These points hold merit.
Marriage isn't just about affection, it also comes with several perks. Financially speaking, married couples can enjoy some advantages. For instance, their combined income is used to calculate taxes, which gets divided in half and then doubled. This strategy, as outlined by tax expert Nina Restemeyer in "Finanztest" (September 2024), can help save more money, especially if the income disparity between partners is significant.
Additionally, the spouse earning less gains from a higher tax-exempt allowance – doubling it to 2,000 euros. This means they don't pay tax on their capital gains. Plus, married couples can profit from choosing tax classes three and five, potentially boosting their net income monthly until 2030, especially when there's a significant income gap between partners.
Advantages in Gifts and Inheritance
Married couples also have an edge when giving or inheriting assets, as revealed in "Finanztest". Unlike unmarried individuals, couples don't pay taxes until their assets reach a value of half a million euros. When it comes to inheritance, married couples pay lower taxes on the potentially taxable portion of an estate or gift.
Furthermore, spouses can transfer their self-occupied property or a portion of it with no tax implications, regardless of property value. If the spouses decide to sell properties to each other, they're exempt from real estate transfer tax, which can result in substantial savings.
Emergency Situation Rights
In crucial situations like illness or accidents, married couples hold more rights. Partnered individuals receive medical updates faster in hospitals. Should one partner be incapacitated to make medical decisions due to health issues, their spouse can typically represent them.
In the unfortunate case of death, surviving spouses tend to have financial security through survivor's pensions, provided the deceased has been insured for at least five years and the couple had been married for at least a year.
In the event of a divorce, the financial implications can be complex, as each spouse may need to adjust their tax strategies. For instance, the higher-earning spouse might lose their advantage of a higher tax-exempt allowance.
Moreover, divesting shared properties could result in significant real estate transfer taxes, considering that spouses are exempt from this tax when selling to each other in a marriage.
