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Budget
Budget
Taxes in Germany for new residents: rates, tax classes and your return
Taxes in Germany for new residents: when you become tax resident, the 2026 rates, tax classes I to VI, the annual return on ELSTER and treaty rules.
7 min readBudgetRundfunkbeitrag: the German TV licence and other household charges
Rundfunkbeitrag is €18.36 a month per home in 2026, owed even without a TV. How to register, who is exempt, and the other local charges you meet.
5 min readBudgetRetire in Germany: pensions, S1 health cover and tax
Retire in Germany from the EU: get an S1 for health care, register at the Anmeldung, know how foreign pensions are taxed and what the treaties decide.
7 min readBudgetCost of living in Germany: what official figures say
Cost of living in Germany: what Destatis says households spend, plus the fixed costs you will meet: health insurance, deposit, TV licence and car tax.
6 min readBudgetChurch tax in Germany (Kirchensteuer): who pays and how to leave
Church tax in Germany is 8% or 9% of your income tax if you belong to a church that levies it. How it starts at registration, and how to stop it.
6 min read