Lockdown ruining your revenue? Homeschooling your kids instead of earning? Enter a confusing array of government grants designed to compensate you. There are so many of them, it’s hard to keep track. Here’s what we know so far.
Category Archive: Being self-employed
Novemberhilfe grants for freelancers – what we know so far
Feeling the financial squeeze of Lockdown Light? Enter “November-Hilfe”, a flat-fee designed to compensate you for the revenue you lost this month. It’s not to be confused with Soforthilfe or Überbrückungshilfe. Red Tape Translation will take you through what it is, whether you’re eligible and how to apply.… Read More
ALGII and Einstiegsgeld – a government grant to start your business
ALGII recipients, you can get extra financial support from the JobCenter to start a business or take up a part-time job. That’s on top of the payments you’re already getting. The programme is called “Einstiegsgeld”.… Read More
The Künstlersozialkasse wants to check my income from the last 4 years
Ahhh, is that autumn in the air? Must be time for the Künstlersozialkasse’s random income audit! Every year in September, a handful of Künstlersozialkasse members get sent a special yellow letter. … Read More
Residence permit holders can get ALGII until the end of 2020 in Berlin
If you’re receiving ALGII benefits and you have a residence permit, you might have been feeling on edge lately as the deadline given by the Berlin foreigner’s office edges closer. You’ll be pleased to read that you can now receive social welfare at leastuntil the end of 2020.
Life Admin remains discounted for benefits recipients
We had a huge response to our discounted Life Admin service as the Corona wave hit Europe. It seemed to be just the right antidote at just the right time. Although our standard Life Admin service will return to its previous price (49 EUR per hour) from 24th May, we’ve decided to keep the discount in place for ALGI/ALGII recipients.
… Read More
Financial help for Berlin cultural workers after all?
The Berlin Senate met yesterday to discuss how to support artists and cultural workers during the Corona crisis. The Senate resolved to convince the Bundesrat (German council of states) to request that the Federal government support artists and freelancers in cultural and media by paying them a flat fee of 1,180€ monthly while they are unable to work. In Baden-Württemburg, this initiative has already been combined with the Federal “Soforthilfe” programme.
If this goes through, it won’t be influenced by savings or assets – just a flat fee to cover living expenses. The decision in Berlin is only at the Senate level so far, so there is still a long way to go. There might be opposition. But it an important decision and we will wait eagerly to see how it develops.
Press release from the Senate here.
Companies and corporations affected by COVID-19 in Germany: ways to keep afloat
The German Ministry of Finance sat down with the German Ministry of Economics and put their heads together to figure out how to save the thousands of businesses affected by the Corona virus, quickly and with minimum red tape (should we be offended?). This is what they came up: find out if your business is eligible and how to apply for these programs.
Government grants to help the freelance and self-employed in Germany during COVID19
There are plenty of grants, loans and aid programmes proposed for residents of Germany during this difficult time, but there’s a distinct group of people who might not be eligible for any of them, and also aren’t quite ready to dive into the world of welfare at the speed of light: solo freelancers and small businesses. Recognising this, Bavaria took the lead and introduced “immediate aid” for small businesses and freelancers. NRW, Hamburg, Baden-Württemberg and Thüringen followed suit. Berlin and Niedersachsen are the latest states to offer the grant. … Read More
How to get compensation from the Department of Health during quarantine
Second only to the word “Coronavirus” that gets thrown about in the media is the word “Entschädigung” (compensation). You might have heard that you’re entitled to a compensation if you are not permitted to do your job due to a quarantine or work ban. This information is brand new, it was only published last night. … Read More
My New Home
I have a confession to make. I applied to join the Factory some months ago, and my application was rejected… I sulked for a week. It was probably just bad timing, but the Factory Berlin was never far from my mind. I ran into a few friends who flaunted their coveted memberships and got a hot tip from one of them – I should reapply, as they’ve just opened a brand new building, and the timing is golden.
I sent off a killer application, added a healthy dose of Vitamin B, and within a week, I got the green light!
What’s the Difference Between the German Tax ID Number and the Freelance Tax Number?
You say Steuernummer and I say Steuer-ID-Nummer,
You say Umsatz-ID-Nummer and I say Sozialversicherungsnummer.
Steuernummer, StIDNr, UStID-Nr, SV-Nummer, let’s call the whole thing off.
Hmm. Not really an option. So instead, I’ll take you through it simply, carefully and lovingly. I wish everyone would sing songs about tax.