Guides
De-minimis: the €300k cap that decides which grants you can actually stack
EU state-aid rule. Below €300,000 over 3 years, public money to one company is treated as 'not affecting trade'. Above it, AGVO rules take over.
Key takeaways
How the count works
Every de-minimis grant arrives with a Bescheinigung that states the gross-grant-equivalent the funder treated as state aid. You collect these and sum them across all grants received over the past 3 calendar years (rolling window, recalculated each new grant). When the cumulative total exceeds €300k including the new grant, you are not eligible for that new grant under the de-minimis regulation.
The 'single undertaking' trap
De-minimis counts at the level of a single undertaking, not legal entity. If the same founders run a GmbH and a side-business as a GbR, both their grants count toward the same €300k cap. Same for subsidiaries: a parent + child company share the cap. Founders rarely model this correctly; consult before applying.
When to switch to AGVO instead
If your funding need exceeds €300k or you've already received de-minimis aid recently, your funder will route the new aid under AGVO (Allgemeine Gruppenfreistellungsverordnung) instead. AGVO has higher caps but stricter eligibility - the aid must fit one of the explicit AGVO categories (R&D, regional, SME, innovation, etc.) and has specific funding-rate ceilings per category.
FAQ
Frequently asked
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