Bridging aid provides financial support for small and medium-sized enterprises, self-employed individuals and non-profit organisations. It helps to cushion revenue losses during the Corona crisis. The programme is a joint offering of the German federal government and the federal states.
26 October 2020:
Bridging Aid II covers the funding months of September to December 2020. Applications for this period can now be filed. The application deadline is 31 December 2020.
30 September 2020:
The 2nd phase of bridging aid covers the funding months of September to December 2020. Applications for the 2nd phase are expected to be accepted from October onwards. Important: Applications for the 1st phase of bridging aid (funding months June to August 2020) must be filed by 9 October 2020 at the latest. It is not possible to file a retroactive application for the 1st phase after 9 October 2020.
**1 August 2020:
**The deadline for applying for bridging aid for SMEs that have experienced revenue losses due to the Corona crisis has been extended to 30 September 2020. This was announced by the responsible Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). The DStV had, among other things, advocated for an extension of the application deadline beyond 31 August 2020 in light of technical difficulties with the online procedure.
The DStV had, among other things, advocated for an extension of the application deadline beyond 31 August 2020 in light of technical difficulties with the online procedure.
DStV President Steuerberater (German Certified Tax Advisor) / Wirtschaftsprüfer (German Statutory Auditor) Harald Elster had recently addressed an urgent letter to Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister of Finance Olaf Scholz, Federal Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht and the Head of the Federal Chancellery Prof. Dr. Helge Braun, emphatically calling for relief measures for the profession.
Steuerberater and Wirtschaftsprüfer — according to Elster — have been working at their limits for months. As the first point of contact in the crisis, they are confronted, due to the measures taken to combat the Corona pandemic, with a workload that far exceeds the capacities in the firms. It is therefore all the more urgent now to remove bureaucratic obstacles. This also includes extending the tightly calculated application deadline for bridging aid beyond 31 August 2020.
Practice has shown that filing applications requires considerable processing time. This binds time and personnel in firms in a particular way. This effect has been further intensified by technical difficulties and delays in the registration for the online procedure. For example, the dispatch of the required PIN by post takes significantly longer than expected. However, these and other technical aspects must not be borne by the applying companies and the workflows in the firms.
The DStV initiative also received increased attention through broad media coverage, with reports on 30 July 2020 in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the Handelsblatt.
The BMWi has announced that it will now implement the extension of the application deadline for bridging aid until 30 September 2020 through a swift amendment of the administrative agreements and implementation guidelines with the federal states. The DStV will continue to provide updates on this matter.
Source: DStV press release of 31 July 2020 https://www.dstv.de/interessenvertretung/beruf/beruf-aktuell/tb-75-20-cm-dstv-erfolgreich-antragsfrist-fuer-die-ueberbrueckungshilfe-bis-zum-30.-september-2020-verlaengert
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
What period does Überbrückungshilfe II (Bridging Aid II) cover?
The second phase of the Überbrückungshilfe covers the funding months September through December 2020. It is aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises, self-employed individuals, and non-profit organizations that have suffered revenue losses due to the coronavirus crisis.
Until when could applications for Überbrückungshilfe II (Bridging Aid II) be submitted?
The application deadline for the second phase of the Überbrückungshilfe (September to December 2020) ended on 31 December 2020. Applications could be filed from 26 October 2020 onwards.
By when did applications for the first phase of the bridging aid (Überbrückungshilfe) have to be submitted?
Applications for the first phase (funding months June to August 2020) had to be submitted by 9 October 2020 at the latest. Retroactive applications after this date were not possible.
Who is eligible to apply for the bridging assistance (Überbrückungshilfe)?
Small and medium-sized enterprises, self-employed individuals, and non-profit organizations affected economically by the coronavirus pandemic are eligible to apply. The program is a joint initiative of the federal and state governments designed to cushion revenue losses.
Why was the application deadline for the first phase extended?
Due to significant processing times and technical difficulties with the online procedure – such as delays in delivering the required PIN – the original deadline of 31 August 2020 was extended to 30 September 2020. Steuerberater associations had strongly advocated for this extension.