Apply for funding from the ESF Plus program "KOMPASS - Compact help for solo self-employed"

For solo self-employed persons:

• Contact one of the cooperating contact points for a free initial consultation on the program content and funding conditions.
  • Explain your qualification requirements.
  • You must prove that you are not already receiving similar support under the German Social Code.
• The contact point will check your basic eligibility and work with you to determine your vocational training needs. If the contact point comes to a positive conclusion, it will issue you with a qualification voucher.
• You now have 6 months to carry out and complete your training. You must submit the required documents to the Z-EU-S funding portal within the 6 months.
• Once you have completed the qualification, the DRV KBS will check the formal requirements and your proof of completion. If the check is positive, you will receive a pro rata reimbursement of the qualification measure.

For solo self-employed persons:

• You work in the Federal Republic of Germany.
• You have been self-employed on the market for at least 2 years.
• You are commercially or freelance solo self-employed.
• You have a maximum of one full-time equivalent employee
  • When calculating the number of employees, trainees are not taken into account, part-time employees and mini-jobbers are to be taken into account on a pro rata basis.
  • The total number of employees may not exceed one full-time equivalent.
• You operate your business model as your main source of income, i.e. the majority of your total income (at least 51%) comes from your solo self-employed activity

The following are excluded from funding

• Further training measures for employees of solo self-employed persons

When checking eligibility for funding, the consultation and application for funding for solo self-employed persons:

• Proof of two years of existence on the market (e.g. extract from the commercial register)
• Proof of a maximum of one full-time equivalent employee
• Proof that at least 51% of income comes from solo self-employment (e.g. through a tax return)
• Deminimis declaration
• Declaration that you, as a solo self-employed person, have not applied for similar funding under the German Social Code
• Proof that the selected further training measure meets the quality requirements of the funding guideline

In the case of billing for solo self-employed persons:

• Proof of successful participation in the training measure (certificate of participation)
• Submission of the invoice
• Proof of payment

The solo self-employed must first pay the costs of the training and receive a 90 percent refund after the training. A maximum of 4,500 euros can be paid out.
No costs are incurred for the application itself.

• Article 4(1)(h) Regulation (EU) 2021/1057
• Regulation (EU) 2021/1060
• § Section 23 of the Federal Budget Code (BHO)
• § Section 44 Federal Budget Code (BHO) paragraph 1
• in conjunction with General Administrative Provisions (VV) No. 4 to Section 44 of the Federal Budget Code (BHO)
• Funding guideline for the ESF program "COMPASS - Compact assistance for solo self-employed persons" of 01.09.2022 (BAnz AT 14.10.2022 B1)

• You can lodge an appeal against decisions made as part of the approval process (funding decision, final decision) via the ZEU-S funding portal.
• A direct appeal procedure is also permitted against decisions made as part of the expression of interest procedure - provided these were issued by a supreme federal authority.

Forms available: No

Written form required: No

Informal application possible: No

Personal appearance necessary: No

You can replace the written form with the electronic form of the qualified electronic signature (qeS) or electronic proof of identity (eID) approved in the Z-EU-S funding portal.

Please give priority to the electronic form.

Only in exceptional cases can you apply to submit the signature by post.

In such exceptional cases, you must download the electronically recorded forms submitted in Z-EU-S after electronic submission. You must then sign the forms by hand and submit them by post. Please note the applicable deadlines.

01.12.2022