New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Your unfair advantage in Germany Essentials Belated happy International Women's Day to every woman who shows up, leads with strength, and lifts others along the way. 🌸 Finance : Your statutory pensions will increase by 4.24% on July 1, 2026. [1] Health : You can file a complaint against a doctor or a hospital if you believe the treatment they provided was incorrect. It's always recommended to first...
7 days ago • 10 min read
New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Your unfair advantage in Germany Essentials Finance : Learn the strategies to save taxes when receiving severance pay. There are two main strategies to save taxes on your severance pay: The one-fifth rule and contributing to the pension insurance. There are certain things you must do to qualify for these strategies. This requires advance planning. We have explained both strategies in detail and what you...
14 days ago • 7 min read
New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Your unfair advantage in Germany Essentials Finance Married couples who own a rental property can reduce their tax using a strategy called the Ehegattenschaukel. Here is how it works. You sell your investment property to your spouse at the current market price. Your spouse depreciates the property using the new, higher purchase price. Your spouse can deduct the depreciation value from their income....
21 days ago • 8 min read
New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Your unfair advantage in Germany Essentials Finance Find out if your relative left money behind in a German bank. Up to €4.2 billion is sitting forgotten in German bank accounts. Most of it belongs to people who have died. Banks call these "dormant accounts." You have to contact different organizations depending on which bank your relative had an account with. You can find out the information about...
28 days ago • 8 min read
New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Your unfair advantage in Germany Important changes We are testing a new schedule to send the GermanPedia newsletter. For the next few months, you'll receive the newsletter on Monday morning instead of Saturday. ECB key interest rates remain unchanged at 2%. This means you will continue to earn interest on your savings account*, and your mortgage interest will remain between 3% and 5%. [1] Scammers have...
about 1 month ago • 9 min read
New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Your unfair advantage in Germany Important changes The EU and India concluded the history's biggest trade deal. More on it later. Germany's Federal Court of Justice (BGH) ruled that tenants cannot sublet apartments for profit. More on it later Cryptocurrency exchanges are required to report user data and transactions to the tax authorities from 2026. Verdi has called for a nationwide strike in local...
about 1 month ago • 12 min read
New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Your unfair advantage in Germany Important changes Several dog snacks from Dog’s Nature GmbH are being recalled due to Salmonella contamination. Kaufland and Norma sell these dog snacks. If you bought one recently, you can return it even without a receipt. [1] Germany reintroduced the EV subsidy. If your family income is less than 90,000€ and you have children, you are eligible for a subsidy of up to...
about 2 months ago • 11 min read
New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Your unfair advantage in Germany Important changes European wholesale gas prices jumped about 20% within a week. This is due to cold weather, rapidly declining storage levels, and new geopolitical risks around Iran and global LNG flows. You may expect a big heating bill if the prices continue to rise. [1] Public health insurance companies announced the premium increases on 23 Dec 2025. We have updated...
about 2 months ago • 10 min read
New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Your unfair advantage in Germany Important changes Public health insurance companies announced the premium increases on 23 Dec 2025. We have updated our guide and listed the premiums each public insurer will charge in 2026 here. You can also use our calculator to check your 2026 costs and the savings potential by switching to a more affordable provider. More on it later. We summarized all changes that...
2 months ago • 11 min read