🔒 Your privacy on Claude
You can sign up for Claude with an invented or impersonal email address – this is perfectly fine. You don't need to enter or upload any personal information. Even without real data, you can use all the exercises and prompts in this course – simply replace the placeholders with fictional examples. Your privacy comes first.
What do you need to do each year?
If you receive a disability pension (IV / Invalidenversicherung), social assistance (Sozialhilfe) or supplementary benefits (EL / Ergänzungsleistungen), there are recurring tasks every year: declarations, meetings, calculations, reviews. Missing them can lead to repayment demands or loss of benefits.
| Month | Task | Who does it affect? |
|---|---|---|
| January | Check annual EL (Ergänzungsleistungen) statement | EL |
| January | Annual budget meeting at Sozialdienst | Sozialhilfe |
| February | Collect tax documents (payslip, IV decision, EL certificate) | Everyone |
| March ⚠️ | Submit tax return (Steuererklärung) – deadline 31 March (Canton Basel) | Everyone |
| March | Apply for premium reduction (IPV / Prämienverbilligung) if not automatic | Sozialhilfe / IV |
| Mar–Apr | Complete IV revision questionnaire (if received) | IV |
| April | Report any rent or situation change to EL | EL |
| May–Jun | Sozialhilfe: half-yearly income declaration | Sozialhilfe |
| September | Compare health insurance for the following year | Everyone |
| October | Check new premiums (published in October) | Everyone |
| November ⚠️ | Cancel health insurance if switching (deadline: 30 November) | Everyone |
| Ongoing ⚠️ | Report any change in income or situation immediately | Sozialhilfe / EL / IV |
⚠️ Duty to report – very important
- For Sozialhilfe and EL: every change must be reported immediately.
- This includes: new income, inheritance, moving house, new relationship, change in rent.
- Failing to report can lead to repayment demands – even retroactively.
Reporting a change
Draft a change notification
[Please reply in English using simple, plain language. Avoid jargon – if you use technical terms, explain them immediately.] I receive Sozialhilfe / EL and need to report a change. What changed: [E.g.: Since 1 March I have a part-time job earning 800 francs per month] Please write a formal notification letter in German to the Sozialdienst. Place of residence: [Municipality], Canton Basel My name: [First name Last name]
Checking the annual EL statement
Understand the EL annual statement
[Please reply in English using simple, plain language. Avoid jargon – if you use technical terms, explain them immediately.] I received the annual EL (Ergänzungsleistungen) statement and don't fully understand it. The relevant section: [Paste the text here] Please explain: 1. What does this statement say? 2. Do I owe money or will I receive money? 3. Is there anything I can contest?
Preparing for the annual meeting at Sozialdienst
Prepare for annual meeting
[Please reply in English using simple, plain language. Avoid jargon – if you use technical terms, explain them immediately.] I have an annual meeting at the Sozialdienst in two weeks. My situation: - Income: [E.g.: Sozialhilfe 986 francs] - Expenses: [Rent 900 francs, health insurance 380 francs] - What changed: [E.g.: I started a language course] Help me prepare: 1. What documents should I bring? 2. What questions might I be asked? 3. How can I explain my situation clearly and calmly?
Creating a personal annual plan
Create annual plan
[Please reply in English using simple, plain language. Avoid jargon – if you use technical terms, explain them immediately.] Please create a personal administrative annual plan for me. Benefits I receive: - [E.g.: IV pension since 2021] - [E.g.: EL (Ergänzungsleistungen)] - [E.g.: IPV (premium reduction)] I live in Canton Basel, alone. What administrative tasks do I have each year? Please list by month.
✓ Module 2 completed
Well done! Click «Next» to go to the next module.