Digitalbonus Bayern

A 50% grant on hardware and software. Quick to apply for, paid in arrears.

Digitalbonus Bayern gives small commercial companies with a registered office or operating site in Bavaria an investment grant of 50% on eligible spending on digitalisation and IT security. The Standard line funds up to €7,500 and the Plus line up to €30,000 where the innovation content is exceptional. Minimum spend: €4,000 net. Since May 2025 applications run exclusively through the ELSTER business account, from the first working day of each month. The programme runs to 31 December 2027.

Eligibility

A small company: fewer than 50 employees (FTE) AND annual turnover or balance sheet total of no more than €10m; include linked and partner companies in the threshold calculation
A registered office or operating site in Bavaria (evidence: a commercial register extract, trade registration or entry in the Bavarian craft register)
Belonging to the commercial economy; excluded are the liberal professions, hospitals, primary agriculture and forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, and publicly owned companies
An eligible project: hardware and/or software to digitalise products, services, production or work processes, or to improve IT security
Eligible spending of at least €4,000 net
No early start: no orders, order confirmations or contracts before the approval notice is issued
The de minimis ceiling observed: total de minimis aid over the last 3 tax years including the funding applied for is no more than €300,000 (Regulation (EU) No 2023/2831)
No double funding: the same spending may not be subsidised in parallel from other public funding programmes
No ongoing insolvency proceedings, no outstanding EU recovery order
A valid ELSTER business account in place (setting it up can take several days, so apply well before the month you plan to apply in)

Eligible costs

Software with company-specific configuration or integration — ERP, CRM, DMS, sector solutions, migration and interface work (plain standard software with no configuration is not eligible)
Hardware for digitalisation — robotics and cobot components, sensors for AI or digital twin applications, simulation hardware (funding area 2.1)
Hardware for IT security — firewall appliances, network security components, dedicated backup systems (funding area 2.2)
External consultancy and training with a clear link to the project — together a maximum of 50% of total eligible spending
Not eligible: standard software with no company-specific configuration, conventional web shops and websites, general marketing, replacement purchases with no digitalisation or security benefit, your own staff costs, VAT (where input tax is deductible), cash payments and self-issued receipts

Common pitfalls

Starting the project early

Orders, order confirmations or contracts dated before the approval notice regularly lead to outright rejection. Verbal commitments to suppliers are also risky. Only order and engage after approval.

Setting up the ELSTER account too late

Setting up the ELSTER business account takes several days because the activation code arrives by post. Anyone wanting to be ready to apply at 10:00 on the first working day of the month has to request the account weeks in advance.

Applying for standard software with no configuration

A plain office suite or a completely unconfigured standard solution is not eligible. Software has to involve company-specific configuration, migration or integration, and that has to be documented comprehensibly in the project description.

A consultancy share above 50%

Consultancy and training together may make up no more than 50% of total eligible spending. If that limit is exceeded, the district government reduces the recognisable amount accordingly.

Overlooking the de minimis ceiling

The €300,000 de minimis ceiling over 3 tax years applies to the company including linked companies. Anyone not documenting their own history risks unlawful aid and later clawback.

Double funding of the same spending

Where identical spending is already subsidised from another public funding programme, funding through Digitalbonus Bayern is ruled out. A substantively clearly delimited combination with other programmes is possible, provided the spending is unambiguously allocated.

Falling below the minimum spend

Projects with eligible spending under €4,000 net are not approved. Obtain quotes from external providers before applying and check the total.

The application process

1. Set up the ELSTER business account. Request a business account at ELSTER and check the permissions for filing applications. The activation code arrives by post from the tax office, so allow several days. Since May 2025 no application is possible without a valid account.
2. Define the project and funding line. Delimit the funding area clearly (digitalisation or IT security) and choose the line: Standard (max. €7,500) or Plus (max. €30,000, exceptional innovation content). For the Plus line, prepare a written justification of the innovation. Only one grant per funding area is possible during the programme period.
3. Obtain external quotes and produce a cost calculation. Have external suppliers and service providers issue quotes to the applicant. Break the cost calculation down by category (software / digitalisation hardware / IT security hardware / consultancy and training). Ensure the consultancy share is at most 50% and the minimum spend of €4,000 net is met. No contract or order yet.
4. Document SME status and de minimis volume. Check headcount (FTE) and annual turnover or balance sheet total including linked and partner companies. Document de minimis aid from the last 3 tax years and compare it, together with the funding applied for, against the €300,000 limit.
5. Submit the application through ELSTER. File the application in the ELSTER business account, ideally when the quota opens at 10:00 on the first working day of the month. Attach: the project description, cost calculation, quotes, SME self-declaration, de minimis declaration and evidence of the Bavarian operating site. Keep the acknowledgement of receipt.
6. Wait for the approval notice; no early start. Only after the approval notice is issued may you order, engage and conclude contracts. Any contract concluded before the notice date leads to rejection.
7. Deliver the project and secure the records. Procure the hardware, software and consultancy after approval. Have all invoices issued to the grant recipient, make payments exclusively by bank transfer, and file the records in a structured way.
8. Submit the statement of use and receive payment. Submit a substantive report, a list of receipts, invoices and proof of payment to the responsible district government on time (the deadline is in the approval notice). Once checked, the grant is paid in arrears.

How upsmart helps

We match your project against the Standard and Plus criteria and tell you whether your software components meet the configuration requirement. We calculate your de minimis volume and cumulation risks against your aid history. We keep an eye on the ELSTER quota opening and the statement of use deadline. Fixed terms, independent of the grant amount.

Combining it with other programmes

Combination with other public funding programmes is possible provided the same spending isn't funded twice. Substantively clearly delimited projects can be financed in parallel from different programmes. Note: the overall de minimis ceiling of €300,000 over 3 tax years applies to all de minimis aid cumulatively.

Frequently asked questions

Small commercial companies with a registered office or operating site in Bavaria: fewer than 50 employees (FTE) and annual turnover or a balance sheet total of no more than €10m. Linked and partner companies are counted in. Excluded are the liberal professions, hospitals, agricultural and forestry businesses, fisheries and public bodies.

50% of eligible spending as a grant. Standard line: max. €7,500. Plus line: max. €30,000 (requires exceptional innovation content). Minimum spend: €4,000 net. Payment is made in arrears once the statement of use has been submitted.

Since May 2025, exclusively digitally through the ELSTER business account. Applications can be filed from 10:00 on the first working day of each month, while the monthly quota lasts. Set up the ELSTER account in good time; activation takes several days.

Standard funds all eligible digitalisation and IT security projects with up to €7,500. Plus funds projects with exceptional technological or organisational innovation content well beyond the sector norm, with up to €30,000. The responsible district government assesses the innovation content case by case.

Eligible are hardware and software with a digitalisation or IT security link, plus external consultancy and training (max. 50% of total spending). Not eligible: standard software with no configuration, conventional web shops, general marketing, replacement purchases with no added value, and your own staff costs.

Read on in the blog

Funding strategy across the innovation process

Primary sources

Digitalbonus Bayern — official programme portal— Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy (StMWi)
Digitalbonus Bayern — programme details— Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy (StMWi)
Digitalbonus Bayern — applying— Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy (StMWi)
Digitalbonus Bayern — frequently asked questions— Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy (StMWi)
Förderdatenbank des Bundes — Digitalbonus Bayern— Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK)
BayernPortal — Digitalbonus Bayern— Bavarian State Government

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