There is more money in the account of Bafög recipients and patience is required on a popular commuter route for rail travelers. August brings some innovations for consumers.
August brings important changes, especially for young people, as the training guarantee is coming and student loans are increasing. But the new month also brings changes for energy customers and commuters. An overview.
More student loans for pupils
Students in need will receive more Bafög from the new school year (August 1). The basic needs rates will increase by 5 percent, and the allowances for the income of the parents or partners of those receiving funding will also increase by 5.25 percent. For students who no longer live at home, the housing allowance will increase to 380 euros.
Training guarantee
From August 1st, the so-called training guarantee will apply to young people who, despite many efforts, cannot find a training place. Employment agencies and job centers will then offer them off-the-job training as a last resort. This applies, for example, to young people who live in regions where there are too few training places.
ICE diversion between Hamburg and Berlin
From August 16 to December 14, the ICE journey between Hamburg and Berlin will take 45 minutes longer. The trains will be diverted via Stendal. There will also only be one train per hour instead of two. The EC trains to Dresden and Prague will start and end in Berlin instead of Hamburg.
Another round of applications for heating subsidies
As planned, from the end of August, landlords of single-family homes will also be able to apply for subsidies for replacing heating systems from the KfW development bank. From then on, homeowners in corresponding communities who want to replace the heating in their own homes will also be eligible to apply. Up to 70 percent of the eligible costs for purchase and installation will be subsidized. Municipalities and companies will also be able to submit their first applications to KfW in August.
No night train between Berlin and Paris
The night trains from Berlin to Paris and Brussels will be cancelled from August 12 to October 25 due to construction work on the rail network. The connection was only added to the night train program in December and runs via Halle (Saale), Erfurt and Frankfurt (Main).
Some Galeria stores close
On August 31, nine of the current 92 Galeria locations will close. The department store group filed for bankruptcy again at the beginning of the year. New owners will take over the chain on August 1.
Less money for fed-in solar power
Anyone who buys a photovoltaic system and feeds the electricity produced with it into the grid will receive slightly less money than before. The so-called feed-in tariff will fall by one percent for systems that go into operation from August 1st. For PV systems with an installed capacity of ten kilowatts, the value is just 8.11 cents per kilowatt hour if the electricity is partly used by the system itself and partly fed into the grid.
Gender changes at the registry office
Trans people who want to change their gender registration and first name at the registry office must register three months in advance. The earliest possible date for registration is August 1st. The Self-Determination Act will then come into force on November 1st.
Start of the new school year
It starts again on August 1st: That’s when the children and young people in Thuringia will open the 2024/25 school year. The last to return to school will be the Bavarians – the first day of school in the Free State is September 10th.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
