31 March 2020 – Provided emergency aid for self-employed people, freelancers and small businesses

Intervention Categories: Finance policy and financial aid; Stimulus packages and financial support
Level of Jurisdiction: National

Overview: The German Government provided special support measures with a volume up to 50 billion euros for small enterprises, self-employed persons and freelancers who are in difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

The policy is intended to provide quick assistance to businesses which have little collateral or additional income.

Qualifying businesses receive a one-off payment for three months of up to 9,000 euros for companies with up to five employees/full-time equivalents, or up to 15,000 euros (for companies with up to ten employees/full-time equivalents).

The one-off payments do not have to be repaid. The payments are intended to secure the economic existence of the applicants and to bridge acute liquidity bottlenecks due to ongoing operating costs, e.g. rents and leases, loans for business premises or leasing instalments.

The emergency aid also applies to farmers and farms with agricultural production with up to 10 employees.
Full details here: https://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/DE/Dossier/coronavirus.html