Changes in July 2022: What will change in taxes, driver's license and pension

Created: 06/30/2022, 04:54

By: Alexander Eser-Ruperti

Exchanging driver's licenses, higher pensions and changes in income tax - July 2022 will also bring some innovations.

What to consider.

Berlin – June 2022 brought Germany the 9-euro ticket, the fuel discount and the heating subsidy.

But there is also a lot going on in the following month.

There are numerous changes in July 2022: they affect driving licenses, income tax and pensions, among other things.

But free citizen tests are also an issue: Anyone who thinks they may have been infected with the corona virus can no longer simply have themselves tested free of charge.

What will change in July 2022?

All innovations at a glance.

Change in July 2022: More salary for employees due to change in income tax

What will change in July 2022?

Some changes are waiting for people in Germany in July 2022: More salary for employees is one of them.

This is due to an innovation in income tax, as the income tax rate will be adjusted in July.

Specifically, there are changes and innovations in three areas: the basic allowance, the employee lump sum and the distance allowance.

There are new tax breaks for employees.

The basic allowance will be increased.

There is more net from the gross.

(Iconic image) © Fleig, Eibner/Imago

The basic allowance for income tax increases by EUR 363 from EUR 9,984 to EUR 10,347 per year.

This is intended to partially compensate for inflation – in view of the current inflation, which mainly affects families, this is rather wishful thinking.

The distance allowance, which applies to commuters from 21 kilometers away, will also increase in July from 35 to 38 cents, regardless of the mode of transport chosen.

The flat-rate employee allowance is also increasing: taxpayers can claim it as income-related expenses in their tax returns.

The amount increases from 1000 to 1200 euros.

New from July 2022: No more free citizen tests from July

But there are more changes coming in the coming month.

New from July 2022: no more free citizen tests - from July 2022 you have to pay, probably around three euros per corona test.

Until now, citizens have been able to have themselves tested once a week free of charge.

The previous test regulation is expiring, so far there has been no extension.

There have also been more and more voices from politics recently, calling for the free test option to be extended - apparently unsuccessfully so far.

One of these voices is the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Stephan Weil (SPD).

That will change in July: child bonus 2022 will be paid out

That will also change in July 2022: the child bonus will finally be paid out.

With a view to the child bonus for 2022, many people in Germany had asked themselves: when will the 100 euros be paid out?

The answer: next month.

The federal government says about the measure from the relief package 2022: "The payment should be made promptly to the payment dates of the child benefit for the month of July 2022." -Bonus and the energy flat rate land on the account.

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Change in July 2022: The minimum wage - July brings an increase

There will also be changes in July 2022 on another topic, the minimum wage.

The minimum wage in July 2022 will increase from 9.82 euros to 10.45 euros.

The minimum wage should reach 12 euros by October of this year. That was one of the promises made by the traffic light coalition under Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), which is now being kept.

However, the minimum wage will not reach many people in 2022: many employers use tricks to cheat their employees out of the wages they are entitled to.

What will change in July 2022: Exchange driver's license - certain age groups have to hurry

Another answer to the question "What will change in July 2022": driving licenses must be exchanged.

However, this does not apply to everyone, only certain years.

A total of 43 million driving licenses will have to be exchanged across Germany by 2033.

The EU driver's license is to be established uniformly throughout the EU - to protect against counterfeiting.

The exchange will take place in stages, with the first drivers having to exchange their driving license in July 2022.

Specifically, in the coming month everyone who was born between 1953 and 1958 and who have a driver's license that was issued before 1999 will have their turn.

The deadline had already expired in January, but was extended by the corona pandemic.

If you miss the deadline, you risk a fine of ten euros.

Changes from July 2022: The pension is due to increase

The changes from July 2022 also include a pension increase in 2022. Pensions in eastern and western Germany will increase to different extents.

In western Germany, the pension increase in 2022 is 5.35 percent in total, in eastern Germany it is 6.12 percent.

From July there will be more money for the approximately 21 million pensioners - in view of the current price development for food and energy, for example, this is urgently needed for most of them.

New from July: EEG surcharge will be dropped in 2022

Also new from July is the elimination of the EEG surcharge.

So far, it has been used to finance the expansion of renewable energies.

The elimination of the surcharge should make electricity cheaper from July 1, 2022, but it is questionable whether the relief will really reach consumers.

The levy has long been considered an important control instrument for the expansion of renewable energies in Germany.

With the abolition in July, the end comes prematurely: Actually, the Renewable Energy Sources Act was supposed to end at the turn of the year.

Changes in July 2022 include easier cancellations

The changes in July 2022 also include consumer protection measures.

From July, online platforms or websites on which contracts can be concluded must provide a new button.

From now on, the platforms are obliged to offer a cancellation button on their site, and customers should also receive an automatic cancellation confirmation.

If such a button is not available, this in turn results in the right of consumers to terminate the contract without notice.

Changes in July 2022: garnishment exemption increases

Part of the changes in July 2022 is also a six percent increase in the garnishment exemption.

The garnishment exemption determines the amount of money that is protected from garnishment, i.e. "non-garnishable".

The amount increases in July from the current EUR 1,252.64 to EUR 1,330.16.

New from July 2022 is also the possibility to hand in old electronic devices to supermarkets and discounters

Disposing of old electronic devices will also become easier starting next month.

New from July 2022 is the option of simply handing in your old electronic devices to supermarkets and discounters.

Shops that only occasionally sell electronic devices are also obliged to accept them.

The new regulation applies to grocery stores and discounters with a total sales area of ​​800 square meters or more that regularly or at least occasionally offer electronic goods.

Most recently, many shops themselves had problems with their electronic devices - card payments went on strike.

Changes from July 2022 affect tobacco tax: tax is also levied on liquids

The July 2022 changes also include tobacco tax.

From July 1, 2022, the tax will also apply to liquids, i.e. e-cigarettes.

Just as in the case of normal cigarettes or shisha tobacco, the tax increase for liquids will be implemented in stages.

For water pipe tobacco, the tobacco tax will also increase from July 1st, 2022.

It will be more expensive for smokers, which is also part of the changes for 2022.

What else will change in July 2022: DHL will increase prices

Prices are currently increasing in almost all areas.

What will also change in July 2022 are the DHL prices: The shipping of parcels and packages will become more expensive, both for domestic and international shipping.

DHL justifies the price increases with higher transport, wage and delivery costs in the recent past.

Recently, DHL had drawn attention to itself with other messages: fraudsters had tried to get customer data with fake DHL messages.

Also new from July 2022 is the elimination of deposit-free bottles

Also new from July 2022 is the elimination of previously deposit-free bottles.

So-called one-way plastic bottles and one-way beverage cans will also be subject to a deposit of 25 cents from now on.

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This goes back to a change in the packaging law, but there are exceptions here too: plastic bottles with milk remain free of deposits.

Previously, fruit and vegetable juices were also deposit-free.

Changes in July 2022 also affect mobile customers

The changes in July 2022 are also interesting for mobile phone customers.

A new EU regulation is intended to ensure, among other things, that roaming services are automatically interrupted when a previously specified amount of data has been reached.

This is to prevent unexpected costs.

The rule also applies to roaming outside the EU.