There are many important changes in October. New corona rules apply nationwide and the minimum wage is increasing. There is also an important innovation for mini-jobbers and much more.
New Corona rules were decided for October. FFP2 masks are mandatory nationwide in clinics, nursing homes and medical practices. The obligation to wear an FFP2 mask also applies to long-distance trains. A simple surgical mask is only sufficient for children. Masks are no longer compulsory on airplanes. In nursing homes and clinics, a negative test must also be presented before entry.
The federal states can also make masks compulsory on local trains and buses as well as in indoor areas such as shops and restaurants. However, the federal states do not have to implement these measures. Anyone who shows a negative test must be exempted from such an obligation in the catering trade and at events.
Tests can be prescribed at schools and day-care centers. From class five, it is mandatory to wear mouth and nose protection. If the infection situation worsens, the federal states can make further specifications with a state parliament resolution. These include, for example, visitor limits for events in closed rooms.
You can find out more about the new Corona rules here: For autumn and winter – the Federal Council decides on new Corona rules – which will apply from October
The minimum wage will rise to 12 euros in October. The Bundestag approved the increase in June with the votes of the traffic light coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP. The Union abstained, although it had drummed for the minimum wage in the Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia state election campaigns.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had made raising the minimum wage one of his key campaign promises. Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) acknowledged the increase to twelve euros as a “question of respect” for hard work.
For low earners, this is often “the biggest jump in wages of their lives,” said Heil in June in the parliamentary budget debate. For them, this means “a noticeable improvement in the wallet”. The minimum wage has risen by more than 40 percent since 2015.
You can find out more about the increase in the minimum wage here: Olaf Scholz’s election promise – the Bundestag decides on a minimum wage of 12 euros
The minimum wage will increase to twelve euros per hour on October 1st. This also affects mini-jobbers. On the one hand, the upper earnings limit for mini-jobs will be raised from 450 euros to 520 euros from October, explains Anke Marx, a lawyer at the Saarland Chamber of Labor. In the future, the limit should be based on a weekly working time of ten hours and the statutory minimum wage. “With a minimum wage of twelve euros, you can work around 43 hours a month.”
According to the lawyer, anyone who has a mini-job is not entitled to a contract adjustment: the working hours do not have to be increased, only the wages have to be adjusted. Another change concerns the so-called exceeding. From October, according to Marx, the mini-job limit of 520 euros may only be exceeded in up to two calendar months within a year.
The amount was also specified: in future, mini-jobbers may earn a maximum of twice the mini-job limit (1040 euros) in one calendar month. “Thus, if the excess was unforeseeable, a maximum of 7,280 euros per year can be earned instead of the basically possible 6,240 euros,” says Marx. The changes to exceed will be specified in the law.
Update from September 29th, 2022: The federal government decided on Thursday to overturn the gas levy at short notice. You can find out more about this here: Alternative to the gas surcharge – A “double boom”: Traffic lights agree on gas price brake
The federal government was actually planning a levy of 2.4 cents per kilowatt hour for all gas consumers from October to support importers. Some of them are in trouble due to a lack of gas supplies from Russia. However, the measure is uncertain: coalition politicians have announced that the levy should not come.
From October 1st, German citizens must pay close attention to their current vaccination status. Anyone who has not been vaccinated three times is then considered unvaccinated. So far, people are considered “fully vaccinated” if they have been vaccinated twice. The third vaccination leads to the so-called booster protection. The second vaccination was previously valid for 270 days.
The recovered status should also be equated with the vaccination. Those who have recovered only need two vaccinations to be considered “fully immunized”.
You can find out more about this here: Immune status changed – who will continue to be considered “fully vaccinated” from October – and who will no longer be
In the future, building owners with gas heating will be obliged to check their heating in order to save energy. The regulation comes into force on October 1 and is valid for two years. The heating checks should be carried out by specialists, such as heating engineers, chimney sweeps or energy consultants.
Property owners have until October 31 to submit their property tax returns. Anyone who does not comply must expect a reminder from the tax office or fines. Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) recently emphasized that he still sees an option in extending the deadline. A spokesman for the Ministry of Finance emphasized that the deadline is not based on a federal regulation, but on determinations by the federal states.
