Child benefit evaded? Criminal charges for tax evasion can be the consequence!

Under certain conditions, parents in Germany are entitled to child benefit. As of January 1, 2023, the entitlement to child benefit is a uniform 250 euros per month and child and is paid out to parents by the family benefits office. So far, so good.

But if the family benefits office pays out child benefits even though parents are not (or no longer) entitled to them,

Continue Reading

Real estate valuation newly regulated – higher inheritance tax and gift tax for real estate since 01.01.2023

Real estate valuation in the event of a gift or inheritance has always been a bone of contention. Now, the legislator has reformed the Valuation Act – and with significant effects on the calculation of inheritance tax and gift tax in connection with real estate. This is because the value of real estate has been determined on the basis of the market value for the calculation of gift and inheritance tax since the changes to the law on 01.01.2009.

Continue Reading
Grundsteuer Reform 2022

Property tax 2022 – need for action for property owners!

Further update 31/01/2023: In Bavaria, the deadline for submitting property tax returns is extended to the end of April.

In the Free State of Bavaria, property and land owners now have a further three months to submit their property tax returns. This was decided at short notice in the cabinet on 31.1.2023.

Continue Reading

Federal Labor Court (BAG) ruling: Vacation is only time-barred after notice from the employer

Whether and when vacation becomes time-barred is a question that can of course also be of burning interest to employers: After all, whether their own employees are still entitled to vacation or not can become relevant above all if an employee leaves the company and in this context asserts claims for vacation compensation.

Continue Reading

Innovations in 2023 for sick leave and social insurance

Important changes will come into effect for employers and employees in 2023:

The paper sick bill – the famous “yellow bill” – will be abolished for those with statutory health insurance and replaced by an electronic certificate of incapacity to work. For employers, participation in the digital process will be mandatory from 2023.

Continue Reading

Inflation compensation premium: what employers need to know now!  

The inflation compensation premium is currently the talk of the town. After all, it gives employees hope that they will receive a payment of up to 3,000 euros from their employer to compensate for the current rapid inflation – tax-free and free of social security contributions.

What is correct is that employers have the option of paying employees an inflation compensation bonus.

Continue Reading

Property tax reform: What does your notice of assessment say about the property tax assessment amount?

In connection with the property tax reform, many property owners receive the property tax assessment notices from the tax office.

In Bavaria, in addition to the “notice of the property tax assessment amount”, a “notice of the property tax equivalent amounts” is also issued.

Continue Reading

Social security audit and external wage tax audit – what to watch out for in the future?

As part of the irregularly scheduled external wage tax audit, checks are made to see whether employers are properly paying wage tax for their employees. During the social security audit, the German Pension Insurance checks every four years, among other things, whether social security contributions have been correctly paid.

Our experience shows: The auditors are looking ever more closely and demanding more information or evidence.

Continue Reading

All around the mini-job! Current labour law

From 01 October 2022, the statutory minimum wage will increase to EUR 12 per hour. At the same time, the remuneration for mini-jobs will be increased from EUR 450 to EUR 520 per month.

In connection with the mini-job, there are a number of things to consider from an employment law perspective.

Continue Reading

Energetic renovation measures: How can real estate owners benefit from a tax perspective?

Since 2020, energetic renovation measures on the owner-occupied home have been eligible for tax incentives for ten years. Corresponding expenses can be deducted directly from the tax liability.

  • Which measures are subsidized?
  • What should be considered?
  • What alternative funding options are there?

Our experts around the property give you tips and answers to 10 questions from the practice of tax incentives for energy refurbishment of your home,

Continue Reading

Bureaucratic monster for employers? Employment contracts must comply with stricter requirements as of 1 August

Evidence Act: Employment contracts must be put to the test with regard to mandatory transparent working conditions

From 1 August 2022, the amended regulations of the Verification Act will apply. The background to this is the EU Directive 2019/1152 (Working Conditions Directive), which comes into force on 31 July 2019.

Continue Reading

Inheriting debts: what you can do to prevent this from happening!

An inheritance – despite all the personal tragedy – is often a financial blessing for the heirs. Never before has so much wealth been inherited in Germany as at present. However, there is also the other case: the testator or the testatrix – e.g. one’s own parents or spouse –

Continue Reading
Tastatur mit "Overtime"-Taste

Current BAG ruling on overtime: Burden of proof not on the employer!

Overtime and its compensation are often the cause of disputes between employees and employers. This is especially true when overtime is still “on the books” after a dismissal and ex-employees want to be paid for this overtime.

But who has to prove whether overtime was actually worked? So far,

Continue Reading

Secretly recording a conversation at the workplace: Can employees be dismissed (without notice)?

Discussions between employers or supervisors and employees are often delicate. If conflicts are smouldering or have already erupted in the working relationship, they can become very verbal.

It is not uncommon for employees to reach for their smartphones and secretly record conversations with their employers or superiors that are supposed to be confidential.

Continue Reading

Employment of working students – what to bear in mind

For employers as well as for students, a working student contract is an interesting thing. Employers have fewer ancillary wage costs, and students have more net left over from the gross of their salary.

To do everything right from a tax perspective, employers need to pay attention to some important issues.

Continue Reading

Income tax return 2021: How do I take my crypto investments into account?

With an estimated 5,000,000 people in Germany investing in the crypto world, many will soon be asking the question, “How do I account for my crypto investments in my 2021 income tax return?” Some individuals will have to make sometimes substantial tax payments as a result of their crypto investments and will thus also be required to file an income tax return in due time.

Continue Reading

Energetic renovation of the home and its financing

n principle, craftsmen’s services on properties used for one’s own residential purposes are only taken into account for tax purposes to a very limited extent.

However, if one observes important prerequisites, plans the measures accordingly and provides the necessary evidence, renovation costs can certainly be deducted from tax.

Continue Reading
ACCONSIS Zukunftswerkstatt

The ACCONSIS Future Workshop turns 3 – Happy Birthday!

The Future Workshop is our digital workbench for new solutions!

On the occasion of the 3rd anniversary of the ACCONSIS Future Workshop (ZKW), we asked Stefan Herzer, member of the Executive Board and responsible for organization and digitalisation at ACCONSIS, for an interview.

We were particularly interested in how the idea of the Future Workshop came about,

Continue Reading

Payroll 2022 – important changes

The new year brings a number of changes in wage tax and social security law. What do you have to bear in mind in 2022? We have summarised the relevant changes for you.

  • Increase in the minimum wage
  • Minimum remuneration for apprentices
  • Employer subsidy for deferred compensation
  • Reporting of tax identification number for marginally employed
  • Insurance status of short-term employees
  • Electronic certificate of incapacity for work
  • Tax-free remuneration in kind
Continue Reading
Vorverkaufsrecht für Gemeinden

What is the right of first refusal for municipalities?

The municipality can only exercise the right of first refusal for a property in certain cases if it lies within the scope of a preservation order.

In a ruling dated 09.11.2021 – 4 C 1.20, the Federal Administrative Court ruled that a municipality’s right of first refusal for a plot of land located within the scope of an urban development ordinance does not exist if the plot of land is built on and used in accordance with the purposes of the urban development measures and the buildings erected on it do not have any defects.

Continue Reading

Mini-jobs – what do you have to bear in mind when employing mini-jobbers?

Hiring mini-jobbers is an interesting way for employers to cushion peak workloads, especially in times of fluctuating orders. Of course, some important organisational and verification obligations must also be observed for marginally employed workers.

Important change in 2022: Notification of the tax identification number and statutory health insurance

From January 2022,

Continue Reading

Flood disaster: How can employers provide assistance to affected employees?

Many employers would like to provide financial assistance to their employees who have been affected by environmental catastrophes. The following payroll tax simplifications apply to support affected individuals:

Affected employees can receive up to EUR 600 per calendar year tax-free from their employer as aid and assistance. If the aid is paid out to affected employees due to an extraordinary emergency situation,

Continue Reading
Änderung Geldwäschegesetz zum 01. August: Neue Regelung zum Transparenzregister

Amendment to Money Laundering Act as of August 01: Innovations for the Transparency Register

As of August 01, 2021, the notification fiction for all legal entities and registered partnerships is no longer applicable! The Money Laundering Act (GwG) was reformed when the new Transparency Register and Financial Information Act (TraFinG Gw) came into force.
The previously applicable notification function has been abolished.

With immediate effect,

Continue Reading

Tax data from Dubai: tax authorities are currently evaluating sensitive data

The last prominent data acquisition was some time ago. Many may still remember the acquisition of bank information from Switzerland. The state government of North Rhine-Westphalia was particularly prominent in this regard. The data purchase was and is highly controversial and even involved the Federal Constitutional Court. The acquired information has flushed billions into the state coffers.

Continue Reading

Salary extras – What benefits can I pay my employees in addition to their salary?

Particularly with regard to personnel recruitment, employers can offer additional, attractive benefits that go beyond mere payment in the form of salary.

With selected salary extras, employees’ pay can be optimized through tax-privileged and social security-free benefits to achieve a higher net payout. Employers can thus reward employees for good work performance,

Continue Reading

ACCONSIS now also advises on all aspects of real estate financing

Whether buying or building a new home: the real estate market is booming – despite or even because of Corona. The demand for financing modernization measures or the rescheduling of existing real estate is also steadily increasing. This makes it all the more important to implement the corresponding financing in a future-proof manner and optimally tailored to personal needs thanks to competent advice.

Continue Reading

Fight against time: Last chance to avoid prosecution in Germany by filing a voluntary declaration

Now the time has come. The final step on the part of Turkey has been taken. The agreement on the automatic exchange of information (AEOI), which Turkey ratified back in 2017, will now actually be implemented. The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, personally ordered the execution of the relevant decision by decree on May 31,

Continue Reading

Casual landlords – Airbnb & rental portals targeted by tax authorities!

Due to the greater response to the article “Airbnb – The tax office knows who you rented to last summer!” – we are once again expanding our comments to include the following points:

After we have so far dealt in particular with the issues surrounding the investigative measures of the German tax authorities and the resulting tax obligations or consequences under criminal tax law,

Continue Reading

Airbnb – The tax office knows who you rented to last summer!

The Bayerische Rundfunk reports on the topic of “Airbnb” in its article “Airbnb landlords targeted by tax investigators” on B5 aktuell and the BR24 app. Dr. Christopher Arendt, specialist tax lawyer at ACCONSIS explains:

  • What led to the current situation? How can the tax office determine that I have generated income with Airbnb?
Continue Reading

Dismissal protection proceedings: Does the employee have a duty to provide information regarding job offers?

A lawsuit by an employee against the employer to protect against dismissal is always accompanied by a high cost risk for the employer.

If it turns out at the end of the often lengthy proceedings that the termination was invalid, the employment relationship is not terminated. But what is much more serious is that the employer must pay the contractually owed remuneration,

Continue Reading