Questions tagged [germany]
to be used for any question within the geographical region of Germany
317
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Is there an equivalent to a Living annuity in Germany?
Is there a similar product in Germany to the South African living annuity versus a guaranteed annuity?
We have double citizenship, South African and German. Born in South Africa and emigrated to ...
0
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1
answer
77
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What all information should I take note of to file tax at end of year in Germany? (student visa)
From reading various articles, I find that one files the taxes at end of a calendar year. My question is, what all documents should I keep/ Information I should take note of by then, so I can have a ...
0
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0
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64
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German discount brokers that don't claim fund's periodic kickback payments
In Germany, it's legal for an investment fund to pay your securities account provider a yearly provision.
Basically it's a form of kickback payment, i.e. one where your broker that provides you your ...
3
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1
answer
129
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German invoicing practices
I'm based in the UK, and recently started buying services from a German company (Contabo). I'm paying from a Euro card account, and they have a UK VAT registration, so there are no complications with ...
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0
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57
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Challenges Faced by US Expat in Germany: Seeking FATCA-Compliant Investment Solutions
I have been a US expat in Germany since 2005, aiming to establish an investment portfolio here. Regrettably, I've encountered obstacles preventing me from doing so.
As a US citizen living in Germany, ...
3
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1
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592
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Clarification Needed: Calculating Taxes and Rental Income for Buy-to-Let Property Investment in Berlin
I hope you're all well. I need some guidance regarding a financial scenario I'm considering. I'll break it down as clearly as possible to ensure I get accurate advice.
Let's simplify things by ...
2
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0
answers
99
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Is it legal to trade unlicensed gold ETFs in Germany?
In Germany, gold ETF aren't licensed because apparently they violate diversification which is required by law (cf. German Wikipedia articles which cite an upper limit of 30 % for a fund).
Thus, as a ...
3
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1
answer
189
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Is a Visa Debit card handled like a Girocard in Germany?
Until recently, in Germany, Visa/Mastercard Debit cards were almost nonexistent. Bank accounts came with a Girocard with the Maestro system, and some people would additional have a creditcard from ...
0
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1
answer
42
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Income tax principles when moving countries
I am currently in Germany and moving from there to Singapore in April next year. I am a remote worker and continue to be paid by the same employer. After quite a lot of searching, I am quite confused ...
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81
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An a person without a US citizenship, do I always pay a capital gains tax according to the laws of the country I made the gains in?
I lived in Germany my whole life. I don't have a US citizenship.
I invested in S&P 500 via the American "Interactive Brokers" for the last 4 years.
Now I want to move to New Zealand.
I ...
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2
answers
92
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Sole proprietor paying expenses from personal account
A couple of business invoices have been debited off my personal bank account instead of the business account recently and I am wondering about how to account for this.
In essence, I don't really need ...
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3
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174
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what is a cash payment transactions when it comes to credit cards?
I'm looking at a certain credit card that has an introductory offer. To qualify for that offer, the conditions are stated as:
Vorausgesetzt, Sie machen mit der Karte innerhalb der ersten 6 Monate ...
3
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2
answers
228
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Should I pay off first auto loan or home loan?
In 2019 I moved to a new apartment I bought, which I had to get a loan for, since I could not pay the sum required. At the time interest was very low, so I decided to go for it, and took a 564k Euro ...
3
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221
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Why is account ownership verification required for direct debits in Spain, but not in Germany?
Recently, I have learned that in Spain, it is customary when indicating a bank account number for a direct debit payment1 to also submit a "certificado de titularidad bancaria", a document ...
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I have not paid my bill to Ability GmbH due to medical tragedy and moved to India what happens
It will be helpful if I find answer for this. I was working in Germany and there I registered in some dating site which I forgot after I moved to India due to my medical tragedy and now I am in ...
4
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answer
261
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Do variable interest mortgage have penalties for unscheduled repayments?
For mortgages, in the choice between fixed- and variable interest rates, fixed interest rates might be more expensive on average, but variable interest rates carry a higher risk (for example, see ...
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438
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Cash on Delivery SCAM Germany !!!! I NEED ADVICE?
Cash on Delivery SCAM !!!! Germany. I NEED ADVICE !!!!
I purchased a Mobile phone from one person worth 1000€. We agreed on the Cash on Delivery method that he will deliver the phone through DHL COD, ...
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Sending money to a correct IBAN but a non existing swift code, shall the transaction be processed? [duplicate]
I made an international transaction from my bank account in EGYPT to my German blocked account in Germany and while doing the bank transfer I entered my IBAN and it was a correct one, while I had to ...
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2
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123
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Transfer money from German Postbank to USA
I am moving back to USA and need to send my money back to my USA bank.
Tried to test send €100. Money never received in USA. Could someone please explain the correct information for these ...
3
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1
answer
125
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Alternative (simplified) way of calculating loan repayments
I'm working on a small program to calculate, among other things, mortgage/credit repayments. Searching the internet I got what appears to be the typical repayment formula.
principal 100,000 at 2% ...
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1
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In Germany, do insurance payouts get taxed?
I live in Germany and I am a full-time employee.
I subscribed to insurance in a foreign country, on top of the German statutory insurance.
The main benefit of this insurance is that, after 5 years of ...
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2
answers
121
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Caveat for participating in a private retirement fund sponsored by German "Riester-Rente"?
In my occupational pension scheme (VBL) I can, in addition to the legally required private pension insurance (VBL klassik), opt-in to extra private pension insurance (VBL extra). The latter is ...
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0
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96
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Avoiding taxes on a money gift in Germany
I'll come to Germany for the first time in 2023 to study in a German university as a foreign student. I am from the country of Georgia. My mother will soon give me a money gift by transferring it from ...
0
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54
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What is my Tax Liability Germany when working in multiple countries?
I am currently working for a Company in Germany for 1 month and after that I will be working for another 5 months in Greece (from distance for the same company) where my permanent residence is. I was ...
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47
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Should I move my AUD ETF positions to EUR during a EUR weakness?
I used to work in Australia as an expat but since have moved back to Germany with no intentions to return.
In my depot I have a 35,000 AUD iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV.AX) position including 5-...
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2
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204
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Are third-party vehicle insurances allowed to keep the no-claims class down in Germany?
Almost one year ago, I bought my first car. It's the first and thus far only motor vehicle registered/insured to my name. The insurance company just sent me this invoice:
They told me that for the ...
2
votes
1
answer
54
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Foreign Tax Credit for US Citizens: Levied/Accrued?
I am a US citizen living long-term in Germany, paid by a German employer.
My taxes were deducted normally throughout the year from my paychecks, and sum to A. It turns out I overpaid a bit, by amount ...
3
votes
1
answer
155
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Broker wants to buy back stock over value (Kapitalmaßnahme Übernahme)?
My online broker approached me with a "Kapitalmaßnahme Übernahme - Ausschreibung". As I understand it, they want to buy the stock I hold in a specific company (US01609W1027). The offer is ...
16
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9
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Why is the mandated minimal liability car insurance coverage so high?
All over the world, you need car insurance that covers the damages you do to others. In Austria and Germany, this insurance has to cover at least 7 790 000 € of damages. Isn't it a bit high?
This ...
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2
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153
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German PhD Student doing a Paid internship in USA for 3 Months. How to handle the taxes?
I am doing my PhD in Germany and get paid by the university.
This autumn I am going to the USA (Massachusetts) for an internship at a software company.
For those 3 months my salary from the university ...
2
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1
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228
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Can I appeal the cost of a rejected funds transfer from my bank account?
I recently ordered the transfer of 1000 Euros from my bank account in Israel to my bank account in Germany.
After a while, when the money didn't arrive, I realized that I made a very silly mistake: ...
3
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1
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126
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Do I need to fill in my tax declaration in Germany?
Almost everywhere it is stated that if I am single and an salaried employee without additional income I do not need to present my tax declaration.
However, I have read in a couple of places (for ...
3
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1
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164
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Private health insurance in Germany
I moved to Germany as a university professor two months ago. This month, I discovered that I am partially issured through the so called 'Beihilfe,' and that I have the option of choosing between ...
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Can you sell a liquid asset bellow market price to lower your taxes?
Imagine I bought 1 Bitcoin or any similarly liquid asset for 1.000 €. Imagine the market price went up to 10.000 €. If I sell at market value, I made a 9.000 € taxable profit.
Is it legal to weasel ...
4
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1
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146
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Is scholarship tax free next to a salary?
Last year I received a six months research scholarship from DAAD within a collaboration with a Germany university. The total grant was around 21550 Euros. At the same time I was receiving my monthly ...
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0
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55
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Deducing purchasing power equivalent salaries under tax between two countries
I am trying to figure out how to compute the equivalent salary in a country B given a salary in a country A by taking into account purchasing power parity and tax rates in both countries. The ...
2
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1
answer
125
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German employee with stock options for a NASDAQ-listed company: eligible for Tax Treaty Benefits?
I am a German employee (German citizenship, living and working in Germany, no connections to the US) of a NASDAQ-listed company and have received stock options (more exactly RSUs, Restricted Stock ...
2
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2
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140
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Where do international students pay taxes?
I am a citizen of one EU state studying in Germany and would like to start investing. As far as I am concerned, I am considered only "temporary living" in Germany. In this case, where would ...
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1
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195
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Germany - How are Acc ETFs taxed after the first year of investing? (confused about how I can apply the calculation formula)
I just started investing in 2021 and upon reading how to calculate the tax I owe for my accumulating ETF, I realised I don't know how to apply the explanations found on the Internet to my situation.
...
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0
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135
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Cryptocurrency exchange for US citizen living abroad
I am a US citizen born and living in Germany. I have never lived in the states. My father had been living in the state of New York before he moved to Germany (this seems to be important for ...
2
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2
answers
163
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Are there any pitfalls to owning real estate as a student?
As title says, as a student in my 20s, are there any pitfals when it comes to (co-)owning (with sibling(s) or parents) a house worth say 500'000€?
Taxes? Less chances of getting student scholarships? ...
3
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1
answer
296
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Do I need to sell stock to effectively use the German Sparer-Pauschbetrag (and if so, how much)?
In Germany, 801 Euros are exempt from the capital gains tax ("Sparer-Pauschbetrag"). There is a small tax on unrealized gains ("Vorabpauschale") but it is afaik negligible right ...
4
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3
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Private sale: Buyer requests receipt for payment before payment was transferred. How does this scam work?
I am selling something on ebay Kleinanzeigen (German equivalent to craigslist in the US). A potential buyer first acted like a private person in writing, rather young at age, maybe even a teenager. ...
2
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2
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320
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How are so many stocks tradable via Frankfurt that are not listed there?
For example, Stellantis says it is listed on Milan's Borsa Italiana, Euronext Paris, and New York Stock Exchange (source).
Still it has a ticker symbol FRA:8TI and is tradable at Frankfurt.
How is ...
0
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1
answer
127
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Best way to pay taxes (German citizen living in US to work internationally)?
I am a German citizen living in the US on a J1 visa. I got an offer to work part-time remotely for a company in the UK. This company could hire me or I could work for them as a freelancer. Germany has ...
4
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1
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Buyer from abroad wants to pay by bank transfer and let it fetch by someone else. What should I pay attention to if I want to accept the offer? [duplicate]
I want to sell a couch over the internet (ebay-kleinanzeigen.de, the german pendant to craigslist).
A potential buyer wants to pay almost the full price, but he is somewhere else (+1 504) and wants to ...
0
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1
answer
110
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What is happening when a company wants to trade on a new stock exchange
I invested a year ago 5000 € in a company, listed on the Bulgarian (BG) stock exchange, because I really believed in their home automation products. Today it is doing well and after a capital increase,...
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2
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What is the advantage of a Sparbuch, and how does this work?
In Germany, there apparently exists such a thing as a Sparbuch (literally: Savings book, apparently comparable to a passbook in the USA), mentioned in this answer. According to a recent news article, ...
3
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Germany - Nebenbeschäftigung under 450 EUR classified as Steuerklasse 6 instead of Minijob all the time. Retroactively fixable?
I started a second employment in November 2019, with a monthly pay below 450 Euros, and I don't have any other second employments. I'm now doing my tax declarations, and I have just realized that all ...
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0
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53
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Sending International Transfer from Jordan to Germany
I am trying to send enrollment fee to a German account for my master's degree. The university provided me with details that included:
Receiver name
Bank name
IBAN
SWIFT/BIC
Do I need to use all ...