A section for those planning or who have already moved. Advice on document processing, adaptation, finding accommodation, employment, and other important aspects of moving.
Materials on everyday life, navigating the education system, healthcare, laws, and much more.
Get tips on budget management, learn about tax obligations, and discover the best financial products and services. Our section provides you with the information you need for successful financial planning in Germany.
The “For Students” section offers useful resources and information for students studying in Germany. Explore issues related to education: universities, scholarships, working while studying, and many other important topics.
State-supported additional pension savings
Get tips on budget management, learn about tax obligations, and discover the best financial products and services. Our section provides you with the information you need for successful financial planning in Germany.
The “For Students” section offers useful resources and information for students studying in Germany. Explore issues related to education: universities, scholarships, working while studying, and many other important topics.
Get tips on budget management, learn about tax obligations, and discover the best financial products and services. Our section provides you with the information you need for successful financial planning in Germany.
A section for those planning or who have already moved. Advice on document processing, adaptation, finding accommodation, employment, and other important aspects of moving.
Materials on everyday life, navigating the education system, healthcare, laws, and much more.
The “For Students” section offers useful resources and information for students studying in Germany. Explore issues related to education: universities, scholarships, working while studying, and many other important topics.
FINBER - About finance and insurance in Germany, made simple
Valery Melech: Your Financial Consultant
- Expert consulting in insurance and lending in Germany
- Unique approaches to optimising your finances
- Personal consultations
Valery Melech: Your Financial Consultant
- Expert consulting in insurance and lending in Germany
- Unique approaches to optimising your finances
- Personal consultations
Latest blog posts
Mahnverfahren: how to recover a debt in Germany without a lawsuit or a court hearing
Someone owes you money and won’t pay? In Germany you don’t have to file a lawsuit and attend hearings straight away.
Deutsche Bahn Familienticket for 99,99 € is now permanent: conditions and catches
Deutsche Bahn is bringing back the Familienticket for 99,99 € – and this time it is permanent. It is probably one of the few genuinely good pieces of news from the railway lately.
What changes in Germany in October 2026
October in Germany starts with a discount at the pump and with more expensive money: in September the ECB raised interest rates. For insurance it is traditionally a busy month — new contribution ceilings for next year, the season for switching car insurance and a good time to take out dental insurance before the year ends.
Dental insurance before the year ends: when the “short first year” really works
Autumn is not just mushroom season. In Germany it is also “dental season”.
Methods of earning pension points — Entgeltpunkte
. To better understand how your pension amount is calculated, it is important to remember the key calculation formula: EP * ZF * AR * RF. In this article, we will examine in detail what each of these abbreviations means and how they affect the final amount of your pension.
The Beitragsbemessungsgrenze (contribution assessment ceiling) rises in 2027 – guess who pays for it
From 2027 Germany is once again raising the ceilings up to which social security contributions are charged. The draft ordinance has already been published; approval is still pending.
Minimum pension in Germany: why there is none and what is paid instead
“How much is the minimum pension in Germany?” is one of the most common questions about the German pension system. The short answer: there is no statutory minimum pension. There is only a minimum
Direktversicherung in Germany: what is deducted at payout
The Direktversicherung is the most common route to a company pension in Germany. The employer signs the contract, contributions come out of gross salary, and the whole thing is arranged in one conversation with HR. The questions come at the end: when the money is paid out, contributions to the Krankenkasse (statutory health insurer) are deducted from it. Here is how much, why it runs for ten years, and who pays nothing at all.
What changes in Germany from September 2026
September in Germany has turned out to be a busy month: part of the tax advice reform has come into force, the minimum rate in Zeitarbeit (temporary agency work) has gone up, the parliamentary season is starting and no fewer than three state elections are taking place. We look separately at the deadlines in health insurance — both the move from a Krankenkasse (statutory health insurer) to a private insurer and the switch from one private policy to another: in both cases the date of 30 September comes up for a reason.
Orphan pension in Germany: Waisenrente for children
When a parent dies, the child is entitled to a pension of their own — the Waisenrente. It is separate from the
bAV (company pensions) for employers: the duties of a company in Germany
This page is about the duties of the company. If you want to know what a bAV (company pension) gives you personally as an employee, see our overview of the
Betriebsrente: the pension from your employer in Germany
Betriebliche Altersvorsorge, or bAV for short, is the pension you build up through your employer. Formally it is his promise to pay you money once you retire: a lifelong pension or a single lump sum. The money usually comes out of your own salary, but before tax and social contributions, and in three of the five Durchführungswege (ways of running the scheme) the employer has to add 15 percent if he saves social contributions as a result.
