The minimum wage will increase from October 2022 – this will also affect mini-jobbers.
The federal government is also planning a gas surcharge.
All changes at a glance.
October brings many changes for the citizens of Germany - especially in financial terms.
While low earners, including mini-jobbers, can look forward to an increase in the minimum wage, gas customers are trembling about the gas surcharge.
Landowners should also spurt in this month: The deadline for submitting the property tax return is running out.
gas surcharge
In order to support utility companies that are in danger of getting into financial difficulties or going bankrupt because of high purchase prices, the federal government was actually planning a gas surcharge.
However, the concept now seems to be off the table again.
Many politicians agree that it will be abolished again.
"The gas levy is less of a legal question than a question of economic sense," said Finance Minister Christian Lindner.
The gas surcharge should be around 2.4 cents per kilowatt hour for all gas customers.
So far, however, the government has not been able to agree on an alternative.
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Gas customers may have to pay a surcharge.
But now she's on the brink.
© Rene Traut/Imago
Irrespective of the gas surcharge, however, the sales tax on natural gas is to be temporarily reduced from 19 percent to seven percent.
This applies to all deliveries via the natural gas network, with the exception of gas cartridges, for example.
The tax relief is to apply from October 1st to March 31st, 2024.
Minimum wage rises to 12 euros
From October 1st, employees can look forward to a higher minimum wage.
This had already been raised to EUR 10.54 gross per hour in July, and now EUR 12 for an hour's work should beckon.
According to the Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research, the minimum wage increase affects around 22 percent of all employment relationships.
Employees in mini and part-time jobs as well as newcomers will benefit in particular.
Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) said during the parliamentary budget debate in June that for many low-income earners the increase was “the biggest wage jump of their lives”.
Mini-jobbers get more money
The increase in the statutory minimum wage also has a positive effect on mini-jobbers.
It applies regardless of working hours or the scope of employment, the federal government explains on its website.
In order to make it possible to work ten hours a week, the upper earnings limit will be raised from EUR 450 to EUR 520 per month.
"With a minimum wage of twelve euros, you can work around 43 hours a month," said Anke Marx, a lawyer at the Saarland Chamber of Labor, according to the
dpa news agency
.
In the future, the upper earnings limit will always be adjusted to the development of the minimum wage.
And something else is set to change: From October, the limit of 520 euros for mini-jobbers within a year can only be exceeded in up to two calendar months.
These seven tips will save you a lot of money in everyday life
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Deadline for property tax return ends
From 2025, a new property tax calculation will apply in Germany.
As a result, almost 36 million properties now need to be revalued.
Since July 1, landowners have been able to submit their declaration to the tax office via Elster.
According to the current status, the period ends on October 31st.
Apparently, however, only around 18 percent of the property tax returns were submitted, as reported by
dpa
.
Due to the complexity of many cases, some associations and politicians are now demanding an extension of the deadline - the Minister of Finance is also aware of this.
A ministry spokesman for Christian Lindner explained: "He is monitoring developments closely and reserves the right to approach the federal states with a corresponding initiative."
List of rubrics: © Rene Traut/Imago
