Military Service and BAföG: What Applies to Your Funding

If you receive BAföG (German federal student aid) and are thinking about military service, your first question is what happens to the funding. Military service and BAföG meet a rule that funds only training, and a salary that sits far above the usual earnings limits. This guide explains the effect on your funding, the maximum funding period and the family benefits.

Key points

• BAföG is paid for the duration of the training. Service in the Bundeswehr is not training in the sense of your degree.
• Section 15(3) BAföG lists the grounds for funding beyond the standard period of study (Förderungshöchstdauer). Military service is not one of them.
• According to the student services organisation, semesters without BAföG still count towards the maximum funding period.
• Pay in the new service is about 2,600 euros gross a month according to the Bundeswehr, which is substantial income.
• Child benefit and family insurance can be extended by the length of service (Section 32(5) EStG, Section 10(2) SGB V).

Is BAföG still paid during military service?

The answer follows from the purpose of the law. Section 15(2) BAföG provides that funding is paid for the duration of the training, and for university degrees generally up to the maximum funding period. If you start six months or more of service, you do not take part in your studies during that time. The requirement of ongoing training lapses, and the BAföG office cannot keep paying for those months.

According to the federal government, the new military service stays voluntary and lasts at least six months (Federal Government, 5 December 2025). The decision is therefore yours. Tell the BAföG office (Amt für Ausbildungsförderung) your start date in writing and in good time so that overpayments do not arise. An overpaid amount would have to be repaid.

How does military pay affect BAföG?

If you were still funded during service, the office would assess your pay as your own income. In their FAQ (January 2026), the student services organisation names an allowance of 603 euros gross a month; above that, funding falls proportionally. The basic pay of about 2,600 euros gross for volunteers serving six to eleven months is far above this. For soldiers on fixed terms of twelve months or more, the Bundeswehr states around 2,700 euros gross (page as of 19 December 2025).

What matters more is what applies after the service. When a new funding period begins and which evidence the office asks for depends on your case. The rules on earnings during your studies are explained in BAföG Income Limit 2026: How Much Can You Earn?.

Does military service extend the maximum funding period?

This is the question with the greatest financial weight. Section 15(3) BAföG names five grounds on which funding beyond the maximum period is possible for a reasonable time: serious reasons, care of close relatives, work in university bodies, first failure of the final exam, and disability, pregnancy or raising a child up to age 14. Military service is not named there. Whether the office treats it as a serious reason in an individual case is a decision for the authority that the text of the law does not make in advance.

The student services organisation points out that semesters without BAföG funding also count towards the maximum funding period. A service semester that the university records as a subject semester would therefore use up part of that period. If you take a leave of absence instead, the count depends on the university. Ask there before your service starts how your degree programme treats leave and subject semesters. In addition, Section 15(4) BAföG allows one flexibility semester after the maximum period, provided it was not used before.

What applies to child benefit and family insurance during service?

Here the legal position is clearer. For children aged 18 and over, the age limits of 21 and 25 are extended by the length of basic military or civilian service and of voluntary military service of up to three years (Section 32(5) EStG). In statutory family insurance, the age limit of 25 is extended by the length of voluntary military service under Section 58b of the Soldiers Act (Section 10(2) SGB V). Both require the usual basic conditions and affect only the age limit, not whether income stays below the limits.

More on the limits in Child Benefit for Students: Eligibility and Application and Student Family Insurance: Until When Are You Covered?. The wider consequences for health cover are covered in Military service and health insurance.

What role does the 2027 BAföG reform play?

The reform is a separate topic and has no direct connection to military service. If you resume funding after your service, the rates and allowances that apply at that time will govern. Which changes are under discussion and which have been adopted is explained in BAföG Reform 2027: What Is Changing and When.

Can I defer military service during my studies?

If you were called up, Section 12(4) no. 3 of the Military Service Act (WPflG) provides, as a hardship ground, a university degree once you have reached the third semester when service begins. It is a “should” provision and requires an application. For voluntary service the question does not arise, because you choose the timing. The guide Deferring military service because of studies covers the application and its limits.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to report military service to the BAföG office?

You should report changes that matter for funding to the office promptly and in writing. A start of service belongs to them because it interrupts the training. Ask the responsible student services office which form to use.

Will I receive BAföG again after the service?

That depends on whether you continue your degree and meet the requirements, in particular the maximum funding period and evidence of progress. You submit a new application. Funding starts at the earliest in the month of application.

Is military pay counted as income?

For the period for which you apply for funding, the office examines your income. Pay from the service falls under this to the extent that it falls into the relevant period. Your notice of decision shows how the office calculated.

Is there an age limit for BAföG?

BAföG has age limits for starting a training, which can matter for funding after your service. The general rules are explained in BAföG Age Limit: Studying Over 30 and Funding in 2026.

What to do now

1. Clarify with your university whether you will take a leave of absence and how subject semesters are counted.
2. Tell the BAföG office the start and length of your service in writing.
3. Keep records of your service period and pay so that you can prove them later.
4. Check whether child benefit and your parents’ family insurance continue, and report the service to the family benefits office and the health insurer.
5. Submit a new BAföG application in good time after the service, because funding starts at the earliest in the month of application.

Related guides

• Military service and studies 2026: the overview
• Military service pay: what volunteers earn
• Military service length: how long the new service lasts
• BAföG Reform 2027: What Is Changing and When
• BAföG 2026: Eligibility, Amount and Repayment Explained

Sources: Section 15 BAföG, gesetze-im-internet.de (in German); FAQ BAföG, Deutsches Studierendenwerk, January 2026 (in German); Neuer Wehrdienst, bundeswehr.de, page as of 19 December 2025 (in German); Questions and answers on the new military service, Federal Government, 5 December 2025 (in German); Section 32 EStG, gesetze-im-internet.de (in German); Section 10 SGB V, gesetze-im-internet.de (in German).

Last updated: November 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.