Does one of you work full-time while the other stays at home to take care of children, for example? As a married couple, have you benefited financially from the fact that you are assessed jointly and one of you is insured free of charge in statutory health insurance? Then write to us about your experiences.
There are currently two changes in the political debate. The first concerns spousal splitting. When splitting, both spouses’ incomes are added together, divided by two and taxed separately. This is particularly useful for couples where one earns significantly more than the other and can amount to several thousand euros per year. The SPD has now proposed that Spousal splitting to reform. The tax advantages for couples with very unequal incomes would then be smaller or eliminated entirely.
The second possible reform concerns the non-contributory co-insurance in statutory health insurance. Up to now, one spouse who works little or not at all has been able to take out insurance through the other spouse without paying any contributions. In the future, this will only be possible in exceptional cases. For example, if small children under the age of seven live in the household, children with disabilities are cared for or relatives are cared for. Pensioners and hardship cases could also benefit further. Everyone else would have to pay their own contributions in the future.
We want to know what such reforms would mean for your life. What is your situation today? Are you currently benefiting from spousal splitting or are you taking advantage of free co-insurance? How much money would you be missing per month or year? Would you have to organize your everyday life differently?
Tell us about your experiences in the form or register by email community-redaktion@zeit.de. We would like to publish selected articles after consultation with you, anonymously if you wish.
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