r/germany

So it’s almost one year that I’ve worked in Germany and I will get my first yearly Pension statement (as they say on the website).

I assume everyone here knows about the pension system (points, etc), so I won’t explain too much here. I have read a lot online, and there’s always talk of a crisis about the sustainability of the pension system.

The German net replacement ratio (i.e. net pension benefits vs average net salaries over working life, considering tax rates, contributions) is way below OECD average (See this article on ), which prompted me the do some calculations (Apologies in advance, maybe better topic for , might repost there as well).

To make it simple, assuming: zero inflation (or at least pension benefits, salaries, and contributions, tax/Grundfreibeitrag all increase in the same rates, i.e. no change to the raito), and using 2024 rates:

• Person A starts working at 25, retires at 67, dies at 81 (average life expectancy, Male + Female).

• He is a “Besserverdiener, made 90,716 EUR gross / year (2 x average salary), accumulated 84 pension points over his 42-year career.

• He paid 702.15 EUR / month (8,425.8 EUR / year), his employer paid the other half half making it 16,861.6 EUR / year.

• His 42 years of contribution would be 353,884 EUR, including his employers contribution, it would be 707,767.20 EUR.

Over his 14 years of remaining life, he will receive 39,635 gross / year, i.e. 26,727.79 net / year, making total net benefits 374,189 EUR (or 320,733 EUR using 79 year life expectancy).

Total net benefits received vs Total costs ~ 53% (Yes, I am aware that its Net vs Gross, but this represents an “effective” tax rate of 47%). Return is even worse if you are male (79 years life expectancy). For an person making "average" salary 45,358 EUR the returns are a bit better (almost 60%), but also not great.

So I'm interested in asking this:

• How is the pension system still under stress (120 billion invested in 2024 alone) when they take so much from working people?

• As a young German / person that worked for a long time in Germany, do you have any hard feelings on the Bommer generation for potentially double dipping? (e.g. Pension benefits increase in 2024 > inflation / avg. salary increase, 0% investment tax for holding period >12 months till 2008, many other now defunct, favourable policies for them to build wealth).

• As a young German / person that worked for a long time in Germany, how worried are you that you will not even get this sub-par return, and live a worse retirement than your parents / grandparents?

• Are there any concrete solutions alreay underway to fix this problem?

Prior to 2020 I commuted to work by train every day. 10 minutes station to station. There were delays sometimes but they were manageable. This year I started going back to the office 5 days a week and it’s pretty rare that my commute doesn’t take over an hour. After almost 6 months of putting up with it because I want to reduce my carbon footprint and save money, I’m done. I’m buying a used car. It takes 30 minutes to get to work by car but that’s at least half the time I’m spending now. I’m sick of seeing people making excuses for this absurd situation. It has gotten so much worse the past 3 years.

Hi all,

My spouse was offered an opportunity to move to Germany (work) and we’re considering it. However we have two young children under 5. We’ve always wanted to move to Germany or France, however I’m hesitant about making such a big change right now. We don’t speak any German and I realize this will be a process, we’ll definitely plan on learning. I’m most hesitant about how we’ll make friends and how our children will fit in, I want to ensure they’re not isolated and able to live full lives with peers. Overall, the lifestyle in Germany is superior in my opinion, I have family there and have visited and enjoy the slower pace it offers. I would love this.

Has anyone made the move with young kids? How was it?

Thanks!

Edit: thank you all so much for the helpful information and advice, I’m definitely feeling better about everything and appreciate all the honesty.

I would like to write a short sentence for her or even just a phrase and I kinda want it to be Humourous and wholesome, my German isn't that good and I don't trust google translate so any nice phrases would be much appreciated!! :))

So I remember having this Bavarian friend back in college and we were talking about unsolved murders, and he told me that there were these murders that happened on a farm not far from where he grew up, and according to him, the craziest part about it all was that the local townspeople had all known the truth for a century, but out of respect to the murderer they never revealed his identity or the reason behind the murders and simply said that it was a “gruesome, but justified action.”

I never really thought much about it and considered it probably a local urban legend or some other bullshit until I recently saw a documentary about these murders at a place called Hinterkaifeck which is in Bavaria and the more I delved into it the more I started to think: was this the horrifying town secret that my old friend had been talking about all them years ago? I know that town secrets are a thing, the place I grew up in had one that we never told any outsiders but it was regarding a man’s moving from our town and it was truly a matter of respect for him and his family and the law was never involved, but to cover up something like murder for over a century? It’s gotta be fake right?

***Also, I came to this sub Reddit because well it was something that my Bavarian friend told me and I thought I’d get good information from actual Germans but if this is not for this subreddit, forgive me, I’ll go somewhere else!

I live in an apartment building in Berlin with maybe 200 apartments/rooms. The doors are electronic. Today some people came by to fix the intercom system. I was sitting at home and I heard a knock, and then I heard my door unlock. I ran to the door to close it and sent them away until tomorrow. The locks are electronic and need a FOB. I guess my landlord gave his key to the handymen to let them come into my apartment. This was terrifying because I'm a young woman, it doesn't feel safe. Is this legal??

Hi Guys, I have two tickets available for Turkey vs Czech Republic match that will take place in Hamburg. I bought the tickets at an expensive price but there is a situation due to which I won't be able to go. How can I sell them ? Do you know any platforms which are used frequently here to buy and sell tickets? Is there any other advice that you would like to give me that can help me in reaching out to potential buyers and recover my money. I am based in Berlin.

What are your favorite German Youtube channels? I want to expose myself to more German, so I could learn more. Preferably no language learning channels, please, they are too boring.

My favorite

Hi everyone,

I’m an Indian visiting Germany for the first time (and it’s my first time visiting any country outside of India). I’m really excited to attend a Euro Cup match in Frankfurt on the 1st of July!

•	Landing in Frankfurt on the 29th of June at midnight.
•	Attending the match in Frankfurt on the 1st of July.
•	Planning to visit Stuttgart for the Mercedes and Porsche museums.
•	Leaving Germany from Munich on the 8th of July.

I’d love some help with planning the rest of my trip. Given my grade 1 ACL tear from a football injury, I can’t walk much or for long periods. I can manage with decent rest breaks.

What I’m looking for:

1.	Suggestions for must-visit places: Besides Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Munich (suggestions are welcome for Munich, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart as well since I’ve got no clue), what other cities or attractions should I consider?
2.	Itinerary help: Ideas for a flexible itinerary that balances sightseeing with rest.
3.	Vegetarian food recommendations: Being a vegetarian, I’d love to know the best spots to find delicious vegetarian food in these cities.
4.	Any other tips: Any general advice or things I should be aware of as a first-time visitor to Germany?

Thank you so much in advance for your help! I’m really looking forward to this trip.

Grateful for any suggestions or tips you can provide!

Cheers

TLDR: First-time visitor from India to Germany for Euro Cup match. Need itinerary suggestions and tips. Also need vegetarian food recommendations. Have a grade 1 ACL tear, so can’t walk much.

Hey everyone,

I have a big problem right now and really need some help.

I turned 26 this year and this apparently means I need to pay krankenkasse by myself now instead of it being covered. However, it seems that my krankenkasse has messed up on some part and I received a letter today that they suddenly want roughly 700 euros from me and I have 10 days to pay for it. They also determined the monthly rate I need to pay after July. The weird thing is I really haven't received any mail or letters to pay up previously by them. Which is why I am shocked by this huge bill right now. I'm an university student and bafög is the only thing I get every month and I literally don't even have enough money on my bank account to pay 700+ euros in just one go. I really need to pay in installments but I am not sure how I can approach them. Does anyone have an idea how to help me? I am scared that I will get fined now or they will deny me krankenkassenleistungen. Any help appreciated.

Hi I'm a 23 years old from Cyprus, because cypriot universities are very expensive I can't study there its like 9k euros per year (yikes). I want to study online in IU but I don't know if it's good. I see a lot of reviews from trust pilot and most of them are either 5/5 stars or 1/5 stars I want to know your guys opinion on it.

Hi I'm a 23 years old who want to start university, but I don't know if it's good. I see a lot of reviews from trust pilot and most of them are either 5/5 stars or 1/5 stars I want to know your guys opinion on it.

I’ve been in Germany since March last year, so I experienced a very hot summer in South Bayern in 2023, where it was already warm at the end of April. I expected the same this year, and things seemed to go well in May, with the highest temperatures averaging around 20-22 degrees Celsius. Unfortunately, it has been raining very heavily quite often, and you need to wear a jacket again. I forgot to mention that now I am in Lower Saxony near the North Sea. Does this have something to do with the location, or is the weather just being strange this year? I am from a tropical country, so this four-seasons thing is not quite familiar to me. How was summer for the past years?

Hi all, I have found a very nice altbau apartment with energy class E-F, is it worth buying? The higher monthly costs are bearable for me, I just wanted to know if it could cause me four-digit costs due to renovation measures

Thanks in advance!

I’m planning a trip for December but only have 4 days to spare, what would be the best place to visit to make the most out of the little time I have?

Additional information is the student was unfairly banned by LinkedIn because the student was not notified that too many connection request warnings (related to trying to find work after COVID cutbacks) were cumulative.

Hello,

I have been living in this apartment since September last year.

Today I received an email in which the landlord sends us the utility bill and demands an additional 255€.

Some details:

I pay heating and electricity costs separately.

We live in a large building complex with many other apartments.

We have a contract that sets out our rent and service charges and states that the rent cannot be increased for at least a year.

Unfortunately, the next appointment with the tenants' association is too late and the landlord is demanding payment.

Is this legal in Germany?

Nebenkostenvorrauszahlung / Monat 380,00 €

Anzahl Monate 4

Nebenkostenvorrauszahlung / Jahr 1.520,00 €

Umlagefähige Kosten lt. Hausgeldabrechnung 4.959,92 €

Grundsteuer (umlagefähig) 367,71 €

Nebenkosten gesamt 5.327,63 €

Umlagefähige Kosten (anteilig) 4/12 1.775,88 €

Differenz -255,88 €

And that's only for 4 months.

That would mean that I would have to pay more than €1000 per year to the landlord in addition to what was contractually agreed.

Hello! Anyone here from Australia who applied for a Language visa?

It states in the requirements that one needs 20hrs of class per week however majority of the classes I inquired at only had 18hrs of classes per week.

Do you think the Botschaft wouldn‘t mind about that?