Everything that changes in Germany in July 2022 

This article will help you know about the changes that Germany’s expecting in July 2022. These changes are related to employment, covid, pensions, wages, prices, etc. Here is all you need to know about everything that changes in Germany in July 2022.

1. German minimum wage to go up at least twice

The minimum wage in Germany is supposed to increase in two stages in 2022. In January 2022 it has already increased to around 9.82 euros per hour. Now from July 2022, it is expected to go up again to around 10.45 euros per hour. And this is not where this increase stops, however, this rise in the minimum wage is expected to hit 12 euros per hour. This minimum wage increase passed by lawmakers is expected to benefit around 6.2 million workers in Germany. So, on a whole, employees are going to enjoy three wage hikes on the horizon.

2. Rise in Pensions from July 2022

The Federal Ministry for Labor and Social Affairs has announced a good increase in pensions. Payments will expectedly increase by around 5.35% in Western Germany and around 6.12% in the new federal states. According to the official data, this increase will raise the pension value in western Germany from 34.19 to 36.02 euros and in eastern states from 33.47 to 35.52 euros. So the pensioners will receive a good amount of money from July 2022.

3. No more free rapid Covid tests for all from July 2022

Unlike others, this change would not sound good to many. Up until now, The Bürgertest scheme has allowed anyone in Germany to enjoy free rapid covid tests, but now from July 2022, it is not supposed to be the same anymore. Directly, these covid tests won’t be provided for free to everyone. Under the Health Ministry plans, the test will cost 3 euros, however, some groups of people will still enjoy the facility for free.

4. Financial relief for families from July 2022

The families in Germany are expected to receive a 100 euro Child-bonus. The 100-euro child bonus is due to be paid out in July 2022. The bonus is being promised by the German federal government to the parents and will hit parents in account in July 2022. Each child entitled to child benefit will receive a one-time bonus of €100.

5. Pfand scheme extended 

From July, a 25-cent deposit or Pfand will be charged on more plastic bottles and drink cans. Due to the amendment of the Packaging Act, bottled drinks such as juices and alcoholic beverages will have to be recycled in the future. Milk is also set to be charged under Pfand, under plans to extend the scheme further. For consumers, the Pfand system is the simple case of putting empties into a machine for recycling and reusing in the future which is quite a complex procedure.

6. Cancellation of contracts online to become easier from July 2022

Under the new law, people who have concluded an online contract should easily be able to terminate it online in the future. From July, firms have to mandatorily include a cancelation button on their websites where contracts can be easily concluded. If the firms fail to provide their customer with this facility, then the customer has the right to terminate the contract without any notice.

7. The cost of sending packages rising from July 2022 

Sending parcels in Germany will get comparatively more expensive from July onwards. There will be no difference in the prices paid online and in-store for domestic shipments, whereas for some international shipments prices will significantly be rising and these shipments will get more expensive.

8. It’s going to get easy to get rid of old electric appliances

From July many supermarkets are bound to accept old electric appliances free of charge. Many retailers in Germany are obliged to accept back old or broken electrical goods, either to recycle them or dispose of them appropriately. Customers will be able to easily return electronic items to supermarkets and discounters, regardless of where the items were originally bought from.

9. New transparency laws on rents 

From July, a new law on rents will extend the rent index to many more cities in Germany and will ensure more transparency on rents. This law will help tenants and landlords to easily compare rent prices and decide upon fair amounts. In case asked by the authorities, both the tenants and the landlords have to compulsorily provide information about their rental prices. Presenting their rent information to the authorities will be obliged to both the parties, and if they refuse to do so, they could face a fine of a good amount of money which will be around €5,000.

10. Deadline for driving license in July 2022 

All the people in Germany having a driving license, need to exchange them with new EU- standard ones. The first deadline for this exchange of licenses is already approaching for comparatively older drivers. Old people in Germany who were born between 1953 to 1958 and who have a paper driving licence issued before 1999 have to exchange it before the upcoming deadline or they will have to face a warning fine. The deadline for the exchange of such driving licenses was first planned for January, but due to the pandemic, it has been extended to July 19. The EU driving license will stay valid for 15 years.

11. 9-euro ticket and fuel tax cut continues in July 2022

Germany’s massively discounted public transportation tickets, which came into effect in June, will continue till the end of August. The holder of this ticket can easily travel anywhere in the nation using public transportation for only 9 euros per month. Similarly, the fuel tax cut will continue in July and stay in force till the end of August. The government has lowered taxes on fuels for June, July, and August as a part of a larger relief package to help citizens deal with rising energy prices, exacerbated by Russia’s war against Ukraine.

There are a lot of changes that Germany’s going to face in July 2022, out of which some of the most important ones have been listed above. In case of any queries please contact howtoabroad.

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