Last year, 629 citizens transferred money into the federal debt-repayment account. The total amount was €123,107.69-about €49,000 more than the previous year, according to a report by the newspaper Stern citing the Federal Ministry of Finance.
The account was established by the federal government in 2006 to keep contributions for debt repayment separate and to record them in the federal budget. Since then, roughly €1.7 million has been deposited. A spokesperson for Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) explained that the payments are recorded in Budget Item 32 – Federal Debt – and, per Budget Commentary Nr. 2, are earmarked for reducing debt.
If the current pace continues, the federal government would theoretically become debt‑free in about 21 million years, assuming no new borrowing. The total public debt amounts to around €1.8 trillion.
In 2025 the largest single contribution to the account was €24,000, while the smallest was one cent. The Ministry of Finance, of course, cannot influence whether citizens voluntarily transfer money to the state.