The Investitionsbank Berlin will be asking all freelancers and small businesses who received Soforthilfe in the Spring whether they needed it or not. If they didn’t really need it or didn’t need all of it, they should pay some or all of it back.
Category Archive: Freelance Life
Novemberhilfe grants for freelancers – what we know so far
Feeling the financial squeeze of Lockdown Light? Enter “November-Hilfe”, a flat-fee designed to compensate you for the revenue you lost this month. It’s not to be confused with Soforthilfe or Überbrückungshilfe. Red Tape Translation will take you through what it is, whether you’re eligible and how to apply.… Read more
The Künstlersozialkasse wants to check my income from the last 4 years
Ahhh, is that autumn in the air? Must be time for the Künstlersozialkasse’s random income audit! Every year in September, a handful of Künstlersozialkasse members get sent a special yellow letter. … Read more
Residence permit holders can get ALGII until the end of 2020 in Berlin
If you’re receiving ALGII benefits and you have a residence permit, you might have been feeling on edge lately as the deadline given by the Berlin foreigner’s office edges closer. You’ll be pleased to read that you can now receive social welfare at leastuntil the end of 2020.
Steuermaus – the mouse that got away!
This is an important article on the fraudulent activities by the tax advisory service Steuermaus. The article was written by Dr. Carol van Buren. If you’ve been tricked by Steuermaus, read on!
Financial help for Berlin cultural workers after all?
The Berlin Senate met yesterday to discuss how to support artists and cultural workers during the Corona crisis. The Senate resolved to convince the Bundesrat (German council of states) to request that the Federal government support artists and freelancers in cultural and media by paying them a flat fee of 1,180€ monthly while they are unable to work. In Baden-Württemburg, this initiative has already been combined with the Federal “Soforthilfe” programme.
If this goes through, it won’t be influenced by savings or assets – just a flat fee to cover living expenses. The decision in Berlin is only at the Senate level so far, so there is still a long way to go. There might be opposition. But it an important decision and we will wait eagerly to see how it develops.
Press release from the Senate here.
Tax Advisor Answers Burning Questions about the Corona Freelancer Grant
If you are tearing your hair out because you can’t find answers to really important questions about the freelance grant, legal translator Dr.Carol van Buren was kind enough to translate an article written by tax advisor Daniel Reich that appeared in gruenderlexikon.de. She’s shared a summary with us and it’s definitely worth a careful read if you just received funds from the IBB.
How to fill out the IBB Corona Soforthilfe II application: detailed instructions
Corona Soforthilfe grant applications have now closed.
Government grants to help the freelance and self-employed in Germany during COVID19
There are plenty of grants, loans and aid programmes proposed for residents of Germany during this difficult time, but there’s a distinct group of people who might not be eligible for any of them, and also aren’t quite ready to dive into the world of welfare at the speed of light: solo freelancers and small businesses. Recognising this, Bavaria took the lead and introduced “immediate aid” for small businesses and freelancers. NRW, Hamburg, Baden-Württemberg and Thüringen followed suit. Berlin and Niedersachsen are the latest states to offer the grant. … Read more
I’m an employer in Germany who can’t pay my employees due to COVID-19
Everyone keeps talking about “Kurzarbeitergeld” in the media. What is it? Can I use it to pay my employees in these difficult times? Red Tape Translation has never been so busy playing detective as we are right now. We’re talking to officials, waiting for hours for information on hotlines and publishing everything we know in our blog. We’re now covering compensation for partial unemployment.
How not to go broke as a freelancer in Germany during COVID-19
Lioba from Red Tape Translation is a freelance actor when she’s not working for us, and she has spent the day trying to make sense of the state aid available for self-employed people during the COVID-19 pandemic. She spoke with a case worker at a Job Center in depth this morning. We give her our warmest thanks for taking the time to share her knowledge.
I’m a freelancer, right? Or am I a self-employed trader? What’s the difference?
If you write your own invoices, if you have multiple clients and if you make your own hours then you are self-employed (selbstständig) in Germany. So far, so good. But the tax office (Finanzamt) divides self-employment up into two further categories: you’re either a freelancer (Freiberufler) or you have a trade (Gewerbe). We help you find your true self (from a tax perspective, anyway).