The end of summer is creeping up and Steuererklärung season is just around the corner. Alongside trains, BAföG boosts and Kaufhof closures, here’s what to expect in Germany during August 2024.

1. Deadline for 2023 tax declaration

Certain groups of people in Germany are obliged to submit an annual tax return. If you must submit a tax return for 2023 and you do not work with a tax advisor, you have until August 31, 2024 to submit your return. Since the deadline falls on a Saturday and the Finanzamt is closed at the weekend, you can also submit your return by September 2, 2024.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the deadlines for submitting tax returns were extended for several years, 2024 is the last year that the extended deadlines will be applied and filing deadlines will return to normal from July 31, 2025. 

2. Train disruptions in Northern Germany

From August 16 to December 14, renovations will add 45 minutes to the ICE train between Berlin - and Hamburg. During this period, there will only be one Deutsche Bahn train running between Berlin and Hamburg every hour and certain stops on the line, including Büchen, will be missed.

The renovations will also impact the Hamburg - Dresden and Hamburg - Prague EC trains, which will instead depart from and terminate in Berlin.

Construction work also means the Berlin - Paris - Brussels night train will not run between August 12 and October 25, 2024.

3. Cannabis consumption limit introduced for drivers

After legalising cannabis for personal use on April 1, Germany is updating relevant laws. Among them is the limit on the amount of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) - the psychoactive component of cannabis - that drivers can have in their bloodstream and still be permitted to get behind the wheel.

From August, if drivers are found to have more than 3,5 nanograms of THC per millilitre in their bloodstream they will be fined at least 500 euros and given a month-long driving ban. In Germany, drivers are permitted to have a maximum blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0,5 per millilitre. However, if drivers decide to consume any amount of cannabis, this will drop to 0,0.

4. Deutsche Post will take longer to deliver post

In the first major postal system overhaul since 1997, Deutsche Post’s delivery deadlines are being extended from August onwards.

Currently, Deutsche Post is required to deliver at least 80 percent of its letters on the next working day, and 95 percent within two working days. From August, that deadline will be changed to 95 percent of letters reaching their recipients within three working days, and 99 percent in four working days. 

Practically, the postal service will be a lot slower. Anyone who wants a letter delivered quicker than this will have to pay for the more expensive priority delivery.

5. BAföG payments for students will increase

From August 1, students in Germany will receive 5 percent more money from the BAföG student loan. According to the new rates, students who are EU citizens and non-EU citizens with valid residence permits can claim 475 euros per month plus the 380 euros allowance for rent.

Students from low-income backgrounds will also be able to claim a 1.000-euro grant when they begin their studies.

6. New subsidies available for green heating systems

From the end of August, homeowners can apply for subsidies to swap their current heating systems for more environmentally friendly systems. Interested parties can apply via the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) and have up to 70 percent of the costs covered.

7. School holidays end in 14 German states

Starting on August 1 in Thuringia, schoolchildren in 14 German federal states will slowly head back to the classroom throughout August. This includes pupils in Bremen, Saxony, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Hesse, Hamburg, Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.

Pupils in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria will return to school at the beginning of September.

8. Qualifications through profession will be recognised

On August 1, the Vocational Validation and Digitalisation Act will come into force, meaning that it will be possible to have your professional experience officially recognised as a qualification by the German Chamber for Commerce and Industry (DIHK).

To have professional experience recognised you must have worked in the relevant field for 1,5 times longer than it would take to gain the qualification through studying. For example, an IT employee could apply to the DIHK for the qualification after working for 4,5 years, instead of qualifying through a three-year university course.

The German government hopes that the change will make in-work training more appealing.

9. More subsidies for young people’s apprenticeships

From August 1, young people who have learning difficulties, are socially disadvantaged or live in areas which don’t offer sufficient training opportunities will be newly entitled to state subsidies to complete apprenticeships as part of the new “Ausbildungsgarantie” (apprenticeship guarantee).

The new subsidy entitlement is being introduced to fill apprenticeship vacancies, which continue to grow in Germany.

10. Gender self-recognition will be easier

Under the Self-Determination Act, people over the age of 14 will be able to change their legal gender and first name more easily. While the law will only come into force on November 1, these changes must be registered at least three months in advance, meaning appointments at the registry office (Standesamt) are available from August 1.

In April 2024, members of the German parliament voted in favour of replacing the Transsexual Law of 1980 with the Self-Determination Act. The new law follows similar legislative changes in Argentina, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain and Uruguay

Under the Transsexual Law, transgender, intersex and non-binary people who wanted to change their legal gender at the Standesamt required a medical certificate which was issued after two assessments by psychologists and court permission. 

11. Galeria Kaufhof will close nine stores

On August 31, nine of Galeria Kaufhof’s shops will close their doors. These will include the shops in Augsburg, Berlin Ringcentre, Berlin Tempelhof, Chemnitz, Essen, Leonberg, Regensburg, Trier and Wesel.

Bankruptcy proceedings for Galeria Kaufhof-Karstadt began in April 2024, after the company slipped into insolvency for the third time in just over three years. In the same month, it was announced that the chain would be taken over by a consortium involving US investment company NRDC Equity Partners, owned by investor Richard Baker and German entrepreneur Berndt Beetz.

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