Money in Germany

Ordinary cancellation needs 3 months' notice, but a premium hike, a claim, or a move can unlock a faster exit under VVG §§ 11, 40 and 92 — here's how to switch without a coverage gap.

Hausratversicherung is a private cost in Germany and not tax-deductible for most people — only a tax-recognised home office unlocks a partial, floor-area-based deduction, and it cannot be stacked with the Homeoffice-Pauschale.

A structural comparison of HUK-COBURG, HUK24, and Allianz Hausratversicherung tariffs — not on price, but on five clauses that actually decide a payout: Unterversicherungsverzicht, Neuwert vs Zeitwert, Elementarschäden add-ons, Fahrraddiebstahl sublimits, and grobe Fahrlässigkeit.

The first time you send money to family from a German account, the fee is around €35 — but that is the small half of the cost. The exchange-rate markup is the big, invisible half. A total-cost breakdown across banks, Wise and near-zero-fee providers for India and the US.

Germany's un-subsidised private annuity: only the Ertragsanteil (17% from age 67) is taxed, yet the 2026 Garantiezins is just 1.0%. How fondsgebunden and klassisch contracts compare, when the lump-sum Halbeinkuenfte rule applies, and why Effektivkosten decide whether it beats an ETF Sparplan.

Germany's retirement system is a stack, not one product. This guide compares statutory Rente, bAV, Rürup/Basisrente, private Rentenversicherung, ETF Sparplan, the incoming 2027 Altersvorsorgedepot, and legacy Riester in one table -- with exact 2026 subsidy figures.

New Riester contracts end 1 Jan 2027, but existing contracts keep running under Bestandsschutz. This decision guide compares keep vs. pause vs. cancel against the new Altersvorsorgedepot's higher subsidy caps, with the Zulage-clawback risk of cancelling laid out plainly.

Losing your job in Germany hits your income, your health insurance, and your visa at once — but only some of it has a deadline. What actually matters in the first days: registering arbeitssuchend on time, keeping health cover continuous, the ALG I basics, and where residence-permit risk really lies.

Buying your first used car in Germany means an eVB number, a Zulassung appointment, and an SF-Klasse that starts near zero. A real cost breakdown — registration fees, plates, Kfz-Steuer, TÜV, and first-year insurance — plus the step-by-step registration process and the traps nobody warns newcomers about.

Kindergeld rose to €259 per child per month in January 2026, but the money only arrives if you hit the applications and deadlines. A plain-English walkthrough of Kindergeld, Elterngeld, Mutterschutz, adding a newborn to your health insurance, and the backdating traps that cost new families real money.