As of: February 29, 2024, 6:04 a.m
By: Sophia Lother, Nico Reiter
Comments
Press
Split
Various changes are coming in March - some things will be more expensive, but some people can look forward to more money.
Here is an overview.
Munich – From March 2014 there will be changes to gas and district heating.
In addition, the clocks are changed to summer time and some can look forward to 100 euros from the state.
There are also innovations for pensioners.
On the other hand, the extraordinary winter, which was surprisingly warm and humid in many places, is coming to an end.
Spring now brings not only higher temperatures, but also a number of changes for consumers.
Change to daylight saving time: When the clocks go forward one hour in March
In March the clocks in Germany will be set forward one hour again.
With spring comes the time change.
This year's time change takes place not only on the last weekend in March, but also on the last day of the month.
Daylight saving time begins on Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 2 a.m.
The time change causes physical problems for some people © Christoph Soeder/dpa
Although the clocks are only set forward one hour, the time change has a stressful impact on many consumers in Germany.
According to a survey, 25 percent of Germans reported complaints such as physical problems caused by the change.
However, there is advice on how to combat this:
Regular exercise in the fresh air
Prepare for the change a few days in advance
No heavy meals or coffee before bed
Use daylight to adjust your internal clock
Stick to routines and adapt to the new time
Changes in March 2024: Will gas and district heating become significantly more expensive for consumers?
Originally, the sales tax on gas deliveries and district heating was supposed to be raised again to 19 percent at the beginning of March 2024.
It was reduced to seven percent in October of the previous year.
Consumers could therefore face significantly higher costs.
But the exact timing of the increase is now uncertain again.
My news
Income changes in March: Less money for pensioners, more in public services
More money for public sector employees: This is how much salary there will be from March reading
“It's hard to beat the cheekiness”: After seeing this, the customer asks Edeka to give her a written statement
Telekom change affects existing customers: the streaming change should start in February
“Naive or stupid”: Man doesn’t pay for electricity reading for three years
Aldi Süd is making something new: This technology is available in all branches in Germany
Because of the dispute over the Growth Opportunities Act, which already provides for this tax increase at the end of February, this could be delayed again.
The increases could then only reach consumers at the end of March.
According to calculations by the comparison portal Verivox, a delayed increase in VAT would bring a relief of 20 euros for a family with an average consumption of 20,000 kilowatt hours, reports the
dpa
.
From March 2024, the state will give away 100 euros: these people can be happy
But not everything is becoming more expensive for consumers.
Because some will even receive money from the state from March 1, 2024.
Those who celebrate their 18th birthday in 2024 will receive the culture pass with a budget of 100 euros.
However, to receive this gift, those affected must download a special app.
Changes for pensioners in March 2024: what's new?
From March 2024, health insurance contributions will increase for many pensioners.
This reduces the monthly pension payout for those affected.
Although the additional contributions of many health insurance companies were increased in the summer, the increase only affects pensioners two months later.
“The reason for this are legal requirements that apply to both reductions and increases for pensioners,” says the German Pension Insurance Association in Berlin.
The Federal Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Hubertus Heil, is expected to announce the new values for the 2024 pension increase by the end of March.
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at his own discretion. All information has been carefully checked. Find out more about our AI principles here.