Digitalbonus Bayern: what it does not fund

"50% funding for your new website" — you see that promise a lot at the moment. It is wrong. The Digitalbonus Bayern specifically excludes the very thing it is most loudly advertised for. So that you do not waste your time, here is where the line actually runs: what is out, where it starts getting interesting, and what that means for your project.

What is explicitly not funded

The guideline names the exclusions directly. Not eligible are:

• Standard websites — described as conventional websites without deep functional integration into operational workflows

• Standard web shops, in particular standard shop templates

• Standard online marketing measures: search engine optimisation, display advertising, content marketing, email marketing and newsletters

• Graphic and editorial services: copywriting, image, video, graphic and logo creation

That is unambiguous. A new website, an off-the-shelf shop, SEO, ads, social media, a newsletter, a logo — there is no money for any of it. Anyone promising you otherwise has not read the guideline, or is counting on you not reading it.

Where the line runs

The decisive phrase sits in that definition: without deep functional integration into operational workflows. The website itself is not the problem — a website that changes nothing about how you work is.

For part of the field the guideline is more explicit than most people expect. It names portals and platforms as eligible: platform and portal solutions without particular technical or innovative features — customer and applicant portals, trading or learning platforms are the examples given — are funded under the Standard track.

That last part matters: under the Standard track. Such solutions are eligible, but they run through Digitalbonus Standard up to €7,500. The Plus track with up to €30,000 stays reserved for projects with particular innovative content.

The same applies to software around winning customers: solutions whose main content is business processes for customer acquisition can likewise only be funded under the Standard track — and only where they go beyond a standard marketing solution of the kind that is excluded from funding. A CRM that maps your sales process is a different thing from a newsletter setup.

Not named explicitly are booking and ordering systems connected to your existing software, workflow automation, or AI-assisted handling of enquiries. But they aim squarely at that criterion of deep functional integration — the common denominator being that manual work disappears, not just an outdated design. Whether your specific project crosses the line is not for your agency to decide: for borderline cases the programme points you to your responsible district government (Bezirksregierung) in advance.

Below €4,000 nothing happens

There is a lower threshold: measures with eligible expenditure below €4,000 are not funded, so a small add-on module is not worth the effort. Funding covers 50% of eligible expenditure, provided you have a place of business in Bavaria. The liberal professions are excluded, unless they operate in a commercial legal form and are subject to trade tax.

You submit the application yourself

That is not us being lazy, it is the rule. The official FAQ states that the application must be submitted by the company itself, and that applying through — or using the ELSTER credentials of — a third party such as a service provider or funding consultant is not permitted.

You need your company's own ELSTER business account for this. Worth planning for: registration involves an activation letter sent by post to the company address held by the tax administration, and delivery usually takes around five working days. Set the account up on application day and you are already too late.

The order matters

Only measures that have not yet started are eligible. A project counts as started as soon as a binding order has been placed or a service commissioned — a verbal agreement is enough. A handshake before you apply costs you the funding.

You do not have to wait for the formal approval notice, though: once the confirmation of receipt arrives, you may start at your own risk. So the order is: get a quote, submit the application, wait for the confirmation of receipt, then sign.

Applications run on a monthly quota that opens at 10:00 on the first working day of each month. The programme runs until 31 December 2027.

What we take care of

We produce the specification and the quote that goes with your application — itemised so that it is clear which part of your project changes processes and which does not. And we will tell you honestly if, in our view, your project falls on the wrong side of the line. That is less pleasant than a quick yes, but it saves you a rejected application.

You submit the application yourself. That is the rule, not convenience.

Last updated: August 2026