The statutory minimum wage will be further increased, the new Corona Infection Protection Act will come into force, the gas surcharge will not be due, but the tax return will be. And then the time is changed. This and other things await you in the new month.
Telekom landline connections are becoming more expensive
From October 1, Telekom will charge two euros more for a landline connection. This also applies to existing customers from the private and business customer sector. If you don't want to accept the price increase, you can now cancel the contract. According to a Telekom letter from August, there is a special right of termination within three months of receipt of this announcement.
Statutory minimum wage will be increased further
The minimum wage will rise again in the new month. This then increases to 12 euros. The minimum wage was increased from EUR 9.60 to EUR 9.82 in January and then rose to EUR 10.45 in July.
New Corona Infection Protection Act
The new Corona Infection Protection Act will come into force on October 1st. It is valid until April 7, 2023. During this period, specific protective measures are to apply nationwide in certain areas: such as the FFP2 mask requirement in medical practices and a mask and test certificate requirement for hospitals and care facilities. This also applies to vaccinated people. A simple surgical mask is sufficient for children. Masks are no longer compulsory on airplanes.
The federal states should also be able to enact more extensive regulations to ensure the functionality of the health system or other critical infrastructure. The federal states can prescribe a mask requirement for local public transport and in publicly accessible indoor areas. This also applies to cultural and sporting events as well as in restaurants. There should be an exception here: Anyone who has proof of a test should be exempt from the mask requirement.
Countries can extend this exemption to people who can show they have just been vaccinated or have recovered. Conversely, this means that people who have been vaccinated three times are also considered unvaccinated if the last vaccination (three months) or illness (90 days) happened in the past.
Immune status for vaccinated people is changing
From 1 October 2022 there will be full vaccination protection:
- after three single vaccinations (the last single vaccination must have been given at least three months after the second single vaccination),
- after two single vaccinations
The vaccinations according to the above regulations must have been carried out with one or different vaccines that are approved by the EU or abroad and which are identical in terms of formulation (composition) to a vaccine approved in the EU.
New questions for the theoretical driving test
Starting in the new month, the questions for the theoretical driving test will be changed - old ones will be revised and new ones added. A total of 52 questions must be answered. All vehicle classes are affected by the change. The failure rate for the exam has been well over 30 percent in recent years.
Hedge trimming allowed again
Anyone who wants to lend a hand in their garden and want to radically prune hedges, shrubs and trees can do so again from October 1st. According to the Federal Nature Conservation Act, this is prohibited from March 1st to September 30th, and only "gentle shape and care cuts" are permitted during this period. The legal regulation is intended to protect the habitat of birds and other animals.
Review of gas heaters
From October, the ordinance "Measures of the ordinance to secure the energy supply through medium-term effective measures" will apply. This obliges the owner of a building in which systems for heat generation using natural gas are used to carry out a heating inspection within two years and have the building's heating system optimized. In this context, it is necessary to examine
Gas allocation does not come
In order to ensure security of supply in the coming autumn and winter, the federal government wanted to create the possibility for gas importers to receive financial compensation for the additional costs of procuring replacement gas from October 2022, and that for a limited period of time. Also because of ongoing criticism from business and politics, the governing coalition has decided that the gas levy will not be levied. Consumer prices should not continue to rise in this way.
VAT on gas will be reduced
In view of the high gas prices, the federal government would like to relieve people in Germany of VAT. From October, the tax on gas consumption will be 7 percent instead of the previous 19 percent. This should apply until March 2024. This measure would be part of the third relief package, which has yet to be passed by the legislature.
VAT on district heating is also to be reduced
From October 1st, those who heat with district heating will also be relieved by reducing the value added tax from 19 to 7 percent. Because district heating also results to a large extent from the burning of gas.
Property tax return must be submitted
Owners of land, houses or apartments must send their property tax return to the state tax office by October 31st. From 2025, a new property tax calculation should then apply. For this, almost 36 million properties have to be revalued. Experts have so far assumed that the filing period for property tax returns will be extended. The return so far is too poor. But the Federal Ministry of Finance does not want to change the originally scheduled date. Finance Minister Lindner still sees an option in extending the deadline.
Tax return is due
Normally, taxpayers who are required to do so would have to file their 2021 tax returns by July 31, 2022 at the latest. At least if it is created alone. Due to the corona pandemic, the deadline has been postponed by three months. The new deadline for filing the tax return is October 31, 2022. A longer period also applies if a tax consultant or an income tax assistance association is helping. The deadline is then August 31, 2023. Anyone who submits their tax return voluntarily must send it to the tax office for 2018 by December 31, 2022 at the latest.
Earnings limits for mini-jobbers are increasing
The upper earnings limit for mini-jobs will be raised from 450 to 520 euros from October. In the future, the limit should be based on a weekly working time of ten hours and the statutory minimum wage of 12 euros. If the minimum wage is increased in the future, the earnings limit will also increase. From October, the new mini-job limit may only be exceeded in up to two calendar months within a year. In addition, mini-jobbers may earn a maximum of twice the new mini-job limit (1040 euros) in one calendar month.
A higher earnings limit will also apply to midi-jobbers (earnings from 520.01 to 1600 euros) from the new month, this will be raised from 1300 to 1600 euros.
Whatsapp ends support for old iPhones
As of October 24, Whatsapp will stop supporting iPhones with the iOS 10 and 11 operating systems. Apple models of the fifth generation or older are affected. The messenger service will then only work on devices with the operating system iOS 12 or higher.
Time change is pending
Actually already as good as abolished by the EU, but the clock has to be turned again this autumn. More precisely: In the night from Saturday, October 29th to Sunday, October 30th, the clock will be put back by one hour.
(This article was first published on Thursday, September 29, 2022.)
