Digitalbonus in a State Comparison: Where There Are Still Grants in 2026 and Where Not Anymore

The Digitalbonus is not a federal program but a collective term for state grants, and the map has shifted significantly in 2025 and 2026: Bavaria continues to fund, but with lowered maximum amounts, Baden-Württemberg and Thuringia have ended their grants, North Rhine-Westphalia has no longer funded internal digitalization since January 2026, and in the east the highest amounts are available in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg. Anyone reading a guide from 2024 is planning with programs and amounts that no longer exist in this form.

Where is there still a digital grant in 2026?

• Bavaria: Digitalbonus Standard up to 7,500 euros and Plus up to 30,000 euros, each up to 50 percent, only for small enterprises with fewer than 50 employees, running until the end of 2027. Note: the old maximum amounts of 10,000 and 50,000 euros no longer apply since mid-2024, and applications are capped monthly.
• Saxony: the ERDF digitalization grant from SAB ranges, depending on the module, from 10,000 euros for micro enterprises up to 100,000 euros for medium-sized enterprises, with funding rates between 35 and 60 percent plus a collective bargaining bonus.
• Saxony-Anhalt: DIGITAL INNOVATION pays up to 70,000 euros at 50 percent. Applications are accepted in short windows that each close after 60 applications; the dates are published in advance by the Investitionsbank Sachsen-Anhalt on its program page.
• Brandenburg: BIG-Digital funds consulting and training with up to 50,000 euros each and implementation up to 250,000 euros, up to 50 percent, with a mandatory initial consultation before the application, guideline valid until mid-2027.
• Saarland: DigitalInvest KMU pays 12,500 euros in the basic module and 20,000 euros in the plus module, 50 percent for small and 30 percent for medium-sized enterprises.
• Hesse: Distr@l is active, but it is not a low-threshold bonus, rather innovation funding: the project must go beyond the state of the art, in return the funding lines range from 100,000 euros into seven figures.

Where has the Digitalbonus become history?

• Baden-Württemberg: the Digitalisierungsprämie Plus expired on 30.06.2025, and as a successor there is now only a low-interest loan.
• Thuringia: the funds of the Digitalbonus are exhausted, and according to the Aufbaubank a new edition is not planned.
• Berlin: the Digitalprämie already ended at the end of 2023. Active is the Transfer BONUS with up to 45,000 euros, which however requires cooperation with a scientific institution.
• Rhineland-Palatinate: DigiBoost has been discontinued since 2022, without a grant successor. New since the end of 2025 is at least a business consulting program that also covers AI consulting.
• Lower Saxony: the Digitalbonus.Niedersachsen-innovativ expired on 31.12.2025, and a successor has not been announced.

What does North Rhine-Westphalia still fund in 2026?

North Rhine-Westphalia shows why it is worth checking the guideline every year: since the change of the program Mittelstand Innovativ und Digital to NRW.BANK in January 2026, the focus on internal digitalization projects has been dropped. Only the development of marketable digital products and digital security are still funded, at 50 percent and up to 15,000 euros through a voucher procedure, awarded by monthly lottery. Anyone in NRW wanting to digitalize their bookkeeping or order processing will no longer find a grant there.

And the north?

The northern German states run their own programs beyond the Digitalbonus label: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with the new AI funding up to 50,000 euros, Schleswig-Holstein via WTSH, Hamburg with the Digital Check, Bremen with the AI grant up to 17,000 euros. Our article gives the verified overview of this: Funding Programs in Northern Germany 2026. And regardless of the federal state, the following applies: the application must be submitted before signing, and the project should also pay off without the grant, which we check together in the free initial analysis of the AI consulting.

Frequently asked questions about the Digitalbonus

Is there a nationwide Digitalbonus?

No, the Digitalbonus is a matter for the states, and only some of the states still offer grants in 2026: including Bavaria, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg and Saarland. Open nationwide instead are the BAFA consulting grant, the INQA coaching, the research allowance and the KfW funding loans.

How high is the Digitalbonus in Bavaria in 2026?

The Digitalbonus Bayern has paid, since the relaunch on 01.07.2024, up to 7,500 euros in the Standard module and up to 30,000 euros in the Plus module, each up to 50 percent of the costs. Only small enterprises with fewer than 50 employees are eligible to apply, applications are capped monthly and run digitally via the ELSTER business account, and the program is limited until the end of 2027.

What do I do if my federal state no longer offers a grant?

Switch to the federal level: the BAFA consulting grant with 50 to 80 percent still runs until the end of 2026, the research allowance knows no state borders, and the KfW ERP funding loan for digitalization finances implementations at favorable interest rates. For further training shares, the states' education vouchers may be an option, some of which continue independently of the Digitalbonus.