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). In Upper Secondary School (Years 11 to 13), it is also possible to register on a per-day basis, with a pro-rata charge for lunch.

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 10: collective fund of 287 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. In Years 11 to 13, the collective fund amounts to 285 EUR.
• Class trips in Years 1 to 13: the costs depend on the grade and duration of the trip. The cost depends on the year group and the duration of the trip. The amount is based on the cost framework recommended by the Berlin Senate.
• Optional: special extra-curricular activities of co-operation partners (e.g. climbing, coding, 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 to 3rd grade, later for 4th grade to 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 2025 for the school year 2026/2027). 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 may be claimed as school fees in the income tax return as special expenses, amounting to 30% of the eligible fees paid. Fees for accommodation, childcare and meals are excluded. The maximum tax-deductible amount is currently EUR 5,000 per child, per couple and per year (equivalent to 30% of EUR 16,667).

The costs of extended-day childcare may, where applicable, be deductible as employment-related childcare expenses in the income tax return, provided that the child lives in the taxpayer’s household and has not yet reached the age of 14. If both parents, or a single parent, are in employment, 80% of the childcare expenses may currently be taken into account as business expenses or income-related expenses, up to a maximum of EUR 4,800 per child per year.

We cannot accept any liability for the accuracy or applicability of this information regarding tax deductibility. Please consult your tax adviser regarding your individual circumstances.