Taxes, debts, Christmas bonus – this is how you can still save in 2021. Do you know when are the deadlines?
Start of 2022: Now that Christmas has come and gone and the year is also drawing to a close, a lot of deadlines are about to expire. Insurance, bonuses, vacation or, for example, child benefit – the dates and things are individual from person to person. Below are 10 important things that you should CHECK in 2021!
1. Claim Christmas bonus
Has your boss cut your year-end bonus this year? Do you have to swallow this because there is no agreement? But you should check to see if you’ve gotten this in recent years.
▶ What the German law stipulates: Even if there are no written agreements on Christmas and vacation pay, this can result in a company exercise if the employer has paid this obolus for three years in a row. Then the employee can be entitled to it. “
2. Dentist bonus
Nobody likes going to the dentist, especially not just like that, without pain. And Corona is also a convenient excuse. But here you shouldn’t plead fatigue, because otherwise the bonus for services of the statutory health insurance companies will be wasted.
▶ Every adult should have a check-up once a year and children and young people every six months. Those who keep their bonus booklet without gaps can expect decent grants.
3. Downgrade driven kilometers
We sat around a lot at home in 2021 as well. Many did not go on vacation and worked in the home office. And the car was hardly moved.
▶ The less driven kilometers should be reported to your car insurance company. Many insurers adjust the kilometers actually driven retrospectively to the premiums and reimburse the excess money.
4. Special loan repayment
With many loan agreements, you can also make special repayments to your bank in addition to the regular repayments. This allows you to pay off the loan faster and the bottom line is that you have to pay less interest.
▶ What the law stipulates: It is regularly agreed in the contract that such special repayments are possible up to a certain amount and often only once a year. It is therefore advisable to make the special repayment well before the end of the year so that it does not get lost in the Christmas hustle and bustle at the end of the year. So if you want to make special repayments now, you shouldn’t wait any longer.
5. Lower the tax burden for 2021
If you want to spruce up your home office and treat yourself to new office furniture, for example, you should consider buying it this year.
Of course, this only makes sense if you then exceed the advertising fee of 1000 euros.
6. Collect debts before the start of 2022
At the turn of the year, claims against debtors may also expire. In principle, a statute of limitations period of three years applies to claims.
▶ What the German law stipulates: This limitation period begins at the end of the year in which the claim arose. Claims from 2018 are threatened by the statute of limitations on December 31, 2021. To prevent the statute of limitations, measures to prevent the statute of limitations must be taken this year, such as initiating a judicial dunning procedure or filing a lawsuit right away. Otherwise there is a risk that you will come away empty-handed.
7. Vacation check before the start of 2022
Get an overview of the annual vacation you have taken and check whether you are still entitled to vacation for 2021.
If you can take these days with you into the New Year or your boss has not asked you to take your vacation now, then you still have time until March 31, 2021.
8. Education leave
If you have not yet taken your educational leave, including educational leave, for 2021, you may be able to carry it over to 2022. The individual federal states have regulated this differently. So you should inform yourself in good time about the specific regulations of your own federal state.
9. Check your doctor or pharmacy receipts
If the co-payments for medication, doctor and dentist exceed the limit of 2 percent of your gross income, legally insured persons can apply for exemption from co-payment. For the chronically ill, the limit is 1 percent.
▶ By the way: there are also health insurance subsidies for low-income earners for dentures. If you submit an application for hardship regulation to your health insurance company, you may, under certain circumstances, receive 100 percent from the health insurance company as an additional payment.
10. Check notice periods
Insurance companies, fitness studios and electricity providers have very different notice periods and can be spread over the whole year.
▶ Check contracts: Nevertheless, at the turn of the year and with the current stay-at-home measure, it is worth checking all contracts. And why not initiate the switch a few months earlier?
