Price brakes, higher child benefits, introduction of the euro in Croatia and an increase in pensions. There are important dates coming up in the new year. FOCUS online shows what awaits you in 2023 and what you can benefit from.
The global situation remains tense, inflation is high and prices are at a high level at the start of the year. 2023 will be a challenging year for many people from a financial perspective. But there are important measures that should relieve households.
It’s good to know when the changes will apply.
FOCUS online lists and says which dates you absolutely need to know now and how you can save money with them.
Child benefit will increase to 250 euros per child from January 1st. This is the largest increase in child benefit since 1996. The special feature is that the previous staggering no longer applies.
Croatia introduces the euro on January 1st. The inventor and physicist Nikola Tesla is depicted on the new coins. When you are on holiday, you can then withdraw money from ATMs for less money and also pay with euros everywhere.
Out with the yellow note! From January 1st, the digital certificate of incapacity for work (eAU) will replace the printed form. The medical practice then informs the health insurance company electronically. FOCUS online advises: Let the doctor’s office continue to print out the sick note. Keep the printout in your files as evidence.
The home office flat rate increases to 1,000 euros. Previously, the upper limit was 600 euros.
From January 1st, early retirees are allowed to work part-time without any deductions. The same applies to people who receive a disability pension.
Anyone retiring on January 1, 2023 and receiving a statutory pension for the first time must pay tax on 83 percent of their gross pension. The pension allowance for new pensioners is 17 percent. In principle, the following applies: Pensioners are obliged to submit an income tax return for 2023 if the annual income they earn is above the basic tax-free allowance. For unmarried or widowed persons, the basic allowance is 10,908 euros. For married couples at 21,816 euros.
Changes in midi jobs! The upper earnings limit increases to 2000 euros from 1600 euros. Up to this limit, employees have to pay lower social security contributions.
Do you order a lot from Lieferando, Wolt and other restaurant delivery services? Then you now have to reckon with additional costs. From January 2023, restaurants and cafés will have to offer reusable containers for food and drinks to take away. If you continue to take your dishes in disposable packaging, you have to expect additional costs.
Taxes on cigarettes, cigarillos and tobacco are increasing. Packs of 20 cigarettes will cost an average of 18 cents more in future. A pack of 20 cigarettes will then increase from EUR 7.60 to EUR 7.80.
Unemployment benefit II (or “Hartz 4”) is called citizen benefit from January 2023. The change provides that, among other things, the standard rate will be increased by around 50 euros to 502 euros per month. There is an allowance of 40,000 euros for recipients. The allowances for additional earnings will increase from 20 to 30 percent.
Until January 19, 2023, motorists must exchange their pink or gray driver’s license if they were born between 1959 and 1964. Read more about this here.
The deadline for submitting the property tax return is January 31, 2023. In extreme cases, there is a risk of a fine of 25,000 euros.
End of an era! From February 1st all telephone booths will be dismantled. By the fall, coin-operated telephone booths had already disappeared. The telephone card machines should also follow by January 31, 2023.
No more battery in the cell phone? In an emergency, only a power bank can help.
In addition, from February 1, 2023, drivers must carry two packaged surgical masks in their first-aid kit. It is also the case that a DIN-13152 type bandage cloth no longer needs to be part of the first-aid kit that you carry with you.
A gas and electricity price brake will apply from March 1st. It will then apply retrospectively to January 1, 2023 and will set an upper limit on the energy price for gas, electricity and district heating. A base price of 40 cents (electricity), 12 cents (gas) and 9.5 cents (district heating) will then be due per kilowatt hour by April 2024. The base price applies to 80 percent of consumption.
The 49-euro ticket will be valid in Germany from April 1st. Consumers can then travel across Germany for 49 euros per month as long as they use local public transport. The ticket is not valid on ICE, IC, EC and long-distance trains. If your previous monthly ticket is cheaper, this additional one is valid. The 49-euro ticket is seen as an addition to the previous offer and is not intended to replace single tickets, day tickets, monthly tickets or annual tickets.
According to the Infection Protection Act, the FFP2 mask requirement for long-distance trains and long-distance buses will end nationwide on April 7, 2023.
The 29-euro subscription for local public transport in Berlin ends on April 30, 2023. It was introduced as the successor to the 9-euro ticket and will be replaced by the 49-euro ticket.
The summer flight schedule of most airlines applies from May 1, 2023. If you want to fly cheaply into the summer holidays, you have already booked a ticket for June, July or August. Many airlines are adding new routes to their schedules: From the end of May, United Airlines will be flying direct from Berlin to Washington D.C. for the first time. Flight tickets are available for a good 700 euros per person.
Now is a good time to review heaters and also consider replacing outdated oil and gas heaters. According to the Building Energy Law (GEG), all heating systems must be replaced after 30 years of operation. In 2023 it will hit heaters from 1993. It is advisable to switch to modern heating technology, as old boilers are inefficient and expensive. In the context of the energy transition, it is also important to rely on renewable energies.
From July 1st you should pre-order firewood for the coming heating season. Compare providers and prices, then you can get away cheaper. Even if you have to order heating oil, now is the right time.
Pensioners can expect more money from July 1st. In western Germany, pensions are expected to rise by around 3.5 percent in July and by a good 4.2 percent in eastern Germany. The dates are provisional and will be clear in the spring.
Tradesmen such as craftsmen only have until August 31 to benefit from the e-car subsidy. From September 1st, the funding will then only apply to private individuals. Depending on the purchase price, those affected receive a subsidy of up to 4,500 euros when buying an e-car.
Cancel insurance, memberships, the gym or newspaper subscriptions by September 29th (Friday). The last day of September is considered an important date if your contract has a “three months before the end of the year” deadline.
The tax return for the 2022 tax period must be submitted to the tax office by October 2, 2023. The deadline has been extended by two months and ends on September 30, 2023. Since this day is a Saturday, the tax return can be submitted until the following Monday, October 2, 2023.
Until November 30th, drivers can cancel their car insurance and switch to a cheaper provider without giving a reason.
Also read: Large table – relief package? This is what the new gas price brake really does for you
Appropriate: Are you there too? – Millions of households will not benefit from the gas price brake until the end of 2023
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