Leaving Germany, financial checklist

Map every contract with a notice period: insurance, broadband, mobile, gym, banking. Most German contracts auto-renew if not cancelled 3 months in advance.

Review every pension wrapper: gesetzliche Rente, bAV, Riester, Rürup, private Rentenversicherung. Decide which contracts to keep, pause or terminate. Pause is usually better than termination for fondsgebundene Rentenversicherung.

If you might be exposed to Wegzugsbesteuerung (≥1% in a corporation, 7+ years of German tax residency): involve an international tax advisor now. Last-minute planning rarely works.

Plan your exit tax year. Moving in January gives you a full year of low-income German tax treatment; moving in December does the opposite. Big effect on flat-tax KESt rates.

Decide which German bank account to keep. You'll need one for ongoing receipts (tax refunds, pension residuals, brokerage settlements). N26, DKB and ING work well for non-residents; many traditional banks don't.

Submit cancellations for fixed-term contracts (PKV, life insurance, liability, broadband). Use Sonderkündigungsrecht (special cancellation right) for relocation where available. PKV in particular allows this when leaving Germany.

Confirm your brokerage will keep your depot open as a non-resident, or arrange a transfer. Don't sell unless tax-optimal, see point 5 of the tax-optimised investing guide.

If you own German property: decide rent vs sell. Talk to a tax advisor. Germany taxes worldwide income only while you are a tax resident, and rental income from German property remains taxable in Germany even after you leave.

Anmeldung → Abmeldung: register your departure with the local Bürgeramt. The Abmeldebescheinigung is the document everyone else will ask for, health insurance, tax office, bank.

Inform your Krankenkasse / PKV provider of the departure date. PKV usually allows full cancellation with Abmeldebescheinigung; GKV ends with the last day of employment in Germany or with Abmeldung if self-employed.

Notify your employer's payroll. Make sure your last German payslip is correct (especially around bonuses, equity vesting and severance, these have specific Wegzug rules).

If you have a Riester contract: request the Abwicklungsbescheid from your provider, confirms allowance clawback (outside EU/EEA) or continuation rights (inside EU/EEA).

Final utility readings (electricity, gas, water) and contract terminations. Photograph all meters with timestamps; landlords frequently challenge final readings.

Forward post via Deutsche Post Nachsendeauftrag (12 months, international option available). The Finanzamt will use the address you provide here for the next 18 months of correspondence.

Set a tax representative or mailing address in Germany if you expect ongoing tax correspondence (Wegzugsbesteuerung, rental income, residual employment income).

GEZ (Rundfunkbeitrag): cancel with proof of Abmeldung. They will not stop charging automatically.

File your final German tax return for the partial year. This is often where unused Sparer-Pauschbetrag, work-related deductions and exit-related claims surface. You have until the standard deadline of the following year.

Update your brokerage and bank with the new tax residence. Without this, German KESt continues to be withheld even though you should now be taxed under your new country's rules.

Keep documentation for 10 years: Abmeldebescheinigung, final tax assessment, broker statements at the day of move, valuation documents for any §6 AStG calculation. The Finanzamt may revisit.

If Wegzugsbesteuerung was assessed: track the 7-year (or 12-year) return window carefully. Returning before the deadline retroactively cancels the tax, but only if documented properly.