The German reference period within which 12 months of contributions must fall is set by SGB III section 143, which was not verified for this page; the durations are from section 147 and were checked against the MISSOC tables of 1 January 2026.
- OECD net replacement rates are for a single person without children on 100 per cent of the average wage in the second month of unemployment, from the OECD TaxBEN model; Denmark and the Netherlands are 2024 values and the rest 2025. The alternative UK figure assumes social assistance and rent supplements are claimed and paid in full.
- The UK reports no data to the OECD labour market programme database on out of work income maintenance for 2018 to 2024, so no UK spending figure is given on that measure.
- The 1982 end date for the earnings related supplement rests on the 1980 Commons debate on the Social Security (No. 2) Bill, not on the Act's own commencement text.
- Rules read on 20 September 2026. UK rates change each April; German contribution ceilings change each January; the French duration rules include a labour market modulation that can add months when unemployment rises.

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British Resilience Index, a non-partisan UK civic data project. Every figure is
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