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Important changes
- The gas prices have gone down. This is the perfect time to switch to a new gas provider and save this winter. You can compare gas providers on Verivox*, Check24*.
- Regional classes of German federal states for car insurance have been revised. This directly impacts your insurance premium. You can check if the regional class of your district has been changed here. Enter your PIN code, and it will show you.
Learn how you can reduce your car insurance premiums ->
- Class action against district heating providers. During the energy crisis in 2021 and 2022, some district heating providers increased their prices dramatically. Verbraucherzentrale is currently collecting the information of customers who were affected by this. Once it has enough customers, they'll file a class-action lawsuit. So, if you were affected by the price increase at Stadtwerke Neubrandenburg or Avacon Natur GmbH in Saxony-Anhalt or Lower Saxony, you can register here.
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Germany Brings Back Military Service
Germany is in the process of modernizing its military service with a draft bill approved by its Cabinet in August 2025.
Here is what the bill proposes.
- Mandatory Questionnaire for Men: From January 1, 2026, all men living in Germany will receive an online questionnaire on their 18th birthday to assess their willingness to serve in the armed forces.
- Mandatory Physical Examination for Men: Starting in July 2027, men turning 18 will be required to undergo a physical examination to determine their suitability for military service.
- Voluntary Basis for Women: Other genders will not be subject to the mandatory questionnaire or examination.
- Voluntary Service Remains the Core: The military service itself will remain voluntary for all genders. However, the new law allows for the reintroduction of compulsory service if voluntary efforts are insufficient.
- Focus on Strengthening Reserves: A key goal is to build a stronger reserve force and to gather data on potential recruits.
- Parliamentary Approval Needed for Conscription: The draft bill provides the framework. To implement the bill, it needs to be approved by the German parliament.
Why is Germany moving forward with this bill?
- Increased Security Concerns: The draft is a response to growing security concerns. The main reason is Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Moreover, Chancellor Merz aims to bolster Germany's national defense capabilities.
- Modernizing Recruitment: The initiative seeks to create a more effective and efficient recruitment process for the German armed forces.
What do young people think about the bill?
The German Federal Youth Council (DBJR), representing millions of young people, has criticized the bill for lacking young people's input.
DBJR is neither opposed nor in favor of the reintroduction of mandatory military service. However, they want to be involved in the decision-making that affects their future.
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🎉 Exclusive Giveaway
We are giving away 10 complimentary copies of our ebook, How to Buy a Property in Germany - priced at 49€.
This is your chance to access expert insights into the German property market at no cost.
How to participate:
- Enter the giveaway using the following link.
- Share the giveaway on social media to increase your chances.
- Get your free copy in your inbox on 14 Sept.
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What should you check in your tax assessment report?
You filed the tax return successfully via tax software or a tax advisor. The tax office processed it and sent you the tax assessment (Steuerbescheid).
Often, we check how much money we owe or may receive from the tax office. However, this is not the only thing you should check.
It's not uncommon for the tax office, your employer, or tax software/tax advisor to make a mistake. Thus, always check the whole tax assessment carefully.
Here is what you should check.
- Whether the tax office accounted for the withholding tax accurately. Withholding tax includes capital gains tax, interest, etc.
- Did the tax office record the tax deduction from your salary correctly? Compare the figures from your employer's wage tax statements (Lohnsteuerbescheinigung). Did the tax office calculate too much wage/salary tax? Pay special attention if you worked multiple jobs this year (e.g., due to a job change). It's very common for the tax office to make a mistake in such situations and calculate higher tax than owed.
- Review whether the tax office accepted all your business expenses (Werbungskosten) or rejected any. If your business expenses are below €1,000, ensure that the tax office deducts the employee allowance (Arbeitnehmerpauschbetrag). It is 1230€ as of 2025.
- Has the tax office accounted for all allowances and flat-rate amounts, such as the child allowance or the training allowance?
List of all the tax allowances and flat rates you get in Germany ->
- Check if the tax office accounted for all the special and extraordinary expenses (Außergewöhnliche und Sonderausgaben), such as educational expenses, donations, domestic help, residential care, maintenance, costs for household-related services, etc.
NOTE: Read the "Explanation of the Determination (Erläuterung zur Festsetzung)" section carefully. In this section, the tax office mentions the expenses they didn't accept and why. If you don't understand something, you can call the tax office for clarification. Many tax software (like Wiso Steuer*) have a function to check your tax assessment report. If you filed your tax return via a tax advisor, they'll also check the tax assessment report for you.
However, you should still manually check and ensure everything is in order.
What can you do if you find something wrong?
- File an objection (Einspruch) within one month. According to Finanztip, two-thirds of objections are successful. However, there is a risk. When you submit an objection, the tax office will recheck your entire tax return. This may reduce other benefits you received.
- Request a simple amendment (schlichte Änderung) if only a specific detail is wrong. In this case, the tax office will only review the points you mention. This approach is safer and often quicker. Moreover, you can call the clerk who worked on your case and clarify things. This is the fastest way to resolve things.
Didn't file the 2024 or past years' tax returns yet?
Learn the benefits of filing a tax return voluntarily ->
Myths about filing a tax return ->
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15 festivals to visit in September
September has something to offer to everyone. Here are 15 festivals happening in September that you can visit.
- Oktoberfest, Munich
- Bad Dürkheim Wurstmarkt, Bad Dürkheim
- Heidelberger Herbst (Autumn Festival), Heidelberg
- Herbstfest Erding, Erding
- Reeperbahn Festival, Hamburg
- Musikfest Berlin
- Berlin Art Week, Berlin
- Fantasy Filmfest
- Viersen Jazz Festival, Viersen
- Stars im Park, Magdeburg
- Heroes Festival, Freiburg
- Glücksgefühle Festival, Hockenheim
- Folkfield Festival, Gelsenkirchen
- Punk & Disorderly Festival, Berlin
- Euroblast Festival, Cologne
Read about when they happen, what they offer, and more here.
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A Request 🙏
Reviews mean everything for online platforms, and GermanPedia is no different.
You can help us compete in Google search by leaving reviews on Google. These really (yes, really) help and are a vital part of Google's discovery and recommendation algorithms.
So, if you find what we are doing helpful, please leave a simple star rating or a short review on Google. This will help more users discover GermanPedia.
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Latest News
- Europe gets its first exascale computer (Jupiter). Exascale computing is a type of ultra-powerful supercomputing, with systems performing billions of computations per second. There are currently three other exascale computers in the world - Frontier, Aurora, and El Capitan. All are in the US. [1]
- The EU Commission has imposed a €2.95 billion fine on Google for violating competition rules in the advertising business. The reason for the fine is that Google allegedly favored its own online advertising services to the detriment of other providers. [2]
- Young people in Germany are worried about the reintroduction of the military service. The draft bill that requires young people to fill out the questionnaire to join the military passed. The German army currently has around 180,000 military personnel. However, to meet NATO obligations, they must have 260,000 active soldiers and 200,000 reservists. To achieve this, the German government wants to recruit 30,000 new soldiers every year until 2029. [3]
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Community Shoutouts! 📣
Whether it's a must-visit place, a life hack, or an inspiring story, we’d love to hear from you.
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