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INSURANCE
Jens Werner is an English-speaking broker who can help set up a variety of insurance needs and does not charge a fee.
jenswerner-versicherungsmakler@t-online.de
Berliner Str. 36, 30966 Hemmingen
Handy (the German name for a cell phone): 0177 6009059
Cars, dogs and children should be insured for liability in Germany. He can also help with house and apartment contents insurance if you need it. Legal cost insurance is called Rechtsschutz and liability insurance is called Haftpflicht.
PENSION
Of course you may have private pension schemes already but if you wish to add to a pension via ISHR, the school pays €70 a month towards this once you have passed your probationary period.
If you stay in Europe and have been here more than two years and less than 5 you can get the money back out of the statutory pension scheme (€70/month build up).
We suggest to folks that if they do not expect to be in Germany long term that they have a financial advisor in their home country and transfer € to a local pension in their home country. Unfortunately, we do not currently pay directly to a foreign bank account, only a local one.
HEALTH INSURANCE
State Healthcare (Krankenversicherung) is second to none in Germany.
The Government Scheme (if you earn over €60,000 and don't have private insurance this is mandatory).
They do not discriminate on pre-existing conditions.
All illnesses are covered.
Urgent care of any kind is just as fast as private care.
Urgent surgery and cancer care is just as comprehensive and as fast as private care.
Elective surgery (knee and hip operations for example) may have a higher wait time unless there is pain associated with them.
You may be in a ward with other patients if recovering from surgery rather than in private room.
Statutory pension means that one premium covers your whole family.
Cheaper
FILING TAXES
All residents of Germany who had inland income (such as wages) in the past calendar year must file income tax (Einkommenssteuer or ESt), regardless of nationality. Self-employed people usually have to file VAT (Mehrwertsteuer or Umsatzsteuer) and possibly commercial tax (Gewerbesteuer). Contact an accountant (Steuerberater) if you need help – all tax accountancy and advisement costs are tax deductable.
You can file your taxes online free with Elster, right from the tax ministry, though it's basic and of course will not let you know about all the ins and outs of deductions.
Otherwise, you can try Steuerfuchs online – printable forms are free, online filing costs extra.
Note that you have to file by April 15 of each year, but can apply for extensions, such as when you're self-employed and need more time to prepare your returns, usually up to September 15. Be forewarned, though, that if you file for an extension and end up owing tax, you will have to pay back taxes for the current year, so it's best to file as early as possible.
ENGLISH SPEAKING TAX ADVISORS (STEUERBERATER)
The following people are those we are aware of that offer services in English:
KINDERGELD
EU Families and a number of international families are eligible for a children's allowance and it is intended to free the child's tax subsistence minimum and serves the basic care of children living in Germany from the month of birth. You are automatically eligible to claim if your children are EU citizens but it requires a written application.
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