Source: https://www.studentenwerkfrankfurt.de/en/financing/bafoeg-federal-training-assistance-act/faq/
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 20:30:58+00:00

Document:
The answers to the questions are for initial information and cannot replace the detailed consultation at the Office for Educational Support on-site.
All information is given without guarantee for completeness and is subject to interim legislation change. A legal claim cannot be deduced from these answers.
An initial application should be handed in as soon as you receive a study confirmation or enrol in your studies. Educational support can only be granted from the month the application arrived or at the beginning of your studies at the earliest. Retroactive support is excluded (§ 15 Abs.1 BAföG).
A repeated application should be handed in not later than two months before the support term ends.
Where can I receive the application forms?
Application forms are available at the BAföG service centre on the ground floor of the Social Centre, Bockenheimer Landstr. 133, 60325 Frankfurt am Main.
Besides this, you can apply for BAföG online.
Important: Only after the signed application in paper is handed in at the responsible Office for Educational Support, the application is valid. The date of the incoming mail stamp equals the date of the application.
When can I contact my consultant via telephone?
When are the BAföG office hours?
Which documents do I need for an initial/a repeated application?
After applying, how long does it take until I receive my money?
If all information is complete and all necessary documents are available, processing time varies between 8 to 10 weeks. The payment of educational support will regularly be transferred to the account you indicated within your application not later than the last day of a month or exceptionally in the middle of a month.
When will the decisions be sent?
BAföG decisions can be made and sent every work day.
How high are my requirements?
Basically, you can only be supported if you begin your studies before the age of 30. After your 30th birthday, you can only receive support in exceptional cases (§ 10 Abs. 1 BAföG).
How high is the allowance on assets?
Assets until 7500 euros will not be considered for your total requirements (§ 29 BAföG). For your married partner and each child you receive an additional allowance of 2100 euros. Any assets above this amount will be considered completely.
Is a car considered as asset following § 26 BAföG?
The car/ motorcycle value is to be considered completely as asset. Information about vehicles must be given in form 1 at field number 100. In order to prove your vehicle’s value, you must add the vehicle registration document or certificate of registration part I.
Why is the registered partner’s/ parents’ income from the penultimate year required?
§ 24 Abs. 2 BAföG declares that the registered partner’s and parents’ income from the penultimate year is to be considered as the calculation basis. Due to administration simplification, the income from the penultimate year is considered because it is final and usually an income tax assessment is available.
What can I do if the parents’ income has severely decreased since the penultimate year?
Following § 24 Abs. 3 BAföG (Form 7), an updating application can be handed in until the end of the support term. The update leads to the consideration of the current income during the years of the support term. Educational support can only be granted under repayment claims, which means as soon as the income evidence is provided, a final calculation for the support entitlement can be made. The consequence of this can be a repayment claim.
Which consequences occur after termination or completion of studies?
In order to avoid overpayment, the termination or completion of studies during the support term are to be proven to the Office for Educational Support immediately (for example de-registration certificate, degree certificate). Further entitlements to BAfoeG are non-existent beyond this point.
If still within the maximum support term, whoever is admitted to final exams can still be supported beyond de-registration. The admission to final exams must be proven.
Do you receive BAföG if you are on a semester on leave?
No BAföG payments are made to students who are on a semester on leave. Whether the semester on leave was applied for before or during studies is irrelevant.
Exception: If the university approved the semester on leave because of the final degree, BAföG can still be paid (as long as you are within the maximum support term or you fulfil the qualifications following § 15 Abs. 3 BAföG).
What is the certificate of suitability following § 48 BAföG and when do I have to hand it in?
For support after the 4th semester, students must provide a certificate of suitability in form of a passed intermediate examination certificate (§ 48 Abs.1 S.1 Nr.1 BAföG) or a certificate following § 48 BAföG (§ 48 Abs.1 S.1 Nr.2 BAföG) or evidence containing the number of achieved ECTS points (§ 48 Abs.1 S.1 Nr.3 BAföG).
According to the conditions of study and examination, intermediate examination certificates are exams that can be fulfilled after the 3rd semester and that are actually fulfilled before the end of the 4th semester (this currently refers to the study course of medicine).
For support after the 4th semester, it is enough if a certificate proving your level of proficiency after your 3rd semester is handed in within the first four months of the beforehand mentioned 4th semester. The certificate must be applied for at the beginning of the 4th semester in order for it to arrive on time. This procedure avoids payment interruptions after the 4th semester.
Otherwise the certificate following § 48 BAföG must be handed in within the first four months of the 5th semester, proving your level of proficiency after your 4th semester.
Please consult your study faculty in time, which proficiency requirements for the 3rd or 4th semester have to be fulfilled. Please note that re-examinations are arranged for the following semester, which means these cannot be considered for the previous semester.
Regarding the presentation deadlines, we refer to number 2.
Since only a few study faculties provided our office the number of ECTS points that should be achieved after the 3rd or 4th semester or evidence is not given in written form, the presentation of the certificate following § 48 BAfoeG can be indispensable.

References: § 26

§ 24
 § 24
 § 15
 § 48
 § 48
 § 48
 § 48