kapil354

Hello TTers,  I have an ARAG legal insurance which includes free mediation. Does one need to always go through the long wait lines of insurance company to get a mediator or if I handover my insurance number to a mediating agency they will coordinate and take the case? Appreciate any inputs.

Thanks a lot!  Somehow the link did not work. Can you please reshare :)

Just a document to prove that I am separated. Tax office is asking for it.

Dear all, how to get the letter of separation from the Meldeamt? Is there an official process which needs to be followed or I can just walk in and get the separation registered? Cheerio!

Dear all, are there any thumb rules to assess the difference between Tax class I and III for various annual salary levels.   Was surprised to see that there is a 11k difference on a 110k salary. Do the numbers in attached jpgs make sense to you guys Danke for your tips.

Choice 1 There are other banks like Bank of China now expanding to Europe.  In Hamburg they let you open individual account with an IBAN number.  And they need new customers. Very quick service and in English. Just another choice.   Choice 2 and 3 I have tried Transferwise and Revolut and they work very well too. They give you a German IBAN and if you are interested you can get a US and UK bank account also linked to the same account. So you can store multiple currencies.  https://transferwise.com/gb/borderless/usd-account You can store both Euro and USD in the same account!   Bottomline Days when you had to rely ONLY on German speaking banks in Germany are over.

Hey @PandaMunich I got this reply from pension deptt.   

It couldnt have been explained better @PandaMunich

Awesome response thanks for that.   For the 84.15 EUR --> Not sure if I understood it right but can I pay "half of the minimum required for 3 years of setting up the business"? Isn't there some law around it?

You can legally move to cheaper private insurance like CIGNA. I wrote a letter to TK saying that they should "allow me to move to CIGNA" as per EU law. And then they released me. Check with some of the insurance smarties and I think there are legal ways around it.

Dear all, I registered as self employed in Dec 2016 and was without any income until 2018  (stayed with my bf until Dec 2018). I was fully employed before 12.16. I did not make any money during the "freelancing" period. Now, I am paying my contributions again. I did not contribute any money during these years.   Recently, I got few letters from DRV with V0023 and V0024 forms. Can I use the following rule and ask them to reduce my pension burden for these past years to zero? Can you please let give me suggestions how this could work? Any tips are welcome.   Halber Regelbeitrag Eine weitere Ausnahme wird für frisch gebackene Existenzgründer gemacht. Sie dürfen sich bis zu drei Kalenderjahre nach Aufnahme der selbstständigen Tätigkeit für den halben Regelbeitrag entscheiden. Dann wird der Beitrag lediglich auf Grundlage der Hälfte der durchschnittlichen Bezugsgröße in Deutschland ermittelt. 

Folks, for the attached screenshot from my tax return do you think I got some money from the FA because of interest of 18 months or I have to pay them extra? Thanks for your comments.   Thanks Kay

not sure if you guys already talked about degiro they have kostenfrei ETFs one could buy...

... you should just write a formal letter requesting for the Kaution as soon as you leave the apartment. This ensures that there is documentation and bit of pressure on the landlord to return.  The law is interpreted differently in different states.

clock doesnt start again if you have paid in the pension system  past time counts at least in north germany