Merry Christmas 🎄

As the year comes to an end, I want to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading, learning, and growing with us. And most of all, thank you for your trust.

GermanPedia exists because of you.

Every message you read, every guide you use, reminds us why we started GermanPedia in the first place.

Living in a new country is not always easy. We are truly honored to be part of your journey in Germany.

During this holiday season, I hope you get the chance to slow down. To spend time with your family, friends, and loved ones. To rest, reflect, and enjoy the small moments that really matter.

From all of us at GermanPedia, I wish you a merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season. May the new year bring you clarity, confidence, and many promising new beginnings.

Thank you for being part of our community.

With gratitude,
The GermanPedia Team

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.
• Hundreds of IU Berlin students face visa rejections and deportations. Students enrolled in the hybrid course at IU Berlin are affected. The visa rejection is due to the hybrid programs not meeting the strict requirements for full-time in-person programs required to obtain a resident permit. [1]

Housing for help

"Wohnen für Hilfe" (Housing for Help) is a clever program that matches students seeking affordable housing with seniors who have spare rooms.

How does it work?

A private room is offered rent-free (you pay for utilities like electricity, water, and gas). In return, you (student) help with clearly defined tasks, such as household chores, shopping, accompanying the host to appointments, or simply spending quality time together.

You offer one hour of assistance per month per square meter of the private room.

For example, suppose you have an 11 m² room. In this case, you'll provide approximately 11 hours of support per month.

The program operates in 28 German cities. It's administered through student services (Studierendenwerke) and welfare organizations such as Caritas.

Benefits of this program

• Affordable housing: Imagine living rent-free in cities like Munich and Berlin. Rent typically accounts for half of monthly expenses. Therefore, paying no rent significantly reduces the financial burden.
• Companionship and everyday support: Through this program, seniors receive companionship, everyday assistance, and relief from loneliness.
• Professional support throughout. Local coordinators do the legwork. They check rooms in advance, clarify expectations, help resolve conflicts, and advise on trial periods before anyone commits.

Challenges to consider

• The risk of feeling obligated. Because the room depends on providing help, students might feel pressured or overwhelmed. Some older landlords could potentially take advantage if boundaries aren't clearly set from the start.
• Expectations: Sometimes, you may feel that you're giving more than you're receiving. It can happen on both sides. Thus, it's vital to evaluate the expectations and document them clearly.
• Legal and tax uncertainty. Tax authorities may view the assistance as employment income, making the senior an employer. There's no clear legal framework yet.
• Terminating the contract: If there is a dispute between the parties, the local coordinators support in resolving it. If the dispute cannot be resolved, the agreement can be terminated by giving a 2-3 months' notice. If living together is unbearable, termination without notice is also possible.

How can you participate?

Look up the "Wohnen für Hilfe" office in your city (e.g., Aachen, Munich, Ulm, or Potsdam) and contact them by phone or email. Here are links to Wonen für Hilfe in Berlin: Stwwb, Generationen-wg-berlin.

If you have a spare room

• Contact the project to offer your space.
• A coordinator will visit your place to assess its suitability and complete a detailed questionnaire.
• You'll discuss what you're willing to share (bathroom, kitchen, common areas), the type of assistance you need, quiet hours, visitors, pets, etc.
• The coordinator documents everything in a standard agreement.

If you're looking for housing

• Register with your local project as a seeker.
• Share details about your studies, where you want to live, how much time you have available, and what kind of help you can offer.
• The local coordinator will search for a matching household and arrange initial meetings.
• Before moving in, you should meet your future landlord several times. It could be for a coffee or a walk.
• Once both parties agree, you'll sign the contract.
• The local coordinator will regularly check in with both parties. If the arrangement isn't working out, either party may terminate the agreement with proper notice.

Sources: [1, 2, 3]

Our new ebook is live

More than 150 people registered to win a free copy of our new book. We will continue improving the book based on your feedback. If you are looking to start your own business in Germany, get this book to avoid any expensive and unpleasant surprises. Grab Your Copy

Health insurance will be more expensive in 2026

Both private and public health insurance will be more expensive in 2026. Public health insurance companies have announced increases in contributions for 2026.

Almost every public health insurer has increased the additional contribution.

The same goes for private health insurance. Almost every privately insured individual will pay a higher premium in 2026.

What can you do about it?

As we have shared in the past, here are some strategies you can adopt to manage your health insurance premiums.

• If you are publicly insured, you can use our calculator to check your savings potential by switching to a more affordable public health insurer. You can switch between public health insurance companies as many times as you like. Once you switch, you are bound to that insurer for 12 months. You can switch again after 12 months.
• Regardless of which health insurance you have, you should start saving around 20% of your monthly premiums. This will cover your health insurance costs in your retirement. For example, suppose your total health insurance premium (including employer's contribution) is €1,000. This means you should save around €200 every month to cover your health insurance premium after retirement.

Why should you have a retirement plan?

As you may know, Germany's social security system is under strain. The politics around it are also changing rapidly.

Based on the current situation, the German social system alone won't be able to support you in retirement. This means you need a plan to cover you in retirement.

Moreover, don't eliminate the possibility of Germany abolishing its pension scheme or even resetting its health insurance system in the future.

What should you NOT do?

You should NEVER switch to private health insurance solely to save money. The money you'll save by moving to private health insurance must be invested so that you can cover the private health insurance premiums after retirement.

Switching to private health insurance to reduce costs is a good option for those in Germany temporarily. Always consult an insurance broker before making the switch.

Causes of death in Germany

Learn more about the causes of death in Germany.

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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.

Community Shoutouts! 📣

• ​VannakkamGermany is organizing a Business Expo for Germany-registered businesses to showcase their products, grow their audience, and connect with new partners. You can get more information here.
• ​LegalWeg* offers to file an Untätigkeitsklag for FREE if your case qualifies.
• ​KS/Auxilia* legal insurance is offering a 15€ Amazon Voucher. We found KS/Auxilia - Jurprivat legal insurance plan the best in our research.
• ​SIM24* is offering a 60GB mobile data plan for 9.99€ per month.
• Spotify: 4 months of Premium free for H&M members and 3 months of Premium free via Opera​
• Perplexity is offering a 12-month Pro subscription for free. You can sign up here.
• Google Gemini is offering a 12-month free Pro subscription to students. You can get it here.
• ​Join our Facebook community. Ask questions, share experiences, join webinars, and stay updated about your rights, laws, and latest changes in real time.
• Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, Instagram, and Pinterest to get more insights about Germany daily.

New and recently updated guides

• ​Unemployment rate in different federal states​
• ​Best dental insurance in Germany​
• ​Do dental insurance companies really reimburse 100% treatment costs?​
• ​Best international travel insurance​

Your Feedback Matters 👍

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Past newsletters

• ​Don't avoid the often-avoided topic​
• ​31 Changes in 2026 Impacting Your Daily Life​
• ​
• ​Young vs Retired: Failing German Pension System​
• ​Never switch to private health insurance​
• ​Join the class action against Amazon, Scams to be aware of​

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