Because of the high costs, many citizens receive a flat-rate energy price allowance.
(Photo: dpa)
Frankfurt Pensioners should actually receive the energy price flat rate (EPP) automatically, but that has not always worked. If you missed out, you have to hurry. The 300 euros can only be applied for until June 30th. According to the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, more than 42,000 people have already done so.
Students had to take care of their so-called one-off payment of 200 euros themselves from the start. Over the past three months, more than 2.5 million students have submitted an application. The deadline for this is September 30th. Employed people have already received the energy price flat rate or can still claim it by submitting a tax return for 2022. With the subsidies, the state is reacting to the massive increase in energy prices as a result of the war in Ukraine.
If pensioners still want to secure their energy price flat rate, they can do so with little effort. For students, the process is a bit more complicated.
Simple application for retirees
Pensioners are entitled to the flat-rate energy price under two conditions: First, they must have been entitled to an old-age, reduced earning capacity or survivor’s pension from the statutory pension insurance or a pension from the farmers’ old-age insurance scheme as of December 1, 2022. Second, your place of residence must have been in Germany at that time.
Actually, the pension payment offices should have already transferred the 300 euros last December. If that didn’t work, pensioners can apply for the lump sum from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung Knappschaft-Bahn-See until June 30, 2023, regardless of where else they receive their pension payments. The application form can be downloaded from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung website.
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Processing the applications takes some time. According to a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, 18,600 of around 42,600 applications have so far been processed. Like employed persons, pensioners also have to pay tax on the lump sum.
A pensioner who has a mini-job or is self-employed can collect two lump sums: one for pensioners and one for employed persons. The same applies to a person who was initially still employed in 2022 and was entitled to a pension from 1 December.
Complex procedure for students
All students who were enrolled at a university in Germany on December 1, 2022 are entitled to the tax-free one-time payment of 200 euros. This also includes doctoral students, students on a dual course of study, part-time students and students on a vacation semester – but not guest auditors. Technical students and vocational students can also apply for the money.
The approximately 3.5 million beneficiaries can apply for payment via the website www.einmalzahlen200.de. Beforehand, they must set up a so-called BundID account for identification and require an access code from their training facility.
When registering at www.einmalzahlen200.de, you must prove your identity via the BundID account and an online ID. Alternatively, this can be done via the Elster certificate. Once the steps have been completed, students can submit the actual application for the one-off payment and specify the account to which the money should be transferred.
Students who are employed and have therefore already received a flat-rate energy price can also apply for the 200-euro one-time payment.
More: Employed persons must take this into account when calculating the energy price flat rate