The savings platform: WeltSparen↗ — one account opens daily and fixed-term savings across dozens of EU banks, all under the €100,000 guarantee, with moves needing no new account openings.
Open It — and Mind the Tax
Interest is income: without a Freistellungsauftrag the bank withholds 25 percent — even from the tax-free first €1,000.
✓ Verified: 15/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
› Details and tips
Every 6 months, 15 minutes: compare rates, move the cushion, adjust the exemption order. Switching is just opening a new account — nothing needs transferring.
Standing order to Tagesgeld on payday — even 100 €. Automation builds the cushion, not willpower.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Interest at an EU foreign bank — what about tax? ▾
Declare it yourself in Anlage KAP: there is no automatic withholding. German banks handle everything — one more argument for them.
One exemption order per bank? ▾
Yes, the 1000 € allowance splits freely across your banks. Forgot it — the bank withholds 25 percent tax, recoverable only via the tax return.
What is the Freistellungsauftrag? ▾
An instruction to the bank not to withhold tax on the first N €: €1,000 of interest per year (the saver allowance) is tax-free. Takes a few clicks in online banking; the amount can be split across banks.
Forgot to file it — is the money lost? ▾
No: withheld tax comes back via the tax return (Anlage KAP). Filing the instruction is simpler — why lend to the state interest-free?