Gas price brake, citizens’ benefit, child benefit increase, electricity price brake, one-off payments: in the tangle of three relief packages and new plans of the federal government, it is easy to lose track of who is actually entitled to which benefits. FOCUS online explains.
The federal government has already decided on three relief packages with a total volume of 95 billion euros. A fourth package is currently being developed. The gas commission set up by the government made its proposals today. The fourth package could be as big as all three previous ones combined. However, details are still unknown.
The previous packages contain many measures that will only be applied now or in the coming year. So that you don’t lose track of what you benefit from and how, we have summarized all the important measures here.
Who? Employed people, pensioners, students, technical students, recipients of social benefits
How much? 300 euros for employees and pensioners, 200 euros for students and technical students, but all payments are taxable. Recipients of social benefits also get 200 euros.
When? Employed people received the energy allowance in September, recipients of social benefits in July. Retirees get them on December 15th. There is no fixed date for students and technical students because it still has to be clarified how the payments will be made. The lump sum will probably not be paid out until January.
Who? All previous Hartz IV recipients.
How much? Citizens’ income replaces the previous Hartz IV. The standard rates for this are being raised. Single people without children receive 502 euros per month, married or non-marital partners in a cohabitation 451 euros, children depending on their age between 318 and 420 euros. In addition, appropriate rents and additional costs are paid.
When? Citizens’ income will be introduced on January 1, 2023.
Who? Adults can apply for child benefit for their biological and adopted children. You will receive child benefit for stepchildren, grandchildren and foster children if they live in the same household as you. In addition, the applicant must be resident in Germany.
How much? Child benefit is paid per month and per child. The rates increase for the first three children to 237 euros each. Before it was 219 euros for the first and second child and 225 euros for the third child. From the fourth child, the rate is still 250 euros per child and month.
When? Child benefit will be increased from January 1, 2023.
Who? Couples or single parents whose income is not sufficient to support the family. You must earn at least EUR 600 gross (single parents) or EUR 900 gross (couples) per month and the child allowance must be sufficient to finance the upkeep of your family.
How much? The child supplement is calculated individually. However, the maximum rate will be raised by the third relief package from 229 to 250 euros per child and month.
When? The child supplement will be increased on January 1, 2023.
Who? All persons entitled to child benefit.
How much? 100 euros per child.
When? The money was paid out in July as a credit to the child allowance.
Who? professionals who work from home.
How much? You can claim a five-euro deduction for income-related expenses per day in your home office. You can deduct a maximum of 600 euros, which corresponds to 120 days in the home office per year.
When? The flat rate was already introduced during the corona pandemic. It’s only going to be permanent now.
Who? Housing benefit is paid to tenants, homeowners and residents. The prerequisite is that you do not receive any social benefits such as Hartz IV, but are still on a low income. This is defined as a net household income of between EUR 1,371 (single person) and EUR 3,484 (four-person household) per month. Important: The entire household is always considered. The earnings limits of the “Wohngeld Plus” are thus significantly higher than with the old Wohngeld.
How much? The calculation of the housing benefit differs depending on the municipality. The decisive factor is the so-called rental level, which in turn depends on the type and location of your apartment. The maximum rates are between 312 euros (rent level I for those living alone) and 879 euros (4 people, rent level V) per month. With the reform, a permanent heating cost component of two euros per square meter and an air conditioning component of 0.40 euros per square meter are paid.
When? The “Wohngeld Plus” applies from January 1, 2023.
Who? Recipients of housing benefit who received housing benefit for at least one month between October 2021 and March 2022, as well as BAföG recipients, those receiving support for advancement and trainees with an allowance or training allowance.
How much? In the case of housing benefit recipients, the payments depend on the size of the household. There is a one-time fee of 270 euros for single people, 350 euros for two-person households and an additional 70 euros for each additional person in the household. All other groups receive a flat rate of 230 euros per person.
When? The heating cost subsidies were paid out in June 2022.
Who? The heating cost subsidy is paid to recipients of housing benefit, pupils, trainees, participants in advanced training courses and students who are funded according to Book Three of the Social Security Code. The prerequisite is that you have received corresponding benefits for at least one month between September and December.
How much? The heating subsidy is 415 euros for single people and 540 euros for couples. Each additional person in a household increases the subsidy by 100 euros. Pupils, students and trainees receive 345 euros.
When? The grant is expected to be paid out by the end of the year. However, there is no uniform date because each federal state is responsible for the payments itself.
Who? All persons subject to income tax are relieved.
How much? The increase in the basic allowance from EUR 10,347 to EUR 10,632 and the recalculation of the marginal rates reduce your tax burden by 0.8 to 2.0 percent, depending on your income and your tax class.
When? The changes will apply from 2023.
Who? Employees in the transition area (“midi jobs”) with an income between 520 and 2000 euros per month. The previous upper limit was 1300 euros, it was previously raised to 1600 euros on October 1st.
How much? How much your net income increases as a result of the change depends on many factors such as the exact gross income, the tax class, the federal state, your health insurance company and the number of children you have. A single person who earns 2000 euros gross per month will receive around 146 euros more net as a result of the change.
When? The changes apply from January 1, 2023.
Who? All employees who pay into the statutory pension insurance.
How much? The pension contributions are tax-free. As a result, they are completely deducted from gross income and reduce taxable income. Exactly how much more net you get from this depends on your income. For a single person with a gross income of 4000 euros per month, it is 46.58 euros more net per month.
From when? The change will be brought forward from 2025 to 2023.
Who? All consumers.
How much? So far, it was planned that the Co2 tax would increase by five euros per tonne to 35 euros per tonne on January 1, 2023. This increase is now being postponed by a year. This reduces previously planned costs for heating, petrol and all other products that produce carbon emissions – which are pretty much any product you can buy.
When? The Co2 price will only be increased to 35 euros per tonne in 2024. This means that the increases in the following years are also pushed back by one year.
Who? All commuters.
How much? The distance allowance will be increased from 35 to 38 cents from the 21st kilometer. It applies regardless of the chosen means of transport.
When? The increase applies from 2022 to 2026.
Who? All employees and self-employed who file an income tax return.
How much? The employee lump sum (“income-related expenses”) increases from 1,000 to 1,200 euros per year.
When? The change will apply from this year.
Who? All electricity customers.
How much? So far, the EEG surcharge was 3.72 cents per kilowatt hour. After the change, it will be financed through the federal budget.
When? The cancellation of the EEG surcharge was planned for January 1, 2023 and was then brought forward to July 1, 2022.
Who? All drivers.
How much? The federal government lowered the energy tax on fuels for three months to the minimum level prescribed by the EU of 30 cents per liter of petrol and 14 cents per liter of diesel.
When? The tank discount was valid from June to August 2022.
Who? All public transport customers.
How much? The federal government subsidized local public transport for three months, so that unlimited trips were possible for nine euros per month.
When? The 9-euro ticket was available from June to August 2022. A successor is now to be developed for 2023.
Who? All electricity consumers.
How much and when? The electricity price brake was announced in the third relief package at the beginning of September. To date, however, there are no concrete implementation plans. Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) had proposed a cap of 30 cents per kilowatt hour for a base consumption of 75 percent of the average consumption. Exact savings are difficult to calculate without exact details. Average households would probably save several hundred euros a year with such a cap.
Prime Day is taking place for the second time this year: from October 11th to 12th, Prime subscribers can once again shop for exclusive bargains. All information and top deals can be found in our Prime Day News.
No Prime subscription? Then take a look at our vouchers page. There are always top offers here to make your shopping cart cheaper with discount codes from Amazon.
Who? All gas and district heating customers.
How much? According to a proposal by the gas commission set up by the federal government, the state should assume the down payments of all consumers for one month. The savings are based on your own personal gas bill. According to Check24 calculations, the takeover would cost the state a total of five billion euros.
When? According to the Commission’s proposal, the down payment for December 2022 should be taken over. It should therefore also be paid out this month.
Who? All gas and district heating customers.
How much? The Gas Commission proposes a gas price cap of 12 cents per kilowatt hour for 80 percent of the consumption on which the advance payment in September was based. For district heating customers, the cap should be 9.5 cents per kilowatt hour. According to calculations by Check24, households would save 308 (single, 5,000 KWh/year) and 1,232 (family, 20,000 KWh/year) euros.
When? The gas price brake should only apply from March 2023, so it would be completely irrelevant for the winter heating period.
Follow the author on Facebook
Follow the author on Twitter
The prices of new and used cars have recently gone up massively. But the economic and energy crises unsettle car buyers and rob them of their budgets – leading to a wave of cancellations. Will unsaleable cars soon be piling up at dealerships?
Bestselling author Marc Friedrich argues that we are still making the world’s dumbest energy policy. To change that, realism and less ideology is needed. Due to the high energy prices, more and more companies are moving abroad or have to close down, warns the financial expert.
The days of falling fuel prices are over for the time being: within a week, diesel has gone up by 11 cents per liter. Super petrol also increased significantly, as the ADAC announced on Monday.
Amazon Prime Day will take place a second time on October 11th and 12th, 2022 – but this time under the somewhat clumsy name “Prime Exclusive Offers”. The campaign for Prime members started at midnight sharp with some exciting bargains that we don’t want to withhold from you. A few other retailers are also taking part in the discount battle.
