Jobcenter uploads: which files and what size
Which files jobcenter.digital takes (PDF, JPG, PNG, BMP), the size limits, how to name files, why all pages belong in one PDF, and what to do when the file is too big.
Updated 2026-09-25
In short: jobcenter.digital takes PDF, JPG, PNG and BMP files. The size limit is shown in the hint next to the upload field. Guides from individual Jobcenters mention 7.5 MB per message including all attachments, or 9 MB per file, and file names of at most 80 characters. The safest choice is one PDF per document: all pages inside, named in Latin letters. As of September 2026.
This applies to any documents for the Jobcenter, including those for Bürgergeld, which has been called Grundsicherungsgeld since 1 July 2026. How to make such a PDF from a photo without a scanner is in a separate guide. This one is only about what the file has to look like.
Which formats work
The Federal Employment Agency's upload guide (version of 20.03.2026) names four formats: PDF, JPG, PNG and BMP. Files in any other format are not accepted.
| Format | Works? | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| yes | The best choice: all pages of a document in one file | |
| JPG | yes | One page per file. Phone photos are often several megabytes |
| PNG | yes | Usually larger than JPG for photos |
| BMP | yes | Stores the image uncompressed, so files are very large |
| HEIC (iPhone photos) | no | Turn it into a PDF or JPG first |
| Word, ZIP and others | no | Save a Word document as PDF |
Renaming the file does not help. The guide to the jobcenter.digital mailbox published by Jobcenter Heidelberg warns explicitly that the service checks the file itself, not its name. So renaming .heic to .jpg gets you nowhere.
About HEIC: with the "High Efficiency" setting, an iPhone saves photos as HEIF. Apple explains how to switch to JPEG: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. Photos already taken in HEIC can be opened in a4norm and turned into a PDF.
What size is allowed
There is no single number. The agency says the maximum size is given in the hint for each upload field, and larger files simply will not upload. Guides from individual Jobcenters give different figures:
| Who says it | Where | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Jobcenter Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, Jobcenter Heidelberg | jobcenter.digital mailbox | 7.5 MB per message, including all attachments |
| Jobcenter Oberberg | document upload in jobcenter.digital | 9 MB per file |
| Jobcenter Freising | its own upload form on its website | 10 MB |
These guides were written at different times, and the figures may have changed. What counts is what your upload window says.
A rule of thumb: a file under 5 MB fits every limit in the table. A page from a4norm is usually a few hundred kilobytes.
How to name the file
According to the mailbox guide from Heidelberg:
- no longer than 80 characters, otherwise the attachment is rejected;
- Latin letters and digits are always accepted. Cyrillic is not on the list of allowed characters, so
Выписка.pdfmay fail; - the name must not start or end with a dot or a space.
A good name says what is inside: Kontoauszug_2026-08.pdf, Mietvertrag.pdf, Arbeitsvertrag.pdf. The caseworker reads German, so a German name helps.
One document, one PDF
The agency's leaflet "Papierdokumente in PDF umwandeln" advises that if a paper document has several pages, you save them all together in one PDF. That way the document does not fall apart into a pile of separate pictures.
Different documents, different files. Jobcenter Saalfeld-Rudolstadt asks for them as separate attachments to one message: bank statements, tenancy agreement, employment contract — each as its own file.
In a4norm that looks like this: add all photos of one document, tap "Make the PDF", send the file. Then "New scan" (the circular arrow, tapped twice) and on to the next document.
If the file is too big
What the agency advises in its upload guide:
- for photos, reduce the image dimensions or cap the resolution at 300 dpi;
- for a PDF, choose black and white: such a file is smaller than a colour one;
- if uploads fail, split the document into several files of a few pages each. According to the agency, several small files are better than one large one.
What to do in practice:
- Do not upload the original phone photos. They are what usually weighs several megabytes. Jobcenter Saalfeld-Rudolstadt specifically asks you to check your camera's file-size settings.
- Put the photos into a PDF. The Heidelberg guide says the same: turn a very large image into a PDF. a4norm straightens the page and compresses it, usually to a few hundred kilobytes. It does not make a pure black-and-white PDF: a blue signature stays blue, and a passport stays a colour copy.
- Still too big? Split the document into two PDFs, for example
Kontoauszug_Teil1.pdfandKontoauszug_Teil2.pdf. - The message is full? When the attachments together exceed 7.5 MB, the Heidelberg guide advises sending the message without the last attachment and adding it to a new message.
After uploading: check it
The portal does not just store the file. The agency says that every uploaded document is analysed and, if needed, converted into a format for long-term archiving, and that errors can happen along the way. So:
- open the uploaded document in the portal;
- look at every page;
- if it is incomplete, unreadable, or you see an error document instead, upload it again.
a4norm produces a file in a format jobcenter.digital takes, with a straight, readable page. Whether the Jobcenter accepts the document itself is up to the Jobcenter. Try it on the scanner page or in the app, which works offline.