Expat’s life

Deductible expenses for second home for work in German tax return

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Are you renting (buying) a second home to spend the night closer to work? This will be called Doppelte Haushaltsführung. There are a number of deductible expenses for second home in Gerrman tax return. Let’s take a closer look at how this is done using the example of an employee. An individual Self-employed can also rent a second home (and write them off as Betriebsausgaben). The principles of deduction will be the same.

It also makes sense to review the rules and restrictions for those who are just thinking about whether or not to take such a job that you will have to rent a second home.

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Changes in Germany 2024. Finance, tax, insurance

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We continue to study the changes in Germany 2024. The previous post was rather sad – there they take our money and demand new demands. Let’s see if there will be any compensation in the financial, insurance, taxes and benefits.

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What’s new in Germany in 2024. Mobility, energy, ecology, consumption

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Traditional review “What the coming year has in store for us.” Obviously, nothing good, but maybe a couple of positive moments will sweeten the pill. This part is mainly about energy, ecology and consumer news: railways, cars, shopping.

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What is PISA shock and why is it the norm and not the exception

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For a long time, Germany drove its education model of the Weimar Republic, like an excellent Benz car. And in 2001, it suddenly turned out that the car was slightly outdated. The surprise was called a PISA shock. Then the educational machine was given a kick, without changing anything in the construction. The kick didn’t have an effect long.

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20 German Christmas desserts

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German christmas desserts Weihnachtsspezialitäten

It’s Christmas markets time and you can see a lot of unknown sweets there. Let’s study German Christmas desserts. Nowadays you can see most of them in a mass assortment of stores, but originally they were a special dish of a city or region that could only be tasted there, so they are often named after a particular city.

We have already descrive typical German Christmas cookies: Christmas cookies in Germany.
This post is about Christmas German cake, “fruit bread”, German gingerbread and other regional specialities.

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School system in Saxony

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Secondary school system in Saxony are one of the most conservative school systems in Germany and are similar in this sense to Bavaria, which is supported by good results at the general German level. But in recent years they are still trying to make it more flexible and give children a way out of the rigid sorting system.

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What is Riester pension

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Riester pension (Riester-Rente) exists since 2002 and is named after the Minister of Labor Walter Riester. This is a voluntary additional pension insurance, which is supported by the state with bonuses. It is believed that Riester pension is beneficial for families with children, low-income earners and high-earning singles. However, due to the high cost of maintenance and low interest rates, this type of savings is not so popular, as the government would like.

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Used items in Germany: where to sell or buy, how they cheat

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It’s a pity to throw away good used things, slightly scratched toys, once played puzzles, etc. At the same time, there are people who would like to save money. At least in theory they exist. Lately, I have begun to strongly doubt this, because even giving something away for free is extremely difficult. But this topic is not about the strange behavior of buyers who are so tired of inflation that they don’t take things for free, but about where you can sell/buy, how to find markets and how to avoid cheating schemes.

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New heating law in Germany

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New heating law in Germany Heating pump

The new heating law in Germany (in the media Heizungsgesetz, also known in full as Gebäudeenergiegesetzes, or, according to the German habit of abbreviating, GEG) was adopted with great noise and bang. Now the dust has settled a little and we can see what was born as a result. I must say that the worst thing is for those who need to decide right now, next year. Everyone else can save money, watch how others accumulate experience in use, and hope for the German bureaucracy, which will repeatedly delay the deadline. However, there is a risk that while you wait, the government will cancel compensation for reinstalling the heating system. Energy experts are definitely benefiting from the situation: instead of a bakery, we have an energy office that has moved into the entire first floor, which has suddenly become cramped in the old premises.

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