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Children waiting for a school bus (icon image)
Photo: Franziska Kraufmann / picture alliance / dpa
In Munich, the cheapest monthly ticket for schoolchildren up to the age of 14 costs 41.40 euros.
In Erfurt, students pay 42.40 per month and in Stuttgart it costs 52.50 euros.
The 9-euro ticket is a significant relief for many families.
In June, July and August it can be used not only in regional trains but also in local public transport.
But to what extent do Hartz IV recipients benefit from the discount?
In some federal states, the job centers bear the costs for the student monthly tickets.
They are automatically cheaper with the 9-euro ticket.
And the difference can be reclaimed by the office, as reported by the Hartz-IV.org site.
Otherwise, it would be "unjust enrichment," according to the responsible ministry in Baden-Württemberg.
The ministry informed SPIEGEL that the expenses for school transport will be reimbursed from tax funds through educational and participation services.
If the transport companies only charge nine euros for the subscription, then “the actual expenses for educational and participation services will also be reduced”.
The regional job centers would therefore adjust the benefits accordingly or “partially revoke the previous benefit approval with the result that only the costs actually incurred of 9 euros would be covered”.
In other words: Hartz IV recipients may have to pay back money.
According to the ministry, the job centers will decide on this on a case-by-case basis.
According to "Hartz-IV.org", Thuringia, Bavaria and Lower Saxony also want to reclaim benefits.
One
unjustified improvement over people who do not receive benefits should be avoided.
Users express their displeasure on the social media platforms.
If Hartz IV recipients can save, "it will be cut off from them again," tweeted one user.
A user writes: Every normal-earning citizen who buys the 9-euro ticket has an advantage.
"Why shouldn't Hartz IV recipients have this advantage?"
According to the platform, other federal states rely on goodwill.
In Schleswig-Holstein, for example, Hartz IV recipients only receive a notice of change in connection with the 9-euro ticket.
In this case, the recipients would receive less money, but the job centers would refrain from reclaiming the money.
Apparently the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg do the same.
The basis of the argument here is Section 40, Paragraph 6, Sentence 3 of the Second Book of the Code of Social Law.
The paragraph sees the ticket as a service from the education and participation package that does not require a refund.
Apparently, people in Baden-Württemberg see things differently.
According to the ministry, there is no financial damage to the families: "Especially for these children and young people, the 9-euro ticket is still a great benefit, because it can be used to travel significantly longer distances than with the school tickets."
kha
