Due to the coronavirus crisis, we all find ourselves in an unprecedented situation. Many self-employed individuals and micro-enterprises are fearing for their livelihoods as a result of the impact of this crisis. Many companies have already applied for short-time work.
In order to minimize the impact of the pandemic on the labor market, the federal government has launched an emergency aid program. Only the positive economic development of the last 10 years has provided the necessary leeway to do so. This leeway is now being used. Among other things, companies are to be supported with their ongoing operating costs (such as rent or leasing payments).
Commercial and non-profit companies, solo self-employed persons, or freelancers, including artists (with up to 50 employees), can apply for emergency aid. The prerequisite for this is that the companies are economically viable and thus permanently active on the market as a company or as a freelancer or self-employed person in their main occupation. They must also have their headquarters in North Rhine-Westphalia and be registered with a German tax office. In addition, they must have no more than 50 employees and have already provided their services or goods on the market before December 31, 2019. The emergency aid does not have to be repaid and is a one-time payment.
It is graded according to the number of employees:
- 9.000 euros for eligible solo self-employed persons and eligible persons with up to 5 employees
- 15.000 euros for eligible applicants with up to 10 employees
- 25.000 euros for eligible applicants with up to 50 employees
You can only submit your application digitally. It must be completed and submitted online. Applications will be processed in the order in which they are received. You will need to identify yourself with an official ID document in order to submit your application. The commercial register number or other registration number and the relevant local court must also be provided. In addition, the tax number of the company and the tax ID of the self-employed person, as well as the address of the company, bank details, number of employees, and type of commercial or freelance activity must be provided.
