New year, new laws: these changes are coming to us in 2025!

From January 1, 2025, various new regulations in the areas of social affairs, health and care will come into force. The main changes include the increase in the statutory minimum wage to 12.82 euros. In addition, the mini-job earnings limit will be raised from 538 euros to 556 euros.

For lower-income households, housing benefit will be increased by an average of 15 percent, corresponding to around 30 euros per month. Child benefit will also be increased by 5 euros per child per month to a total of 255 euros on January 1, 2025. For single parents and families with several children, the immediate child allowance increases to 25 euros per month and the child allowance increases to 9,600 euros per child per year wir-sind-mueritzer.de reported.

Health care and care

In the healthcare sector, the electronic patient record (ePA) will be introduced for those with statutory health insurance from 2025 and a new reimbursement guideline will be created for the diagnosis and treatment of Long Covid, Post Covid and ME/CFS. Parents can take advantage of 15 paid child sick days per child, while single parents even receive 30 days.

In addition, the Hospital Improvement Care Act will come into force with a transition phase until full implementation in 2027. The social care insurance benefit amounts will be increased by 4.5 percent and the relief contribution in care levels 1 to 5 will rise to 131 euros. In addition, students experience an expansion of their medical skills under the Nursing Professions Act and the contribution rate for social nursing care insurance is increased by 0.2 percentage points.

In addition, the German Bundestag made important decisions on December 18, 2024 that affect tax relief and an increase in child benefit. From January 1, 2025, child benefit will be increased by 5 euros per month to 255 euros per month per child, resulting in an annual increase of 60 euros per child, as buerger-geld.org reported.

The increase comes against the backdrop of ongoing inflation, which is putting pressure on many families. The basic allowance will be increased by 312 euros to 12,096 euros in 2025 and the tax allowance for children will also increase by 60 euros to 6,672 euros. The immediate child supplement for low-income families will also be increased by 5 euros. The reduced tax revenue resulting from these measures amounts to 13.725 billion euros in full annual effect.

The decisions were made at a time when the traffic light coalition of the SPD, Greens and FDP was ending. There is both approval and criticism of the measures; While the SPD had called for a greater increase in child benefit, the CDU/CSU fundamentally welcomed the draft. Before the new regulations can come into force, they must be approved by the Federal Council, which will be one of the first tasks of the new government after the upcoming elections.