For the new year, some laws and rules for consumers will change again. Many of the innovations can be beneficial for individuals: Hartz IV and the tax-free allowance will be increased and contracts can be terminated more easily – but there is also an important change in shopping.
New regulations 2022: Higher tax allowance
In 2022, the basic income tax allowance will continue to rise as planned – for single people to 9,984 euros. That is an increase of 240 euros compared to the previous year. Spouses are entitled to 19,968 euros, 480 euros more than before.
The basic allowance is the amount up to which the income of single or jointly assessed spouses remains tax-free. This amount is not affected for tax purposes. This gives employees a little more money, as from January 2022 the state will only deduct taxes on income above the new basic tax-free allowance.
The contributions up to which taxpayers can deduct maintenance for close relatives as extraordinary burdens increase by the same amount. A maximum of 9,984 euros are in there from 2022 – in 2021 it was 9,744.
Change in shopping: No more plastic bags
From January 2022, there will be a ban on light plastic carrier bags in Germany. This measure aims to reduce plastic waste and protect the environment.
Retailers will then no longer be allowed to hand out lightweight plastic carrier bags to their customers. These are bags with a wall thickness of 15 to 50 micrometers. A violation of the prohibition should be punishable as an administrative offense with fines. However, the plastic bags in the fruit and vegetable department are exempt from this rule.
From July 2022: canceling contracts will be easier
Up to now, general terms and conditions have usually stated that term contracts must be terminated three months before the end of the contract period. Otherwise the contract will be extended by a whole year. This regulation no longer applies to contracts concluded on or after March 1, 2022. These may only have a notice period of one month. If you miss the notice period, the contracts are extended indefinitely, but can be terminated with one month’s notice.
There is another innovation for online contracts. If you conclude a term contract online in the future, your contractual partner must have a cancellation button on their homepage from July 1, 2022. This should make terminations faster and easier.
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Minimum wage is getting higher
Those who receive the minimum wage can look forward to a higher income from January 1, 2022. The minimum wage will then rise from the previous EUR 9.60 to EUR 9.82 per hour.
It will then be increased again on July 1, 2022. You then have to pay at least 10.45 euros per hour.
2022 census
In 2022 there will be another census in Germany, this is a register-based population census. This determines how many people live in Germany, how they live and work. Many decisions in the federal, state and local governments are based on population and housing figures. Therefore, a regular inventory of the population is important.
For the most part, data from administrative registers are used for the census, so that the majority of the population does not have to provide any information. Since 2011 there has been an EU-wide census every ten years. Actually, this should have taken place in 2021, but the count was postponed due to the corona pandemic.
Changes to Hartz IV in 2022
In January 2022 there will also be an increase in the Hartz IV rate. For single adults this is 449 euros. That is an increase of three euros. The standard rate for young people aged 14 and over also increases by three euros to 376 euros.
Spouses and partners will receive 404 euros in the future, adults under 25 years of age without their own household will receive 360 euros – also an increase of three euros each. For children, the rate increases by two euros. Children up to the age of five will receive 285 euros per month at the end of December instead of the previous 283 euros. Six to 13 year olds will get 311 euros in the future. However, there is a lot of criticism of the changes from politics, business and associations, as there are only very small increases.
You can register as unemployed online from 2022
From January 1, 2022, customers can also register as unemployed online. This can be done from anywhere and around the clock in the customer portal, as the Federal Employment Agency writes. However, people who want to register as unemployed online would need an ID card with an activated online ID function or an electronic residence permit, an eID card or an ID card from an EU or EEA country with an online ID function as well as the AusweisApp2 or a card reader for ID cards.
If you don’t want to register online, you can still do so personally on site.
Corona bonus until March 2022
Until March 31, 2022, employers can still pay their employees a tax-free Corona bonus. However, the maximum limit of EUR 1,500 may not be exceeded.
This means that if a tax-free Corona bonus has already been paid in 2021, the total of all bonuses together may not exceed 1,500 euros.
Important deadline is running out: driver’s license exchange
In the new year the driver’s license has to be exchanged. That means an end for the “cardboard”: The unlimited valid German driving license must be exchanged for the EU credit card driving license. This has an expiry date and must therefore be renewed again and again. However, you do not have to take a new exam.
The exchange will take place in staggered periods, with an initial period ending in 2022: “Anyone born between 1953 and 1958 and who has a driver’s license issued before January 1, 1999 must exchange it quickly. The exchange period expires on January 19, 2022. Those born between 1959 and 1964 still have a year longer, “says Auto Club Europa e. V. Anyone who is checked by the police with an old driver’s license is not yet on the line for driving without a license; however, a warning fee may be due.