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LIVING IN GERMANY

Everything that changes in Germany in 2022

There are several important changes taking place in day-to-day life in Germany next year. There is good news on electricity bills, a streamlined unemployment system and also some tax hikes.

A conductor gives a departure signal for an ICE train on the platform at Berlin Central Station.
A conductor gives a departure signal for an ICE train on the platform at Berlin Central Station. Photo: dpa | Carsten Koall

These are some of the changes most likely to affect the lives of internationals living in Germany.

Jump in minimum wage

The national minimum wage is set to rise at least twice in the following twelve months from a current level of €9.60 per hour.

On January 1st it will go up to €9.82 and then it will go up to €10.45 on July 1st.

The new government wants to raise the minimum wage to €12 an hour by the end of the year. But that move is likely to face a legal challenge from employers’ associations.

READ MORE: German employers weigh up legal challenge to €12 minimum wage

Stamp price increase

Deutsche Post is increasing its postage rates on January 1st. A standard letter will cost 85 cents instead of 80 cents, and the cost of sending a postcard will go up to 70 cents from 60 cents.

Older driving licenses updated

Many local authorities are expecting a rush of people handing in old driver’s licenses in exchange for new ones in the coming weeks. By 2033, all driver’s licenses issued before 2013 need to be exchanged for a standard EU document.

German drivers licence

Two driver’s licenses lie on a table. By 2033, all driver’s licenses issued before 2013 must be exchanged. Photo: dpa | Ole Spata

But the deadline is staggered based on people’s age. Those born between 1953 and 1958 have to hand in their old licences by January 19th, 2020.

Surveys suggest that many people still haven’t done this. Anyone who lets the deadline pass risks an initial ‘warning’ fine of ten euros. 

Extended warranty

Anyone who buys a product that later turns out to be defective will be better protected starting in January. At the start of the year the legal presumption that a defect existed at the time of purchase will be extended from six months to one year.

Drop in renewable energy levy

Wind turbines

Two technicians from Sabowind GmbH maintain an Enercon E92 wind turbine in Saxony. Photo: dpa-Zentralbild | Jan Woitas

There’s some good news for households struggling to pay their electricity bills. The levy to finance green electricity – the EEG levy – will fall to 3.723 cents per kilowatt hour at the turn of the year, a drop of more than 40 percent.

The cut to the levy will probably only stabilise the price though. On the back of surging energy costs, electricity suppliers’ costs have gone up and they and are passing them on to the customer.

Pfand on all plastic bottles

On January 1st, the mandatory deposit on plastic bottles (known in German as the Pfand) will be extended to all drinks in plastic bottles. 

People can collect the 25 cent deposit by returning the empty bottle to a bottle bank.

End to ticket sales on trains

As of January 1st, you will no longer be able to buy a ticket from the conductor on Deutsche Bahn services. Travellers can still by a digital ticket within ten minutes of departure via the bahn.de website or on the Deutsche Bahn app.

Higher fuel prices

The CO2 tax, introduced last year, will also rise in 2022, going up from 25 euros per tonne of carbon dioxide emitted to 30 euros. The tax is aimed at pushing energy companies towards using using renewable technologies, but it is also likely to be handed down to consumers in the form of fuel price rises.

According to calculations by the ADAC automobile club, petrol and diesel are likely to become more expensive by about one and a half cents per litre each as a result.

Hitting smokers’ pockets

A woman pulls a cigarette out of a pack.

A woman pulls a cigarette out of a pack. Photo: dpa | Sven Hoppe

On January 1st, the tobacco tax will go up for the first time in seven years. It will rise by an average of 10 cents for a pack of 20 cigarettes. In 2023, another 10 cents will be added per 20-pack.

Billboard advertising for conventional tobacco products such as cigarettes will be banned from January 1st.

Prohibiting ‘potentially dangerous’ tattoo ink

From January 4th, many chemicals in tattoo inks throughout the EU will be subject to restrictions under the so-called REACH regulation. The ban list will include thousands of substances.

In the EU’s view, many of them are potentially dangerous or have not been sufficiently researched. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) emphasizes that the aim is to “make tattoo inks and permanent makeup safer.”

Compulsory vaccines in care

People employed in the care sector will have to be vaccinated against Covid-19 if they want to keep their jobs next year. The vaccine mandates apply to carers, doctors, midwives and nurses and will come into force in on March 15th, 2022.

Those who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons will need an exemption from their doctor.

There is also likely to be a parliamentary debate on introducing a general vaccine mandate in January – a move that the German Ethics Council has recommended – so watch this space.

READ ALSO: German Ethics Council recommends extending vaccine mandates

Tightening rules around mini jobs

In an attempt to stop exploitation of “mini-job” rules, the government will require employers to give more details on a mini-jobber such as their tax ID number starting in January 1st. The Minijob-Zentrale will inform the employer wether the employee has another mini-job.

Mini-jobs are part-time contracts that allow people to earn up to €450 a month without paying social security contributions. While someone can have more than one mini job at a time they are not allowed to earn more than €450 in total.

Unemployment registration goes online

Jobcenter Germany

A sign in front of an employment agency location in the Hannover region. Photo: dpa | Julian Stratenschulte

As of January 1st people who sign on for unemployment benefits can do so online using the Agentur für Arbeit website. But one needs a digital ID card to do so.

It will still be possible to sign on by going to your local employment agency.

End to subsidies for plug-in hybrids

Many hybrid cars will no longer benefit from government subsidies from 2022 onwards. A change to the law means that subsidies will only apply to cars with an electric range of at last 60 kilometres.

Ban on thin plastic bags

As of January 1st, plastic shopping bags will no longer be offered at German supermarket checkouts.

The ban applies to super-thin shopping bags. Bags for vegetables and multiple use plastic bags will not be affected.

Higher allowance for children of separated parents

Children of divorced couples will entitled to slightly more maintenance in the new year.

From January 1st, the minimum maintenance for children of separated parents under six years of age will be 396 euros per month, an increase of three euros.

For children aged six to eleven, the minimum maintenance will be 455 euros, an increase of four euros. For children aged 12 to 17, the payment will increase by five euros to 533 euros per month.

SEE ALSO: The best events and festivals in Germany in 2022

Member comments

  1. Higher allowance for children of separated parents:

    I am paying child support for my Son to my X, but he will turn 18 this month and I believe I can transfer the money directly to him now ? Does anyone have any experience with this subject, if not I will contact a Lawyer.

    Reggie

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For members

WHAT CHANGES IN GERMANY

Everything that changes in Germany in April 2024

From more restrictions on receiving Elterngeld (parental allowance) to cannabis legalisation to higher heating costs, there are many changes coming to Germany at the start of the new month on Easter Monday.

Everything that changes in Germany in April 2024

Partial legalisation of cannabis to be allowed

After much debate, Germany’s controversial cannabis act was officially signed into law on Friday, March 22nd. As of April 1st, the new law will allow possession of up to 25 grams for personal consumption from the age of 18, and cultivation of up to three cannabis plants in one’s own home with up to 50 grams of cannabis for personal use.

It will also permit so-called ‘cannabis social clubs’, or non-commercial cultivation associations with a strict set of rules. For example, no smoking is allowed on site, and members can’t grow more than 50 grams per month.

READ ALSO: Germany gives green light to partially legalise cannabis from April

Lower income threshold to receive Elterngeld

New parents who go on Elternzeit (parental leave) will as of April 1st only be able to receive Elterngeld (parental allowance) if they have a joint household income of lower than €200,000. The threshold, reduced from the previous €300,000 in order to trim Germany’s 2024 budget, applies to couples. As of next year, the threshold is set to sink further.

READ ALSO: Everything that changes for families in Germany in 2024

New fuels at petrol stations 

Germany wants to become climate-neutral, and new and more environmentally friendly diesel fuels are to help it eventually achieve this goal. Several new alternatives are to be introduced at filling stations in the spring: the first two, B10 and XTL, could be officially available as early as April. Before car owners lift the nozzle, however, they should find out whether their Auto can even tolerate these fuels.

Higher heating costs

From April 1, VAT on gas and district heating will be increased from the reduced rate of seven percent back to the original rate of 19 percent. In Germany, the rate was temporarily reduced as part of a comprehensive relief package to ease the financial burden on people living here. It went into effect on October 1st 2022, as many people struggled with rising energy costs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Energy bill

Energy costs in Germany went up quickly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Jens Büttner

Many new driving test questions

Anyone taking their theoretical test to get a German driver’s licence on or after April 1st has a bit more prep work to do. There will be a total of 61 more questions added to the test, both for a regular licence and several special categories. 

‘Blitzermarathon’ hunts down speeders

Anyone on the road can expect more speed checks and speed traps as part of the European Speedweek from April 15th to 21st, 2024 (Monday to Sunday). 

This includes the speed camera marathon (Blitzermarathon) on Friday, April 19th. So drivers, be sure to take your foot off the gas and keep an eye on the speedometer. Otherwise you’ll lose money and possibly even your license.

New Deutschlandticket for students 

Starting with the new semester in April, many universities in Germany will be offering their students the Deutschlandticket for nationwide public transport for €29.40 per month.

The ticket, which normally costs €49, allows for unlimited travel on the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and regional trains.

Qualification allowance

The so-called qualification allowance (Qualifizierungsgeld), which will be available from April 1st, is intended to provide employees with financial support to participate in further training measures. It acts as a kind of wage replacement so that employees can be released from work and continue their training while keeping their job.

The aim is to increase employees’ professional skills and adaptability and to prepare them for any changes in their field of work. The grant facilitates access to further vocational training and is intended to help secure and improve employability.

Mobility allowance for trainees

From April, Azubis (short for Auszubildende, or trainees getting their official qualification) whose company is far away from their place of residence will be entitled to a mobility allowance. Two family trips home per month will be covered in the first year of training.

The allowance is primarily intended to cover the mobility needs of people who need more money for professional, social or health reasons.

Students and trainees in Germany will soon have more affordable mobility options. Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP

Minimum wage increases in two sectors

As of April, painters or varnishers who have completed an Ausbildung (training) in their fields will receive at least €15 per hour, while unskilled workers in this sector will get at least €13 per hour.

For security staff at airports in Bavaria (except Munich Airport), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, the minimum wage will rise to €18.32 if they have passed the official examination to become an aviation security screener. All other security staff will then receive €16.95.

The general minimum wage in Germany is currently €12.41 per hour.

New international train routes connecting Germany with Austria and Italy

Starting April 8th, the first of a series of new trains from Austrian national railways (ÖBB) will operate on routes such as Munich-Innsbruck-Bolzano, and Munich-Innsbruck.

ÖBB promises passengers a superior travel experience with upgraded amenities, including multi-adjustable seats with increased privacy, additional storage options, integrated charging stations, and improved signage for easier navigation.

Gatorade returns to Germany

Especially American readers will know of the brightly coloured sports drink Gatorade. For better or worse, it’s making its return to German shelves after a 15 year absence, with the flavours lemon, orange, “cool blue” and “tropical burst” to be available in some supermarkets starting in April.

Upcoming public holidays 

It’s no April Fool’s Joke: The first day of the month (Easter Monday) is a national public holiday. And while that’s the only official extra day off work during April, employees can enjoy an extra long night out on Tuesday, April 30th, sans guilt. That’s because Wednesday, May 1st, is Labour Day, another public holiday across Germany.

READ ALSO: What days will workers in Germany get off in 2024?

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