Relief through domestic help

Balancing family and career is a major challenge for many parents. Between job, childcare and everyday organization, there is often little free time for family moments together when everyday household chores take up precious time. A domestic help can be a valuable relief. Read this article to find out what you need to consider when hiring domestic help, how the employment is legally regulated and how you can claim the costs against tax.

A home help can support parents on an hourly or daily basis, making the balancing act between family and work more relaxed. Depending on requirements, they can step in on a regular or occasional basis. From cleaning and laundry to shopping and meal preparation, they can take on flexible household tasks in consultation with you, giving you more time for what really matters: spending time with your family. This ensures less stress, mental relief and more time for joint activities and relaxation.

The cost of domestic help depends on the number of hours, qualifications and type of employment. There are three employment options:

• Employment on a mini-job basis: If you hire a domestic helper in a private household, you can negotiate the level of payment with each other. The statutory minimum wage, which is mandatory for everyone, is the lower limit in Germany. This is currently 12.82 euros per hour. However, the usual hourly wage for domestic help is often between 13 and 15 euros per hour.
• Self-employed domestic help: If the domestic help is self-employed, they set their own hourly rate.
• Provided by an agency: If the domestic help is provided by an agency or cleaning company, you can expect higher costs.

Household helpers who come regularly - for example once or twice a week - are usually marginally employed. They must be registered with the mini-job center. There are three ways to do this:

1. Online registration
2. Telephone registration
3. Registration with the household cheque by post

Only then are both sides legally protected.

Please note: If you employ cleaning or domestic help in a private household illegally, you may have to pay tax arrears and fines.

Household helpers in mini-jobs have a statutory entitlement to paid leave. The statutory minimum vacation is 24 working days for a 6-day week and is calculated on a pro rata basis. The amount of vacation days depends on how often the domestic help works for you each week. For example, if the domestic help comes once a week, they are entitled to 4 days' paid leave. The normal salary must continue to be paid during the vacation.

Overview of the calculation of vacation days:

If the domestic help falls ill, they are entitled to continued payment of wages for up to 6 weeks. The prerequisite is that the domestic help has already been employed in the household for 4 weeks without interruption. However, you can reclaim 80 percent of the wage costs via a simplified procedure - the so-called U1 levy procedure - from the Minijob-Zentrale if your domestic help is officially registered. To do this, you automatically pay a small monthly contribution to the mini-job center with the taxes.

If your domestic help becomes pregnant, the Maternity Protection Act applies. This means:

• During the pregnancy and 4 months after the birth, protection against dismissal applies.
• Maternity protection periods: 6 weeks before and 8 weeks after the birth, employment is prohibited.
• Maternity protection pay: The domestic help is entitled to maternity protection pay in the amount of the average wage of the last three months. You can reclaim the full amount of the wage via the simplified pay-as-you-go procedure U2 at the Minijob-Zentrale.

The prerequisite here is also the correct registration of the mini-job.

Online registration

You can simply register your domestic help online. You can find the online registration on the website of the Minijob-Zentrale.

You will need the following information:

• Your own personal details
• Your tax number
• Your account details
• Personal details of the domestic help
• Employment and payment details
• Pension insurance number (if known)

Registration via the household check procedure by post

You can also register the mini-job by post or fax. To do this, download the household check form, fill it out and send it to:

Minijob-Zentrale

45115 Essen

or fax it to: 0201 384-979797.

You can download the form from the Minijob-Zentrale website.

Registration by telephone

Registration is also possible by telephone. You can reach the Minijob Center by calling 0355 2902-70799, Monday to Friday between 7:00 am and 5:00 pm.

You will need all the same documents and information to register by telephone as you need for the online procedure.

You can find detailed information on how to register on the Minijob-Zentrale portal.

If you register your domestic help, you can claim the costs as a household-related service for tax purposes and reclaim part of the costs on your tax return.

Household-related services, which include domestic help, are tax-deductible up to 20% of the actual expenses, up to a maximum of 510 euros per year. This applies both to domestic help on a mini-job basis and to employees subject to social insurance contributions.

As a private household, you will receive a certificate for the previous calendar year from the mini-job center at the beginning of the year for submission to the tax office with details of the period of employment and the amount of wages paid as well as the taxes incurred.

You can apply for the tax reduction via your tax return. You enter your details in the "Appendix for household-related expenses".

In certain cases, the health insurance fund will cover all or part of the costs of household help for people with statutory health insurance, provided it is prescribed by a doctor. The prerequisite is that a person living in the household - usually a parent - is temporarily unable to run the household due to illness, hospitalization or a rehabilitation measure.

This is the case, for example, if the mother has to lie in bed during pregnancy or if complications arise after the birth. Even if a child under the age of 12 or a disabled child is hospitalized or needs to be cared for at home, the health insurance company will cover the costs for a limited period of time under certain conditions.

The application must be submitted to the respective health insurance fund of the person with statutory health insurance.