Need Help with Unemployment Benefits and Employer Income Certificate Discrepancy

Hi everyone,

I could really use some advice on a tricky situation I’m dealing with regarding unemployment benefits and my previous employer.

Here's the background:

From February, I received unemployment benefits until I found a new job at a restaurant. I started working there on March 22, 2024, as stated in my contract. I promptly communicated my status change from unemployed to employed to the agency and subsequently received a cancellation letter for my unemployment benefits dated March 22, 2024. So far, so good.

However, I ended up quitting that job on April 21, 2024, because I didn’t like it, and I immediately found a new one.

Now, I’ve received a letter from Agentur für Arbeit stating that I would earn additional income from March 15, 2024. The letter says: "Please have your employer prepare additional income certificates for the month of March 2024 (…). Please also let me know if the start or duration of your part-time job does not apply. Have your information confirmed by your employer. If you do not request that your employer prepare and submit the additional income certificate or do not request it in a timely manner, I will have the initiation of administrative offense proceedings examined." The letter also attached a statement on secondary employment not reported or reported late.

I checked my payslip for March, and it shows income starting from March 15th, even though my contract states I started on March 22nd. I believe this discrepancy is because when I gave my resignation letter at the end of March, my manager classified it as a mini job for administrative reasons telling me that it wouldn’t affect my work or pay.

Here are my concerns and questions:

1. Language Barrier: My German isn’t very good, so understanding and responding to this letter is challenging.
2. Uncooperative Manager: My old manager isn’t reliable; he tends to ignore such issues, especially now that I don’t work there anymore.
3. Potential Consequences: What could happen if my employer declares additional income? Will I have to pay something back?
4. Proving the Discrepancy: How can I prove that the March 15th date on my payslip was due to my employer’s decision and not my actual start date?

Any advice on how to handle this situation would be greatly appreciated. What steps should I take to resolve this without getting into trouble?

Thanks in advance for your help!

TL;DR: Received unemployment benefits until starting a new job on March 22, 2024. Quit that job on April 21. Agentur für Arbeit says I earned additional income from March 15, per my payslip. Manager may have adjusted start date for administrative reasons. Need help dealing with this due to language barrier and uncooperative former manager.