Start-Up Grant in Hamburg

How High Is the Start-Up Grant in Hamburg?

The amount is set nationwide and does not depend on location: in phase 1 (6 months) you receive your last ALG I rate plus €300 per month, in phase 2 (up to 9 more months) only the €300. Over 15 months this adds up to around €13,500 to roughly €20,000.

Requirements for the Start-Up Grant

• Receipt of unemployment benefit I (not basic income support (Grundsicherungsgeld, formerly Bürgergeld) / ALG II)
• At least 150 days of ALG I entitlement still remaining when you start the business
• Self-employment as your main occupation (at least 15 hours/week)
• Personal and professional suitability
• Viable business plan with a reliable financial plan
• Expert opinion from a qualified body (fachkundige Stelle)

You will find all details, example calculations of the amount, and the complete process in the start-up grant guide. Do you receive basic income support instead of ALG I? Then in Hamburg the entry allowance (Einstiegsgeld) from the Jobcenter may be an option.

Start-Up Grant in Hamburg: Your Employment Agency

One agency with several locations is responsible for the entire city area. The central contact point is the building at the main station:

Employment Agency Hamburg, Kurt-Schumacher-Allee 16, 20097 Hamburg, district of St. Georg, service number 0800 4555500. In-person visits are generally possible by appointment only; for letters, the postal address applies, not the visitor address.

Tell your placement specialist about your plan to start a business before you begin the activity. Under § 93 para. 1 SGB III, employees “may” receive a start-up grant. This word is decisive: the benefit is at the agency’s discretion, and there is no legal entitlement even if the requirements are met. When you begin the self-employed activity, at least 150 days of entitlement to unemployment benefit I must still remain. Anyone who narrowly misses this threshold loses access to the start-up grant entirely, so timing in Hamburg is just as important as the quality of the documents.

The locations of the Employment Agency and of team.arbeit.hamburg (Hamburg’s Jobcenter), and the route to start-up coaching with an AVGS, are described on our page AVGS coaching in Hamburg.

Qualified Bodies in Hamburg

In Hamburg the chamber of commerce is not called an Industrie- und Handelskammer but the Handelskammer. It performs the same function as a qualified body:

• Chamber of Commerce (Handelskammer) Hamburg, Adolphsplatz 1, 20457 Hamburg
• Chamber of Crafts (Handwerkskammer) Hamburg, Holstenwall 12, 20355 Hamburg, phone 040 35905-0

The process is similar at both institutions: registration, submission of the business plan, financial plan, résumé, and proof of qualifications, professional review, often a follow-up conversation, then the written opinion on viability. Plan several weeks for this, and expect a fee depending on the body.

The legal list is not exhaustive. Professional chambers, trade associations, credit institutions, tax advisory firms, and business consulting firms also qualify. As a free first point of contact for start-up questions, Hamburg also operates the hei. Hamburger ExistenzgründungsInitiative, run since early 2026 by the Johann Daniel Lawaetz Foundation. Clarify which body your agency accepts before you commission it.

The Handelskammer issues the viability certificate (Tragfähigkeitsbescheinigung) for €50 including VAT, only for commercial start-ups that belong to the chamber.

Regional Funding Alongside the Start-Up Grant

The state development bank is the Hamburgische Investitions- und Förderbank (IFB), Besenbinderhof 31, 20097 Hamburg. Two routes are particularly relevant for start-ups:

• Hamburg-Kredit Gründung und Nachfolge: investment and working capital loan for start-ups, takeovers, and young companies up to five years on the market, up to €1,000,000, combined with a default guarantee from the Bürgschaftsbank Hamburg of up to 70 percent. The application goes through your house bank and must be submitted before the project begins.
• InnoRampUp: grant of up to €150,000 and up to 90 percent of eligible expenses for technology-oriented start-ups based in Hamburg that are younger than two years. Handled through IFB Innovationsstarter GmbH.

Clarify in advance with the IFB and your house bank whether a program can run alongside the start-up grant.

Two Examples From Hamburg

The following examples are typical situations from our consulting practice. They are constructed and do not reflect individual clients. The Employment Agency decides on approval in each individual case.

Logistics and foreign trade. A freight forwarding clerk loses his job at a Hamburg-based logistics service provider and plans his own customs and import consultancy for small traders. He knows the processes from twelve years in the profession and has approached three former clients. The financial plan has to cover the start-up phase until the first framework contract, plus liability insurance, software, and training costs. What counts for the opinion are proof of expertise and a comprehensible utilization calculation.

Media and communication. An editor from a Hamburg-based publisher becomes unemployed after a restructuring and wants to work as a content producer for companies, with text, podcast, and video editing. She has one client lined up in writing and needs equipment and a small workspace. Critical points are the distinction from her former employer, pricing per project, and proof that the activity is carried out as the main occupation with at least 15 hours per week.