Household Deadlines in Germany: Year End and the Rest of the Year

Most household deadlines in Germany are not hard, just easy to forget. Each comes round once a year, and a missed one costs money or ends a right for good. Several meet at the end of the year. Here is what is due around 31 December and 1 January, plus a calendar for the rest of the year.

Before 30 November: car and other insurance renewals

Most German insurance contracts renew automatically for another year. By law, the notice period is one to three months before the end of the insurance year; your policy document (Versicherungsschein) shows which.

Car insurance usually needs one month's notice. Many policies run with the calendar year, so your cancellation must arrive by 30 November. Some insurers use other renewal dates. Our guide to switching car insurance by 30 November covers the steps.

December letters: price rises give you a way out

A higher price often comes with a special right to cancel, the Sonderkündigungsrecht:

• Insurance. If your insurer raises the premium without improving your cover, you can cancel within one month of receiving the letter, with effect from the date the new price applies. This covers policies such as car, home contents or liability insurance.
• Electricity and gas. On a normal supply contract, the supplier must tell you about a price change at least one month ahead. You can then cancel, free of charge, to the date the change takes effect (not for a pure VAT change). The basic tariff, Grundversorgung, can be cancelled with two weeks' notice at any time.
• Health insurance. If your statutory health insurer (Krankenkasse) introduces or raises its extra contribution, the Zusatzbeitrag, you can leave even if you joined less than 12 months ago. For a rise on 1 January, you have until 31 January. Joining a new fund counts as your cancellation; the switch takes effect at the end of the second following month.

By 31 December: three dates that close for good

Your voluntary tax return for 2022. If you did not have to file a tax return (Steuererklärung), you can file one voluntarily for up to four years, often for a refund. For 2022, it must reach your tax office (Finanzamt) by 31 December 2026. This deadline cannot be extended.

Your landlord's service charge bill. The Nebenkostenabrechnung must reach you within 12 months of the end of the billing period. For a period that ran with calendar year 2025, that is 31 December 2026. If it arrives later, your landlord can generally no longer ask you to pay extra, unless the delay was not their fault. You have 12 months after receiving it to object.

Money someone owes you. Most everyday claims, such as a refund a company never paid, expire after three years, counted from the end of the year the claim arose and you knew about it. Claims from 2023 therefore generally expire at the end of 31 December 2026. Some claims have other periods.

Also: tax-deductible costs generally count in the year you pay them, so a bill paid on 30 December counts for this year.

Payments that come round every quarter

Rundfunkbeitrag. The broadcasting fee is due every three months, on the 15th of the middle month of each three-month period. Your dates depend on when you first registered. The Beitragsservice now sends one notice listing your yearly dates and then no regular reminders, unless you pay by direct debit. More in our guide to the Rundfunkbeitrag.

Grundsteuer. Property tax is usually paid in four parts, on 15 February, 15 May, 15 August and 15 November. You can apply to pay it once a year on 1 July instead, but the application must reach your municipality by 30 September of the year before. Rules can differ by state; your Grundsteuerbescheid is the reference.

Dates that belong to you, not the calendar

Some deadlines depend on when something started:

• TÜV (HU). The sticker on your rear number plate shows the month and year your car's next inspection is due, usually every two years. See when your TÜV is due.
• Residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel). If you apply to extend it before it expires, your current permit counts as continuing until the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) decides. You get a paper called a Fiktionsbescheinigung as proof. Ask your local office how early it wants your application.
• Passports and ID cards for everyone in the household, including children.
• Contracts with a minimum term, such as phone, internet and gym. After the minimum term, most newer ones can be cancelled with one month's notice. See how to cancel a contract in Germany for the steps, or work out your cancel-by date with our notice period calculator.

The rest of the year at a glance

New in Germany? Start with our first 90 days checklist.

Put every date in one place

These dates sit in different letters, inboxes and heads. Notenz is household management software for Germany: one place for your bills, contracts, insurance, documents and dates, shared with your partner. Tick the common German dates that apply to you, such as passport, residence permit, TÜV, tax return and insurance renewals, and enter the date, or snap a letter and Notenz reads it. With Guardian, you choose when to be reminded: a day, a week, a month, three months or six months before. A short Sunday email shows what is due that week. Start free.

This article describes general rules for households in Germany. It is not legal or tax advice.