Changes in Germany from January 2025:

Changes in Germany from January 2025:
• Motor insurance prices set to rise again 

• Child benefit to increase by €5 per child

• Child allowance to rise to €6,672 per child

• Child allowance + childcare, education or training needs to rise to €9,600 per child

• Childcare costs 80% deductible up to a maximum of €4,800

• Income tax:
Basic allowance increases by €312 to €12,096 per person

• Minimum wage: More money in many sectors:
Minimum wage to rise from €12.41 to €12.82 gross per hour as of January 1, 2025. 

Also applies to mini-jobbers. The earnings limit for these will increase from €538 to €556 per month. Calculated over the year, this then amounts to €6,672. 

• Duration of short-time work compensation doubled:
Maximum duration of short-time work compensation extended to 24 months. 

• Reduced earning capacity pension: Additional income limits increase:
For full earning capacity reduction: limit €19,661
For partial earning capacity reduction: limit around €39,322

• The retirement age will rise to 66 years and four months (for those born in 1960)

• Electricity levies will rise significantly:
From 2025, the amount of the electricity levies will rise by around 1.3 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) to a total of 3.15 cents per kilowatt hour gross.

• More dynamic electricity tariffs on the market:
From January 1, 2025, all electricity providers must offer customers with smart metering a dynamic tariff. 

• Germany ticket will be more expensive:
From January 2025, the Deutschlandticket will cost €58 instead of €49.

• Compulsory recycling of old clothes:
From January 1, 2025, old textiles must be disposed of in old clothes containers throughout the EU, even if they are broken.

• Driving license exchange for those born in 1971 or later:
Drivers licenses issued to those born in 1971 or later with an issue date before December 31, 1998 must be exchanged by January 19, 2025. 

• New limits for wood-burning stoves:
Fireplaces, wood-burning stoves and ovens installed between January 1995 and March 21, 2010 must comply with the values for particulate matter and carbon monoxide specified in the Federal Immission Control Ordinance from January 1, 2025.

• Euro transfers within ten seconds:
From January 9, real-time transfers will be introduced throughout Europe. 

• Gas network fees will rise significantly:
Gas customers will have to dig deeper into their pockets by an average of around 23% from 2025. 

• The electronic patient file is coming:
The electronic patient file (ePA) will be introduced from January 15, 2025. However, initially only in the four selected model regions of Hamburg, Franconia and parts of North Rhine-Westphalia. The pilot phase will run for four to six weeks. Depending on the results of the pilot phase, it should then be usable throughout Germany from March 2025. 

• The additional contribution to the statutory health insurance fund will rise:
At the turn of the year, it will increase by 0.8% to 2.5%.

• No more amalgam fillings at the dentist:
From January 1, 2025, amalgam will no longer be used for new dental fillings in dental practices throughout the EU.

• Contribution to nursing care insurance will increase: 
On January 1, 2025, the contribution to nursing care insurance will rise again, by 0.2 percentage points to 3.6%. For childless people to 4.2%. Families with children pay less.

• Letter delivery will take longer from 2025:
From 2025, 95 percent of letters will only have to arrive on the third day after they are posted.

• Letters and parcels will become more expensive:
From January 1, 2025: standard letter 95 cents instead of 85 cents. The same applies to postcards, which previously cost 70 cents.
Sending parcels will also become more expensive.

• More housing benefit from 2025:
Housing benefit will be adjusted in line with price and rent developments on January 1, 2025. Housing benefit will increase by €30 per month, which is an average of 15%.