Escalation and index calculator

Escalation

As a result of general price increases (inflation), fixed sums of money are at risk of declining in value over time, because as prices rise, the same quantity of goods and services can no longer be obtained for the given sum of money. Valorisations are designed to protect against the devaluation of fixed amounts of monetary claims. They relate to agreements (indexation clauses) in rental, lease and other contracts, in accordance with which ongoing payments or an amount owed are valorised by a factor that maintains the purchasing power of the money.

Index calculator

The index calculator (available in German only) allows you to carry out escalations yourself. Please note, however, that this service is for calculations only. Legal issues and ambiguities (e.g. whether a contract or rental costs comply with current legislation) cannot be answered in conjunction with the index calculator. Neither is it possible to provide any information regarding how long or indeed whether valorised amounts may be applied retrospectively. Please consult a lawyer, notary or a consumer organisation for further advice on these issues.

To use the index calculator, first choose between Verbraucherpreisindex, Baukostenindex or Baupreisindex. Then select either the index calculator or the threshold index calculator.

• Index calculator: Select the index series (e.g. Consumer Price Index 1986), the base month and the comparison month in the relevant boxes. Next enter the amount (value) in euros or schillings and then click the “Berechnen” (means calculate) button to determine the valorised amount.
• Threshold index calculator: Here you can carry out threshold index calculations (e.g. up to 5% is disregarded) automatically by selecting the index series (e.g. Consumer Price Index 1986) and the base month in the relevant boxes, entering the amount (value) in euros or schillings and the percentage or threshold value and then clicking the relevant box for reaching or exceeding this threshold. Next click the “Berechnung” (means calculate) button to automatically calculate the individual percentage thresholds with the given monetary amounts.

Please consult our German Website for tables containing further information.