300 euros energy flat rate: The money should be in your account by September

Created: 07/28/2022, 11:12 am

By: Carina Blumenroth

The energy flat rate of 300 euros is to be paid out to all employed persons in order to cushion the additional burden caused by rising energy prices.

Rising prices and high energy costs – there is a one-time bonus of 300 euros to cushion the burden of employees who are subject to income tax.

This should be reflected in people's accounts from September.

But how much of the money is actually left?

From September you can have the energy flat rate of 300 euros in your account.

© Michael Bihlmayer/Imago

Energy flat rate: The self-employed receive a reduced income tax prepayment

Everyone who is classified in income tax brackets 1 to 5 receives the one-time bonus of 300 euros from the federal government.

This amount is taxable and is expected to be paid out with the salary in September.

For the self-employed, the income tax prepayment is reduced once by 300 euros.

Everyone who is not subject to income tax does not receive an energy flat rate - this applies to pensioners and students.

Pensioners left out of the energy lump sum - a trick can change this

Many pensioners are no longer employed, so they are not included in the planned energy allowance.

For months, this has been criticized by experts from the economic research institutes DIW and IW.

However, there is a trick how pensioners can also receive the energy flat rate of 300 euros.

Affected pensioners only have to have worked a single day as a mini-jobber this year and they are already entitled to the energy flat-rate.

This explains CDU financial expert Antje Tillmann of the

“It is sufficient, for example, for a pensioner to look after their grandchild for an hour in 2022 and receive a minimum wage of 12 euros from their children as part of a mini job or from self-employment.

He then states this income in his tax return and receives the energy price lump sum in May 2023.” However, the project has also been criticized, as the

reports, citing the finance minister: “The relief package planned by the federal government will result in bureaucracy costs of more than 800 million euros.”

Tax tricks: How to save money on your tax return

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300 euros energy flat rate: who gets the most out of it?

Low-income people in particular benefit from the energy flat rate because it is subject to income tax.

The special payment benefits all those who are below the basic allowance, which is currently 10,347 euros.

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Mid-wage workers with a lower income tax rate can keep more of the energy allowance.

An employee who earns EUR 45,000 a year and is classified in tax class 4 and has a child has around EUR 216.33 left over from the energy flat rate.

If this employee had the same requirements with an annual salary of 15,000 euros, then they would be able to keep around 248.83 euros from the energy allowance, reports the

.