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Since 1 January 2026 an important change came into force for all employers: the old paper-based procedure for reporting contributions to private health and private care insurance was replaced by a completely electronic data exchange procedure. The aim of this transition is to simplify the processes involved with payroll deduction, reduce sources of error and make the tax treatment of premiums for privately insured employees more efficient and legally certain.

Active pensions, electronic allowances, income thresholds, electric cars – as 2026 begins, employers are again facing numerous challenges in payroll and social security. These have come about from recent court decisions, the authorities changing their interpretations and new legal regulations.

Electromobility continues to gain importance—and there are also significant new developments in tax law: Starting January 1, 2026, the electricity price allowance will come into effect. Its purpose is to enable both employers and employees to settle electricity costs much more easily when the charging of a company car is initially paid privately, for example via a home charging station. The basis for this is the average annual electricity price for private households published by the Federal Statistical Office. In the future, employers can choose between providing proof of actual costs and using the new electricity price allowance. This not only reduces administrative effort but also allows for optimal tax treatment when reimbursing electricity costs.

As of July 1, 2025, the process for determining parental status and the number of children to be considered for the calculation of long-term care insurance contributions has been digital-ized. The German authorities now automatically transmit the relevant data to the contribution-paying entities. Under certain conditions, this procedure also allows for retroactive corrections of long-term care insurance contributions, going back as far as July 1, 2023. What does this mean for you as a company and employer?

With the start of 2025, significant changes to the law governing payroll tax and social insurance came into force. From the abolition of the “one fifth rule” for payroll deductions to new long-term care insurance contributions to changes to deadlines for applying for allowances – many rules have a direct influence on everyday accounting. Current case law and tax authority guidelines also offer options for structuring. This article gives you a compact overview of the most important points.

From the start of 2025 new thresholds apply to social insurance. The thresholds have been adjusted to match the trend in income.

In this article, you can read about the challenges that arise when preparing a purchase price allocation.

Federal Ministry of Finance allows nationals of EU or EEA member states with residence or habitual abode in Switzerland to apply for voluntary income tax filing in Germany.

On 17 July 2024 the German government adopted a growth initiative to boost Germany’s attractiveness, competitiveness and innovative strength as a place to do business. In addition to simplifying tax law, tax concessions for overtime and foreign skilled workers are intended to make Germany more attractive as a place to do business.