What is new in Germany 2022

Last Updated on September 9, 2023

Let’s see what awaits us in the new 2022.

There are changes in social, pension and tax calculations that do not depend on the will of the average person – the tax scale changes slightly, the tax-free base increases, the pension scale is moving, and so on, so I will not consider them.

First, about what did not fall into the category. On May 15, a selective census of the population will take place – it was postponed due to pandemic.

9-euro public transport ticket and other gifts
Summer surprise. Real estate declaration in Germany

Mobility and energy

Exit from nuclear power

France is going to increase its nuclear power, scientists are thinking about how to make nuclear power plants smaller and safer, the EU is planning of transfer nuclear and gas energy to green sources under certain conditions, but Germany has decided to close this topic by the end of 2022, when the last three plants will be shut down.

Reducing the environmental surcharge for electricity

Next year, a significant reduction in the EEG-Umlage, which went to the development of green energy, is expected. It makes sense to review your tarifs and compare with the market situation. However, do not get too carried away by discounters – they are cheap, because they catch, so to speak, “last minute deals” – short-term cheap contracts. Therefore, in the current gas crisis, it was they who suffered the most, and some even refused contracts with existing users.

At the same time, the price of CO2 emissions will rise sharply, so we will most likely not even notice a decrease of the EEG-Umlage.

Deutsche Bahn

Deutsche Bahn accelerates routes that are in great demand on domestic flights, in particular Berlin-Cologne, Dusseldorf-Munich.

In addition, it will no longer be possible to buy a ticket from the conductor – only on the Internet within no more than 10 minutes after boarding the train.

Change of car classes

About a quarter of car owners will be affected by the change in the cost of Haftpflichtversicherung – mainly in a big direction.

Additional mandatory equipment for new cars

For new cars and transporters – an emergency braking system, a drunkenness sensor, a speed sign detector.

Replacement of driver’s license

This year, the replacement will affect only a few early migrants obtained the license before 1999:

• until January 19, 2022 – born between 1953 and 1958,
• until January 19, 2023 – born in 1959-1964.

Electric refueling stations

New filling stations must have vending machines that accept EC and credit cards. However, they have time to prepare until 2023.

Consumption and ecology

No killing chicken boys

Since January 1, Germany is at the forefront of the ban on the killing of male chickens. They now either have to be culled during the egg stage or raised with the female hens. However, judging by the markings on the boxes of even budget eggs, everyone has already switched to the analysis of eggs.

But that’s not all. Unhappy egg embryos are able to feel pain after 6 days of incubation. Therefore, after 6 days from 2024, even eggs cannot be killed. Who would care about living people as much as about 6-day-old chicken embryos.

Plastic bags

The plastic bags that used to be at checkouts are now permanently banned. However, they have been gone for a long time. Big reusable bags and bags for vegetables are not banned.

Pfand

Pfand will cover all plastic beverage containers except milk. Be careful not to throw away baby and juice bottles. Until July, transitional rules are still in effect – goods already displayed in stores can be sold without a pfand.

Post office

Traditionally increases prices. It does this every year, so I stopped buying stamps a long time ago – I have to pay extra anyway.

Disposal of old electrical appliances

Old electrical appliances can be handed over in specialized stores with an area of more than 400 square meters (including online stores with such warehouses), as well as in supermarkets and discounters with a sales area of more than 800 square meters, if they regularly sell electrical goods throughout the year. At the same time, small appliances with a side of less than 25 cm can be returned without any conditions, and large ones – only if you buy a new one in this store.

Guarantee period

Extension of the warranty period from 6 months to 12 months. If a defect is found in the thing during this period, it is considered that it arose before the sale.

Digital services and software guarantees

If an app, cloud, stream, or software doesn’t work as promised, customers will have the same rights from January as they do to other products. Namely, the right to repair, price reduction or refund. The warranty period is 2 years.

The new rules concern:

• data banks, cloud services, platforms
• social media
• web applications
• downloads of materials (e-books, etc.)
• video streams and television
• communication services (for example, postal services and messengers)
• storage media (DVD, CD, USB-Stick, Speicherkarten)

The most interesting part is the obligation to make updates to keep the product working. So far, this looks rather vague, because as the term is indicated “with a single payment – the period that consumers can reasonably count on.” Only go to court with such wording.

All this will end with online subscriptions and online confirmations, when no program, application or disk can be used without online, as is often the case with Android.

No promises to those looking to lose weight

You can not deceive the people who want to lose weight – in particular, it is forbidden to use promises like “10 kilos in 10 days” or the number of calories in advertising and on labels.

[shariff]

Finance, contracts and construction

Negative interest in banks

A year ago, negative interest rates were timidly introduced by some banks and concerned very large amounts. Now banks have got a taste, and some have begun to take negative interest from 5-10 thousand savings! Some banks do not call this negative interest, but they introduce a rather large service fee, which is, in fact, the same thing. So we urgently check our bank – all of a sudden it’s time to withdraw some of the savings to another account. You can check, for example, here.

The legal basis for this robbery is doubtful. The courts already have spoken out in the sense that such a fee cannot be made only by changes in the AGB, it is necessary to negotiate with each client separately. And the meaning of the “negotiating” is mainly reduced to a piece of paper from the bank “we inform you, and if you do not agree, then go from here.” But the courts are thinking for a long time, and more than one trial is being prepared, so let’s hope that the desires of the banks will be shortened. However, they can be understood – people do not spend money in a pandemic, and it is also expensive for banks to park money in the ECB.

Сontracts and Kündigungsfrist

As already mentioned, a new law on Kündigungsfrist comes into force. In particular, from January 1, online contracts concluded can be closed as easily as concluded – with one button. True, there is also a transition period here until July 1.

Read more about new rules of Kündigungsfrist

Homeoffice-Pauschale

In 2022, we are adding Homeoffice-Pauschale to the 2021 declaration, but the traffic light government is considering extending it to 2022, so do not forget to record the days at home.

Read more about Homeoffice-Pauschale

Improving conditions for debtors

Debtors are left with more items that cannot be sold for debt. Items belonging to another person in the same household and pets are also protected from sale.

Mandatory solar panels in Baden-Württemberg

Anyone who wants to build their own house in Baden-Württemberg from May 1, 2022, must include obligatory solar panels in the calculation of the cost. The rest of the lands need to prepare mentally: the traffic light is going to introduce the obligatory of the solar panels in some form, not yet defined, and some lands already have ready-made, but not yet in power laws.

Changes in the rules of cheap credits for construction

Cheap credits from goverment for energy-efficient houses will be changed in favor of rebuilding old houses and building particularly energy-efficient houses. Therefore, those who are going to build / buy a house / apartment in a house that has average energy savings should hurry up – the old rules are in effect only in 2022.

Maintenance calculation

The so-called Dusseldorf table has changed (Düsseldorfer Tabelle), according to which the amount for the maintenance of children is calculated.

Life insurance with capital

This type of insurance becomes even more unprofitable – the guaranteed percentage has dropped to 0.25.

Read more about life insurance.

Work

Registration of unemployed

From 2022, it is possible to register as an unemployed person online if one have a passport with digital identity verification. Previously, it was necessary to appear at the agency in person.

Increase payments for Azubi

The apprentices in production will receive a little more money for their work. The minimum payment for the first year will be 585 euros per month, for the second and third years it will also increase.

Increase in the minimum wage

The minimum wage has now risen to 9.82, and from July will rise to 10.45 euros per hour. Please note that if you receive a salary at the minimum wage, so that the amount does not exceed the monthly limits – as far as I can see, they have not been raised yet, although they are talking about it. In particular, they want to increase the mini-job to 520 euros.

Plans for mini and midi jobs

They want to raise the border to 520 and 1600 euros, respectively. But until they have been promoted, you need to carefully monitor your income.

The medicine

Organspende

Those wishing to donate their organs after death can register in a special online register.

Sick leave in digital form

Now the need to send sick leave to the cashier has already disappeared, and from July 2022 there will be no need to send a piece of paper to the employer – everything will be transmitted digitally.

Digital prescription

The introduction of digital prescriptions, planned from January 1, has been delayed. It is assumed that soon the prescription will be broadcast to smartphones in the form of a code that will have to be presented at the pharmacy. And only for those who do not have a smartphone, the recipe will be printed. However, it turned out that the system was not ready, which is not at all surprising in the country of the winning Datenschutz.