December immediate assistance: applications for reimbursement and advance payments now possible

The Federal Government is working hard to mitigate the negative repercussions of the Russian war of aggression on the energy markets. To this end, its help is also going to households and businesses.

In a first step, the Federal Government is ensuring that effective relief from the high energy prices is already available for December, thus bridging the time until the brake on gas and district heating prices is introduced in 2023.

Customers of pipeline-based gas and heating are to receive assistance in the amount of their instalment for the month of December 2022 on the basis of the Gas and Heat Immediate Assistance Act. The help reaches them via their gas and heat provider, which is entitled to claim an advance payment or reimbursement from the Federal Republic of Germany to finance this assistance.

The application procedure is set out in the Gas and Heat Immediate Assistance Act.

Application procedure

Applications for advance payments and disbursements must generally be made by gas and district heating suppliers via their banks to the KfW. Before the application is submitted, the advance payment application must be audited with regard to the identity of the applicant and the plausibility of the amount. The findings of this audit must be attached to the application. Applications for these audits can be made until 28 February 2023 with an extension possible in justified cases. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action has commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft (PwC) to handle the receipt of the applications and the auditing of the identity of the applicant and the plausibility of the amount.

When submitting the application, the applicant can ask PwC to forward the application and the audit findings to the applicant’s bank. In this case, having checked the identity of the applicant, the bank forwards the application to the KfW.

Alternatively, the applicant can submit the application directly – following the audit of applicant’s identity and the plausibility of the amount by PwC – to its bank along with the audit findings.
Applications must be submitted online. They can be made here: Applications

From the beginning of December, it will be possible to submit applications for amendments via a separate form. Here, applicants should initially collect expected changes and apply for them together in a single application for amendments. Initial applications will be given priority over applications for amendments. In the case of gas suppliers, amendments can also be handled when the required final invoice is drawn up.

A separate application must be submitted for each gas and district heating company within the meaning of the Gas and Heat Immediate Assistance Act. It is not possible to submit a joint application for associated companies. Companies supplying both gas and district heating must make separate applications for the entitlement to advance payments under section 8 of the Act (gas suppliers) and for the disbursement under section 9 of the Act (district heating suppliers).

The application website initially offers the possibility to make a first application for an advance payment or a disbursement. The website will then be updated to receive applications for amendments, and subsequently for the submission of final invoices. Until it is possible to make applications for amendments online, they can be submitted without the use of a form to the email address below.

FAQs on the application procedure

Contact for questions on the application procedure
Tel.: 030-2636 5030
Email: de_soforthilfegaswaerme@pwc.com