Tuition payments

All students in Years 1 to 6 are required to attend lunch. In secondary school from Year 7 to 13, participation in lunch is optional.

• In primary school (Years 1 to 6): The costs for lunch are waived due to the Berlin Senate’s regulation on free lunch.
• In secondary school (Years 7 to 13): 81.10 EUR for lunch (i.e. 5,56 EUR on approx. 175 school days per year distributed over 12 months).

The lunch will be delivered by the catering company “Löwenzahn” and water from a water dispenser as well as fresh fruit and/or vegetables are available to the students in the cafeteria throughout the day.

In addition to school fees, all-day care and meals, the following costs are incurred:

• Years 1 to 13: collective fund of 285 EUR per school year for teaching and learning materials in lessons and all-day activities, work materials, class funds, entrance fees and solidarity contribution due at the beginning of the school year or on application as a monthly instalment (from Year 11 onwards, work equipment is purchased by the students themselves).
• Class trips in Years 1 to 13: the costs depend on the grade and duration of the trip.
• Optional: special extra-curricular activities of co-operation partners (e.g. climbing, swimming, individual instrumental lessons with the music school Schneegans).

We offer before and after school care continuously from 6 am to 6pm. Students are offered a rigorous schedule and wide array of activities from our Erzieher*innen and teachers. All students attend school from 8:10 am to 3:30 pm. Before and after school care, from 6am to 8am and from 4pm to 6 pm is possible.

Parents will be asked to sign an additional contract for additional activities and care. You have to apply for a voucher (the EFöB-Gutschein or Hortgutschein) at the Jugendamt (initially for 1st and 20nd grade, later for 3rd and 4th grade, and then again for 5th and 6th grade).

The amount of money that parents must pay for before and after school care is not included in the tuition payments and is subject to Berlin law. The amount of cost-sharing in grades 4-6 is set by the EFöB-Kostenbescheid of the Berliner Senatsverwaltung and is further dependent on the extent of extra care, the income of the parents and the number of siblings attending the school. The Berlin Senate covers the full cost-sharing for Years 1 to 3.

For one child per family and after school care from 1:30 pm to 6 pm, parents currently pay 16 to 194 Euros.

In each school year, the first payment of the cost sharing for all-day care is due at the official start of the school year on 1 August and the last payment is due on 1 July in the following year – regardless of when the first or last day of school is due to holidays.

Information regarding the breakdown of costs of before and after school care of the Berliner Senate can be found here.

You can always contact our school office for further information.

After lessons, the secondary school students can take part in our extensive range of clubs.

Per 15 minute club duration, there will be a participation fee of 40 EUR per school year (e. g. 160 EUR for a 60 minutes clubs over the whole school year).

The tuition is a yearly contribution, broken down in twelve monthly rates. The first payment rate must be paid by the beginning of the school year, on August 1st and the last payment be paid by July 1st of the following year.

The yearly gross income is the sum of the earnings of both caregivers or affiliates of the school contract of the previous calendar year (for example: calendar year 2024 for the school year 2025/2026). The tax assessment notice lists the yearly gross income under “Gesamtbetrag der Einkünfte”. The income tax assessment notice of the last calendar year serves as proof or – if this is not yet available – another provisional proof (e.g. the wage tax annual certificate for employed persons or the business management statement – BWA – for self-employed persons). From a gross annual income of 150,000 EUR, the obligation to submit proof of income is waived and the maximum tuition fee applies. If the yearly gross income is above 150.000 Euros, no verification of yearly gross income is necessary. For further information please consult the school fee rules that you received with your school contract.

For the eldest child at Platanus Schule Berlin, the full monthly school fees are to be paid or the loyalty discount is granted.

For the second oldest and each additional child at Platanus Schule Berlin, the monthly tuition fee is 50% of the income-based tuition fee without the loyalty discount for the oldest child.

So there is either the loyalty discount or the sibling discount for one child, but not both discounts at the same time.

+++ For families in our school community with a contract signed by 28.02.2023 for a sibling, the previous sibling discount arrangement will continue to apply. For all contracts signed after 01.03.2023, the new sibling discount regulation applies, see previous paragraph. +++

In accordance with § 2.5 of our school fees regulation, applications for a reduction of, or an exemption from, school fees in justified cases of hardship (e.g. in the case of gross annual incomes below 30.000 EUR) can be made to the management of Platanus Bildungs gGmbH.

• Assumption of costs for school trips by social authorities for recipients of transfer payments (parents of our school community can find the application form in the school web)
• Waiver of the collective fund for children with a BuT pass and, if applicable, in the case of hardship regulations

Parental contributions for schools of general education are tax deductable up to 30% under “Sonderausgaben” (special payments). Payments towards care, room and board are not tax deductable. Since 2008, there is a ceiling amount to this tax deduction of 5.000 EUR per child, set of parents and year (= 30% of 16.667 EUR)

Case pending, the costs for the pre- and post-school care can be tax deductable if parents depend on the additional child care hours to be able to work. These costs are only tax deductable, if the child resides in the home of the parent in question and has not yet turned 14. If both parents work, and the child is raised by a single parent, then 2/3 of the additional child care costs can be tax deductable, maximum deduction is 4.000 EUR per child, per year.

Any information about tax deduction is subject to change and we assume no liablitity. Please contact your accountant with more detailed questions.