Labor Minister Hubertus Heil has announced financial support for families who employ domestic helpers. At the same time, a voucher system is to prevent illegal work.
Subsidy for employing legal domestic help
The incoming German government wants to provide relief to families by introducing vouchers for domestic helpers. “We are introducing a domestic help system for families. The state will give families a subsidy in the form of vouchers so that they can afford legal household help,” Hubertus Heil (SPD), Germany’s federal labor minister, told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.
As a first step, families with children, single parents and those caring for relatives are to receive an annual bonus of up to 2,000 euros. “With this money they will be able to afford to hire a domestic helper,” said Heil, who stands a good chance of continuing to head the labor ministry in the new federal government.
Government wants to make everyday life easier for families
With this money, the coalition government wants to make everyday life easier for families. Especially parents of young children or caring relatives need help with house cleaning, child care or nursing. According to Heil, people with normal incomes often cannot afford to hire a regular, socially insured employee for this help: “Some citizens resort to working in the black, many try to manage daily life on their own with work and family. We will change that!”
According to Heil’s model, the state and the family share the cost of domestic help: “40 percent will be covered by the subsidy, 60 percent by the citizens themselves.” Billing is to be governed by an app through which certified companies can offer their services. The family then orders a service, such as weekly housecleaning, enters a voucher code sent by the state and automatically has to pay only 60 percent; the company settles the voucher with the relevant office.
Source: www.spiegel.de