In May there will be some changes for consumers.
Corona child bonus, minimum wage and new WhatsApp guidelines - everything you should know.
Munich - Families will also get a Corona child bonus this year.
For every child entitled to child benefit, the 150 euros should in most cases be paid out in May.
The bonus is available for every child who is or has been entitled to child benefit for at least one month in 2021, explains the Federal Employment Agency.
The Corona child bonus is a one-off payment that does not have to be applied for separately and is not offset against social benefits.
The financial injection takes place a few days after the regular child benefit payment.
For children who are or have been entitled to child benefit before or after this year, the child bonus will be paid out at a later date.
For everyone else, the payout will come in May.
May 2021: Improved protection of minors on the Internet
From May 1st, a reformed Youth Protection Act is to protect children and young people better against bullying, harassment and cost traps on the Internet.
For this, game and film platforms must offer simple reporting and complaint options.
Young users should be able to take advantage of this if they feel threatened or harassed.
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The amendment to the Youth Protection Act is intended to make the use of the Internet safer for children.
© Josu Acosta / IMAGO
In addition, uniform age ratings for online content as well as protective mechanisms against cost traps and rip-offs will be mandatory from May.
The "Federal Center for Child and Youth Media Protection" is supposed to check compliance with the rules and ensure that foreign providers can also be prosecuted for violations.
The new minimum wage for painters and varnishers will come from May
Painters and varnishers can look forward to it.
From May 1st, the minimum wage in the painting and varnishing trade will rise.
For apprentices and journeymen, the minimum wage rises to 13.80 euros per hour.
For unskilled workers, the minimum wage is then 11.40 euros per hour.
In addition to the minimum wage, the national wage will also increase.
This is the wage that skilled workers with a collective agreement must be paid after two years of employment.
In West Germany it increases by 2.1 percent to 17.51 euros and in East Germany by 2.2 percent to 16.88 euros per hour.
By May 15 at the latest, painters and varnishers should also receive a corona bonus of 330 euros.
Since January 2020 there has also been a minimum wage for apprentices.
The deadline for approving the new WhatsApp guidelines expires in May - severe consequences threaten
If you want to use WhatsApp to the full extent after May 15th, you have to agree to the new usage guidelines by then.
According to WhatsApp, users who would not agree to these terms and conditions would no longer be able to use the messenger service.
Those who refuse to give their consent will "receive calls and notifications for a short time, but can neither read nor send messages in the app," writes the messenger service.
The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (HmbBfDI) has opened urgent proceedings against Facebook to extend the deadline (May 15) by three months.
May 2021: Windows 10 - no support without an update
Private users of the "1909 Windows 10" version should update their operating system by May 11th.
As Microsoft announced, technical support for the old version will end afterwards.
Among other things, users will then no longer receive security updates.
Therefore, the current version of Windows 10 should be installed by May 11th at the latest.
Change in May: New energy certificate rules - strict requirements
From May 1st, * the stricter rules for energy certificates for existing residential buildings will come into force.
In the future, new ID cards will have to contain additional information on the energetic evaluation of the property.
For example, information about the level of greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions must be provided.
The new rules apply to energy certificates that were issued in 2011 or earlier, as the certificates are only valid for ten years.
Comdirect's current account will no longer be free from May 2021
The unconditional and free current account with the direct bank Comdirect will be abolished.
The Commerzbank subsidiary will therefore charge a monthly account management fee of EUR 4.90 from May 1st.
The account remains free if certain conditions are met.
This includes a monthly deposit of 700 euros, three payments per month from a third payment service provider such as Apple Pay or Google Pay or at least one securities transaction via the Comdirect bank.
Students, interns and trainees under the age of 28 can continue to use the current account free of charge.
(jsch)
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List of rubric lists: © Jens Schicke / IMAGO