What does Mitwirkungspflicht mean?
If you apply for or receive social benefits, you have a Mitwirkungspflicht (duty to cooperate). You must help the office check your case.
die Mitwirkungspflicht · die Mitwirkungspflichten (plural)
You must give information and show proof, for example bank statements or your rental contract. You must report changes on your own.
If you do not cooperate, the office can refuse or stop the benefit, fully or partly. But first it must warn you in writing and give you a deadline.
If you cannot get a document, tell the office in time. Explain why.
If you hand in missing documents later, the office can also pay the benefit afterwards.
Example sentence
Bitte beachten Sie Ihre Mitwirkungspflicht und reichen Sie die Unterlagen bis zum 15.10.2026 ein.
Please note your Mitwirkungspflicht and submit the documents by 15.10.2026.
What you can do
Hand in copies and keep the originals. Write down what you handed in and when.
Related words
- Antrag With an Antrag (application), you ask an office for something, for example money or a permit.
- Anhörung In an Anhörung (hearing), the office asks for your view before it decides.
- Frist A Frist is the time within which you must do something, for example reply or file a Widerspruch.
- Bescheid A Bescheid is a letter in which an office decides something about your case.