Tax classes in Germany: don’t we just all love it?
A fairly boring topic but also one of the most essential ones, especially in Germany. There are many factors impacting on your income tax rate; few of them are more important than your tax class.
In this post, we will go over what it all means and if you think it’s relevant to your situation, how to change your tax class in Germany.
Tax classes in Germany: TL;DR
Here is the short version of what you should know:
- Ranging from class 1 to 6, tax classes impact the amount of wage tax taken off your gross salary.
- Your tax class in Germany is more or less defined by your family status (single, married, in a partnership, single parent).
- By default, the Finanzamt assigns everybody tax class 4, you need to apply if you want to switch. It’s a relatively easy process.
- Married or in a partnership? You can increase your net salary with the right combination, depending on your respective incomes. Single parents have benefits to switch too.
- Keep in mind that tax classes are only a form of pre-calculation/pre-payment of your total income tax. The actual rate is defined when doing a tax return (Steuererklärung).
Read on for more details on how to optimize your tax situation with tax classes.
Quick overview
There are 7 categories overall.
| Tax class | Marital status |
|---|---|
| Steuerklasse 0 | You are not a German resident. |
| Steuerklasse 1 | You are single, widow(er), separated/divorced |
| Steuerklasse 2 | You are a single parent |
| Steuerklasse 3 | You are married/in a civil partnership with a higher income (than your partner in Steuerklasse 5) |
| Steuerklasse 4 | You are married with both equivalent income |
| Steuerklasse 5 | You are married/in a civil partnership with a lower income (than your partner in Steuerklasse 3) |
| Steuerklasse 6 | The class used for additional jobs (Nebenjob or Zweitjob) |
In a marriage/partnership: optimize your net salary
As you can see, married people belong to different classes and optimize differently.
- By default, the Finanzamt will put both partners in tax class 4, when you first register your marriage or marry in Germany.
- For a lot of households, this is often not the best solution.
- When a big difference in income exists between the 2 partners, a 3/5 combination works best.
The German tax system knows that the higher-earner is often bearing more of the costs in the household. The idea here is to allow for a tax rebate when one of the partners earns significantly less than the other. As a result, moving from tax class 4 to tax class 3/5 might increase the net salary for the higher earner.
When is it worth to change classes in that case?
The higher-earner in the household has to earn a good deal more for this to make sense. They should earn at least 60% of the total household income.
Employees can calculate how tax classes impact their net income with this German salary calculator.
Single parents have advantages too
It’s also pays off to be in the right tax class in Germany as a single parent.
- You get a higher tax relief when being on class 2 (Entlastungsbetrag)
- You also get a higher tax allowance (the bracket of income that doesn’t get taxed).
- Requirement: at least one child lives the household that also receives child benefits (Kindergeld). When the child lives in multiple households, it’s only the person that receives Kindergeld that get the higher tax allowance.
Be aware that you do need to apply for a tax switch after your separation. It’s not made for you. You need a form called “Antrag auf Lohnsteuer-Ermäßigung” (you find it lower down this page).
The impact of tax classes on parental benefits – Elterngeld
As you may already know from this complete guide on Elterngeld in Germany, parental allowance is calculated on the basis of the net salary. You can take advantage of that to receive more Elterngeld when the time comes:
- Eltnergeld takes into account your income the 12 months preceding the first month of Elternzeit.
- The parent that takes the most Elternzeit and/or earns the most during that 12 months period, should have the most favorable tax class. This makes sure that their net salary is higher, hence increasing the total Elterngeld received.
- For this to work, you need to have switched to that class at least 7 months before the start of Elternzeit.
Same applies to Mutterschaftsgeld.
The impact of tax classes on other benefits
Similarly, other types of welfare benefits are calculated on your net salary. Being in the right class at the right moment can also increase the amount you receive, although it’s a bit harder to pull-off/predict. Those benefits include:
- Unemployment benefits
- Temp worker bonuses
- Sick leave
- Insolvency/interim allowance
After separation/divorce
When a couple is parting ways, each individual will eventually have to switch back to class 1 or 2 (if there are children involved).
However, both can agree to stay on a 3/5 arrangement for the current year in order to save money, and file a tax return together or separately if they agree to do so. If filing a tax return return together becomes a disadvantage for one partner, they can request for the other partner to refund the difference.
How to change tax classes in Germany
Offline with a form
The process to change tax class in Germany is fairly simple for couples:
- Get a hold of the form “Antrag auf Steuerklassenwechsel bei Ehegatten” (Tax class switch request for married people). Fill it online on the official finance ministry website this way When you have filled both pages in, you can download it as a PDF. Alternatively, you can download an empty PDF file here.
- Print-it and sign it (both partners)
- Send it to your Finanzamt
This is how it looks for single parents:
- Get a hold of the form “Antrag auf Lohnsteuer-Ermäßigung” (Application to wage tax reduction). Fill it the online of the ministry website here or download an empty PDF file here..
- Include the appendix concerning your children “Anlage Kinder”, which you will find here.
- Print and sign.
- Send to your Finanzamt.
Online with Elster
The following is not available for single parents (yet).
- Login with your Elster account and head to this form for couples.
- Select the year for which this should take place (you can select the current year if application is sent before the last day of November)
- First page is your personal details.
- Second page is your partner’s details. (single parents ignore this)
- Ignore 3rd page if you do this application yourself. This is meant for tax consultants.
- 4th page is about stating what your current tax class combination is, and which one you want to switch to.
Important notes
- The tax class change will happen on the month following the request submission. So that’s when you can see a difference in your net salary.
- If both partners are employees and you have been through a tax class change in Germany, it is mandatory to submit a tax declaration (Steuererklärung; more info this way) after the end of the year (e.g: do one in 2023 for the year 2022, if you changed in 2022)
Tax class switch Germany – FAQ
Provided you make the application before 30/11 of that year, you can benefit from that tax cut for the months prior too.
You can use this very easy to use simulator. Enter both your gross salaries in it, together with your postal code. You will be able to see if it’s worth to make a tax class change in Germany, and who should be on tax class 3.
In most cases, this is only possible once a year. However, it is possible to do this more often in the following cases:
• When your partner is not an employee anymore (becoming a freelancer, retirement, parental leave, unemployment).
• When your partner is an employee again.
• When one of the partners passes away.
• In case of divorce or separation.
Very logically, life events that were just previously listed can be cause for change of tax class in Germany; marriage, divorce, death of partner, unemployment, retirement, parental leave, becoming a freelancer.
You would use this form (Erklärung zum dauernden Getrenntleben) to signify the Finanzamt that you are now separated from your partner. The adjustment will be then made automatically after they process this document. You can also do this via Elster here.
For a tax class change to be possible, both partners need to be “unbeschränkt einkommensteuerpflichtig“, which means to be subject to an unrestricted income taxation. In practical terms, this is made possible only when the partner is also a German resident. However, an exception to this rule is possible if you and your partner fulfill the following requirements (source):
• You have EU or Swiss citizenship.
• Your partner has residence in another EU country (+ Switzerland).
• At least 90% of your common total income is subject to German income tax. The same applies if the income not subject to German income tax does not exceed 19 964€ in a calendar year.
Hope this little guide about tax classes in Germany helped. Don’t hesitate to leave a comment if anything is unclear.
Hallo Bastien,
Thank you very much for your wonderful page.
I am living Germany since 2018, become a registered Nurse and worked in Uniklinik since 2019. Moreover, I am married but my wife works in Norway (we originally come from Asia). Since I started to work in Deutschland, my tax is categorized as „Steuerklasse I“. Another thing, my son was born in 2020 and I am planning to get him and live here together with me as soon as we get my son’s visa. Before my son turns one year old, we are quite sure that he will be in Germany beacause our schedule of getting his visa would be in April 2021. Unfortunately, my wife needs to stay a bit longer in Norway and work there after her maternity leave.
I am not pretty sure about the rules in Germany related to Taxes and there are many questions coming in my mind. Can I change my Steuerklasse? Which of those Steuerklasse would be possible for me to apply? If there are options, which one could I benefit the most? And is it possible for me to apply for parental leave and when would be the best time to apply?
I hope that you would be one of the solutions that could answer problems. Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Nicko
Hey Nicko. have you read this?
Hello Bastian, I have a small query hopefully you can clarify, my wife and i seperated in 2020, we live in seperate residence since June 2020. We kept the tax classes as 3 for me and 5 for my wife as we can still benefit from the tax benefits, i sent a form to the tax authority to change to tax class 1 for 2021 and that was accepted and it will change for 2021 as my employer has indicated they got notification this will happen. For the tax return for 2020 should i put married as the family status or seperated, i dont think we should do a joint decleration either, is this too complicated or have you got any idea? thanks and appreciated
Hey Chris. I can’t really tell what would be the best scenario for you as it depends on many factors. More details here.
Hi Bastien. My situation is fairly easy but I don’t quite understand am I allowed to be in tax class 3. I’m currently in tax class 1, my wife and daughter are registered and now living in Germany, but my wife is unemployed and she will not search for a job in next 6-12 months until she learns the language. Am I allowed to be in tax class 3 as a married person and also to add my daughter to get child benefit before my wife starts working or I need to stay at class 1 or just move to class 4. Thanks
Hey Marko. Yes, you are eligible to switch tax classes. Child benefits are not connected to tax classes, full guide on Kindergeld here.
Hello Bastien. Thank you for this informative article. I would like to clarify on thing in my situation. I have just relocated to Berlin this month and have got my Anmeldung done. I was told that I will get my Tax ID in next few weeks. Now my family (wife and 5 year old daughter) will be relocating to Berlin in 1st week of February. So I will have to get them registered as well and get their Anmeldung done. Now I have few questions regarding this:
1. Will I directly get a tax ID with tax class 3 now?
2. Or will I get a separate tax class now and once I have done my family’s registration as well, then I have to apply for a change in tax class?
3. Also, does tax ID change when we get the tax class changed?
Thanks in advance!
Hey Nik. 1. No, you will be in tax class 1. 2. Yes. 3. Sometimes. Depends.
Hello Bastien, I have read the article and most of the comments, however I did not find anything similar to my situation. I am a truck driver, and since 6th of January 2020 I am working on stoer 6 (this is what it says in my salary papers. I have registered address and received my Steuer ID. Because of this article, I know now that I can apply for change of my tax class online. The thing is : I can’t find in the forms my current class 6, and my wife’s class 0. My wife and child is in another European country. I have all the papers : birth certificates, marriage certificate…
If there’s no trouble, could You please point me to the right direction.?
Hey Atanas. As your wife and child are not residents in Germany, this is probably not possible as mentioned here.
Hi Bastien,
My spouse and I arrived for the first time in Germany in August 2020 and did an anmeldung. She doesn’t earn but we got assigned tax class 4. I realised this and submitting a tax class change form this month in 2021. Will I be able to claim the benefits for tax class 3 for September-December 2020 in my returns given that we registered as a married couple in August?
Thanks,
Anant
Hey Anant. Read this.
Hi Bastien,
Thanks a lot for this detailed and well covered article. My situation is quite peculiar, hence possibly not covered here but I think you can shed some light for me.
I started working for a German company from India (remotely) since March due to pandemic related travel restrictions. I did not have any tax number at the point as I did not register myself in Germany. My organisation has deducted tax hoping I would come one day and eventually, I did in September. I got a tax-id and have been assigned to Steuerklasse 5. My wife is not working and I would like to apply for changing my tax class to 3 soon.
My questions:
1) Since I started in September from Germany, am I a tax resident for 2020?
a) If not, can I get all taxes refunded for 2020?
b) If yes, I apply for changing tax class now and it gets updated in February (worst case scenario). Can I still get refund for 2020 due to tax class difference?
Hey there. I can’t answer this question as there might be implications on the indian side as well. I’d suggest getting in touch with a professional or ask your HR department directly.
Hi,
My husband arrived in Germany in December,2020. We registered as married in Rathaus and are married since 2016. I am working here in Germany since April,2020 and my husband has not taken up any job yet . My tax class is 1 . Would i be able to claim returns for these months when my husband was not here in my tax returns? How do i change my tax class now as the finanzamt are closed to public? Would a tax class change now add any benefit?
Hey Shravani. Did you read this? The process to change tax classes is the same, you don’t need to enter a Finanzamt to do it.
Hey Bastien, Great article.
If my tax class change in June as my wife comes late in germany, do i get benefit of that tax class for the entire year?
Hey Sohil. Mentioned here, yes. You can get back the difference with a tax return..
Hi Bastien,
I am working in Germany since May 1st, 2019. My wife and children are living in India so I am in tax class I. Can I change the tax class to 3? Or I have to wait till my wife and children move to Germany.
Hey Satheesh. Wait.
Hi, this is really good article. I did apply for changing my tax class after arrival of my wife ( first we did register her and I fill the form fro changing tax class). I did all of this in November but when I got my payslip in December my tax class was still 1 instead of 3 (not even 4 since we registered as married couple).
Right now because of COVID-19 situation they close the Finazamt to the public and I don’t know how can I contact the responsible office to help me. If you know any means of contact (which they respond to me) please help me.
Thanks
Hey Sajad. You can simply call your Finanzamt about that, providing your Steuernummer so the agent can look into it. It’s probably a slight delay on their end.
Hey Bastien,
Thank you for the great article. We changed our tax classes after we got married around June. And as far as I know we were supposed to get some money back from the tax authorities. Do you know if and when they send us any money?
Hey Sam. You don’t get money back if you change tax classes right after getting married. You then enjoy the tax saving benefit right away and can’t apply for a refund for any months in between. (That is unless they were slow to make the actual change after you applied. In this case, you can apply for a refund via a normal tax return.).
Hey Bastian,
I am on a dependent visa in Germany and currently pursuing a master degree from a German university. My partner is working full time here and having tax class 3. My tax class is 5. I have received an offer of paid internship. I will be earning 1/3rd of my partner’s salary. Should I change my tax class?
Hey there. That’s what this simulator is answering: https://www.steuerklassen.com/steuerklassenrechner/
Hello Bastian,
I am a master’s student, and I only started working this September. I haven’t worked for the whole year. I am doing 1 job for 11 hours/week and 1 job for 9 hours/week since then. For this month, I also have a short university employment of 6 hours/week. Could you help me understand the tax deductions. Thank you.
Hey Smruti. Not sure I understand, you can see a complete list of possible tax deductions on this post.
Hello Bastian,
I started working in Germany earlier this year in March.
Due to the pandemic however we decided not to move to Germany as a family and I was commuting back and forth to my country.
I am registered in Steuerklasse I despite the fact that I am married and have a child. My husband resides in another EU country and he earns significantly less than I do.
We are planning to keep it the same for at least another year.
Can I apply for tax class change to III as I have read somewhere that if your spouse resides in another EU country and the 60/40 rule applies,you are entitled to the savings.
Hey Efie. Did you read this?
Hi Bastien, great article again! Thank you. My husband works and live in the US. He is planning to move to Germany, and still work for his US-based company through a LLC that he will found in the US. He will likely earn than I do. Can we still register 3/5, when he arrives to Berlin, even though he does not have payslip to prove that he earns X amount at the Finanzamt?
Hey Demet. You don’t need to prove anything to the Finanzamt.
Hey Bastian,
I registered in Berlin on July 2020. Planned to settle in Germany. Never found a job in Germany. However now I’m getting tired of handling German beuaccuracy, because I feel like I might not stay here for more than a half year each year. I will work in another non European state. I will probebly visit to Germany just to see my family for long period. Still a student not in Germany. Should I keep my anmeldung or just do abmeldung? If I keep it, should I declare somehow that I don’t earn money in Germany? Can I transfer some money into German bank account from abroad? How does it work to avoid inconciences or problems with taxations?
Hey Rohn. It’s a lot to unpack and I can’t consult on something so specific. I can only give you general guidelines. If you aren’t going to be a German resident here (spending more than half the year here), then it doesn’t make sense to be registered here, be liable for taxes etc…
Hi Bastien,
I am working in Munich on a EU Blue Card and my wife (who also lives in Munich) holds a Language Visa. She hasn’t received her Family Reunion Visa yet. Would it be possible for me to change my tax class to class 3?
Hey there. If she is considered a German resident, yes.
I am in the process of seperation. At the moment i have stuerklasse iii and my partner v. With the current salary I could estimate the net amount I would be paying to my family. But, how to I estimate after divorce what would be my payments and what I would have for my self. Can someone show some pointers?
Thanks in advanc
Hey Rob. Use the Netto-Brutto calculator, and by using your Gross salary and the right tax class. You can make a quick simulation.
Hello Bastien.
I arrived this month to work for a german company. I am single so I understood that I would have class 1. However, my company is telling me to change my residence from spain to germany to have class 1, if not, they say that they must put me in class 6…. I only have one salary and a contract until the end of this year and I am not in a fixed house. I don’t really understand why they would need to put me in class 6. Could you please clarify?
Thanks
Hey Roger. This is correct: you can only be in class 1 as German resident. However, class 6 is indeed confusing since it’S for people with several jobs in Germany… It should be 0 instead. (Source to send to your HR department)
Hi, indeed, I also saw the class 0 in some links…. this tax thing is very conplicate.
Other links that I read were saying that for newcomers the company should put class 6 until the employee is not ‘in the german system’ but that it is not necessary if the employee stays less than 3 months… in my case I dont know what would be the way to follow
Hi, Great article.
My wife works for a Berlin based Germany company earining around €100,000(gross) per year and pays taxed based on being single – we got married in the last year. Since then I have also moved to Berlin and am registered here (we are both British) and I continue to work for a UK company. I earn circa £70,000 and pay tax on that in the UK.
Can she change to a married tax code (3) and benefit?
Hey LM. If you are both German residents now, you can switch classes yes. It doesn’t matter where you income comes from.
Hi Bastien,
Thanks for the article. I am single and I have kids. I am currently working in Germany (I arrived 2 months ago). My tax class is class 0 at the moment (I understand that this is the default one). I would like to change it to class 3 (single parent). What am I supposed to do? There is only one form to change tax class and it is only for married people.
Thanks in advance
Hey Ben. When you become a German resident, you switch to class 1, and a single parent, that’s where you belong too. A 3/5 combination is only possible with a partner.
Hey, I have changed to the 5 and my wife to the 3, as I am unemployed and receiving the unemployment benefit. Now the JobCentre is asking me for proof that I have changed my class. I thought that was internally communicated from the Finamzamt to the Jobcentre. Do you know how can I get this proof, that is being required from me? Any help is appreciated.
Hey Denny. For very German privacy related rules, institutions rarely exchange information like that. If you haven’t received a tax change confirmation from the Finanzamt, you can always call and ask them to send one.
Hallo,
I am a single working in Germany for last 2 years, I ll get married in India this December and ll travel back to Germany with my wife in December. I know that if I apply for a tax class change to tax class 3,it ll start from Jan 2021, but is it possible to claim the tax return for whole 2020 for the tax class 3?
Hey Vinod. Read this.
Hello
I am married but I moved to Germany in Sept 2020 alone as my wife is still waiting for visa. I am registered as Class 1. My wife is supposed to join me in April 2021. Due to Corona Travel Restrictions the visa process is getting delayed. once my wife registers herself in Germany, my tax class changes to 3. My question is then will I get the tax refund of excess deduction due to tax class from previous year(2020). We are married for more than 20 years.
Hey Ravi. No, see this. unless you qualify for this.
Hi Bastien,
thank you so much for this text! We have a question, I am working full-time, while my wife is on the maternity leave. We are planning second child, and 2 more years of maternity leave. Can we switch to 3/5 class in our case, and return to 4/4 when she returns to work? (our income is similar)
Hey Marko. I think this answers your question.
Hi I have a question. I have moved to Germany from England and I have a Teilzeit job of €648 p/m 15 hours per week. And a €450 mini job. Is my tax class I for the first job and also I for the mini job since it is tax free. Or I for the Teilzeit job and 6 for the mini job? I really appreciate your help in the matter.
Hey Ashley. Yes, it would be 1 & 6. That should be easy to check on the payslips.
hello!
If one of the partners is a freelancer and the other employed, how does this influence the choice of taxation groups?
The 2 are not related.
I don’t understand how you can save money with this settings. After doing the calculations, I see in the end you always pay the same amount of taxes as a couple. It just changes how much each person contributes and what you eventually have to pay at the end of the year. Did I miss something?
Hey Maria. Depends on the scenario with your partner. As pointed out in the post, there needs to be a big enough income difference.
Hello,
I got married in September in Turkey from a turkish lady, and it was officially documented in the court or the institute of the country. My wife waiting for an appointment in the German embassy in Turkey. she still can not speak German but already started learning and she is apparently not employed and would not be employed at least in 2021.
once my wife come to Germany and we changed the tax class for me, would I be able to retreoactively resume part of the tax cuts from the date we got married? or from the date she came to Germany? or for whole 2020?!!
Best Regards and Many Thanks
Hey Abdul. This.
We are not married but living together with my boyfriend and we have two children in addition to my two making it four. My boy friend is the only one working, which klass does he belongs to since it is was first 1/0.5 and now is 1/1. Is it correct.
Hey Sarah. If you aren’t married or in a registered partnership, you’d be both considered single.
Hi – My wife started worked in Germany since December 2019. I joined her recently and I’m not working at this moment. As per her payslips her tax class (Steuerklasse) is 1. We are confused on to which class we should change the tax class. Could you please guide us ?
Hey Hiten. Why are you confused after reading the post? Does it contain the answers already?
Hello
I am confused if I should check these 3 boxes in the tax class change request form
a)Ausdruck der
ELStAM gewünscht
b) Der Steuerklassenwechsel lt. Zeile 18 soll davon abweichend im Jahr der Eheschließung rückwirkend ab dem Monat der Heirat gelten.
c) Ich bin in der gesetzlichen Rentenversicherung pflichtversichert oder in
einer berufsständischen Versorgungseinrichtung versichert.(for my wife)
Hey Ammar. a)This is the ELStam. b) This is if you decide to apply the tax class change retroactively from the marriage date, if the application is made during that same year. c) Is she paying into a public pension scheme ?
for point c), no she does not have any income of her own at the moment. So I think I should mark it NO for my wife?
Hi, if I no longer live in Germany – left several years ago, but still from time to time get payments which are taxed via German payroll, will I be automatically in class 1 or even 6?? unless I file the form to change it?
Hey Ben. I don’t know how it works where you currently live so there might be local rules influencing of all of that. Can’t tell you, sorry. Can’t this company tell you how it works?
Hi,
I came to Germany by January 2020. My wife came here by March 2020. Currently we are in 4/4 tax class. I have changed the class by this month from 4/4 to 3/5. Is it possible to get the money back for past five months.
Hey Selva. As mentioned in the post, yes, when doing your tax declaration next year for 2020.
Hello,
I started working for a German company and got my tax ID last month but I still got the highest salary tax. HR told me that they do have my tax ID but they still haven’t received my tax classification from the tax office. Is it possible?
Thank you a lot!
Hey Barbora. I’d trust your HR people on this one. It can take a while indeed.
Hi,
I have changed my tax class one year later from 4 to 3. When I calculate now, I should get around 700 Euro more.
Is there a way to get it from Finanzamt? We are not declaring our taxes with Elster every year except that year, 2017.
Which form shall I fill in Elster or separate?
Thanks in advance for your answer
Best
Hey Salih. I’m not sure I get the questions here. Have you checked how your netto/brutto salary increased after your switch?
Yes, it has increased. But my question is that how I could get a refund for the period that I received less than it should be?
Thanks
Hey Salih. Depends, if you already did a tax return for that year or not. If so, then it might be too late.
Hi , I need to change my tax class to 1 from 3 since my family went back to India and not planning to return, please let me know how to change my tax class to 1 from 3.
Regards
James
Hey James. You can use the form mentioned in the post as well.
Hi Bastien. Is it enough to just sent the form in an envelope to the Finanzamt in your region?
Thanks!
Hey Martin. Send it to your Finanzamt yes.
Great thanks!!
I just moved to Dresden, I’m married and my wife stayed in Portugal with my child. What would be my tax class? 3?
Hey Joao. Right now, you are in class 1, otherwise look at this.
Hi! My partner and I are not married, but we have been living together for 5 years and we also have a child together. I undertstand that Germany does not recognize partnerships. He has a job while I am not working at the moment. May I know which category we fall under?
Hey Jo. Registered partnerships are recognized. Is that not the case with you two? If not, then you would both be considered single, in class 1.
my husband is in munich since last 1 year. he was allotted tax class 1. we are married for 5 years. i came to munich last month. i am allotted tax class 6.
now we want to go for tax class 3/3. I came on dependent visa. do i have to attach any document along with the form? is it possible to to change tax class in our case?
sorry we want 4/4 tax class. i had it wrong in my first comment
Hey Dipika. Your type of residence permit is not relevant, as long as you fulfill the requirements. You can proceed as you want from what i can understand.
Hello! I just got married in the beginning of this month. Both me and my partner are Brazilians and live in Berlin. He works, but I am unemployed atm. His tax class wa just changed to #3. My question is: I was told he was getting retroactive taxes from the whole year this year, but it doesn’t make sense to me, since we got married just this month – even tho we’ve been together for 7 years. Is this information actually correct?
Hey Nina. This is correct, as mentioned here.
Hi! I can’t access the form of “I just got divorced/separated, what do i do now to change class” Could you pls send me a link to it? Thanks a lot, this article is super helpful
Hey Tayla: https://www.formulare-bfinv.de/ffw/form/display.do?%24context=D48512F82C48916F31AA
I am an African and just finished my university studies. I have a daughter here and have inform my employer yet I still see on my paying slip ” kinder= 0″ where can I change this please
Hey Kubi. This may take a while.
Hey, If I registered my marriage this year 2020, and we (my wife and I) were automatically changed to tax class 4 does that count as the 1 change for teh year?
My partner does not work, so she doesnt bring in any income therefore we should be on tax class 3 and 5. If I apply this year in 2020 am I technically applying for my second change? Or does the marriage automatic not count?
Thanks for the article 😉 super useful!
Hey Will. You can request for a change only once if there is no new life events happening. You havent requested anything so far, so you are good.
Hi! I would like to ask if im qualified to change my steuerklasse from class 1 to 3. Im from Philippines, i’ve been working here in Germany for 2 years and i was able to bring my husband here this month. Atm he doesnt have a job yet. Am i qualified to change my Class even though my husband doesnt have a job yet?
Hey Jess. Current employment status bears no influence on the potential benefits of switching classes. Everyone can switch. Instead, consider if your current income difference is worth the switch.
Hello,
I’m married in India and I have permanent settlement permit in Germany. My wife is also indian national but she has residence permit in Hungary while she is student there.
How can I change my tax class from I to III?
Hey Dhaval, have you read this?. If my understanding is correct, you probably can’t do that.
Hello, I’m married having 2yrs old daughter and my wife doesn’t works.
– So which Tax class I fall under?
Hey Rudra. Depends, you could either be on a 4/4 or a 3/5 arrangement at the moment.
Hello! I would like to declare a tax class clange by sending the form here: https://www.formulare-bfinv.de/ffw/form/display.do?%24context=FF4FD7DA60A94F1AB1C4 .
I just started to work and my husband is unemployed atm. I have no idea in which tax classes we are in now. We received our Personal Identification numbers as soon as we moved in Berlin but never worked here. My husband was a student and i was dependant to him. Now I started to work and would like to be in class 3 but when i check the form i see that i should mention my husband’s tax class. How can i know his tax class? He has never worked here in Germany. I am really confused about how to fill that form.
Hey Rabia. You can ask your HR people about your current class. It will also be displayed on your payslips. If you have never asked for a tax class change and your marriage is recognized in Germany, then you are most likely 4/4 atm.
Someone once told me that the taxes you pay per year are actually the same for 3/5 and 4/4 and so the classes are somehow just temporary. Meaning that when you do the Steuererklarung, the total of taxes you and your spouse paid for the year before is the same, regardless of whether you are classes 3/5 or 4/4. Is that correct?
Hey Lucian. I’m not sure what you mean by this… Maybe they meant that it impacts your net salary only?
Hi, Can we change the Tax class in Germany . If both partners are already registered in the City but they are Non-EU Citizen and not living in together in Germany /EU. Infact, one partner is working in germany and Other is residing outside Non-EU country. In this case , is this possible to keep the Same Tax class – III and V combination or finanzamt can ask for the Tax Money back?
Hey Rajesh. If i understood your correctly, this doesn’t apply to you.
Hi,
I am married and work in Germany but my tax class is 1 since my husband didn’t register in Germany and lived in other EU country. Last week he moved to Germany and registered himself at Bürgeramt. He got his tax id afterwards as well. My question is do I still need to update my husband’s tax id to the Finazamt in order to change my tax class from 1 to 3 and my husband to 5, as he is currently unemployed in Germany? Also another question is how would I know my marital status in Germany? This sounds a bit tricky because I am not sure whether I registered my marriage correctly before or not. I don’t even know I got me tax class 1 was because they recognized me as an unmarried person or a separated person.
Hey Yu. Have you gone through this process to register your marriage in Germany? If not, then do it, then you will be 4/4 and then you can apply to be in 3/5.
Hello, thanks for the useful page.
I am a little confused by the ‘only relevant to employees’ part. I am an employee and want tax class 3 but my partner is self-employed so can they not have tax class 5?
One other point is that you don’t really save any money by changing tax classes to 3/5 as over the year you pay the exact same tax amount as you would in your yearly tax return with 4/4. You just get the benefits spread over the year instead of one payout at the end of the year.
Hi!
During summer of 2017 I did a mandatory internship in Germany (as an EU citizen). However, due to some problems with getting the SteuerID, I was never able to supply it to my company. On my Lohnsteuerbescheinigung there is only eTIN and SteuerID is blank – and I guess that’s why I was assigned Tax Class 6 (although I should be Tax Class 1). This year luckily I was able to get my SteuerID sent to my foregin adress. I would like to file a Tax Return form and hopefully get back the overpaid tax (I should not have paid it, as technically I was Class 1 and never reached the tax free amount – it was only 3 months work on an intern salary). Do I need to apply for a Tax Class change first? Or can I normally fill in the Tax Return form with my details (although the tax bracket 6 allows no tax free ammount)?
Hey Aggi. I’d make sure you changed tax classes first yes, if i were in your position. That might already be the case, since your received your SteuerID. Check this with your Finanzamt.
Hello,
Hello, Thank you for this fantastic website. It really provides very valuable information. I have a question that I hope you can help me with. I am canadian and have been working in Germany for a few years now. My partner (EU citizen) and I just got married. We have both been living in Germany, but my spouse has not worked. I understand that I will be put in class IV by default because I am married now, but my wife does not have a job. I would like to know what is the best option in this case? Should I change to class III and let my wife be put in class V even though she is not working? I have read a lot of information refering to spouses making significantly less but I am not clear as to what happens when your spouse has no income at all. I hope you can help me with this question. Thank you in advance! Kind regards
Hi
I have question that I just registered my marriage while my wife came from Pakistan last month. Do i have to update the finanzamt or they will automatically get notification/information from the wohnungsmeldamt. Thnaks
Hey Shahid. The Finanzamt should be notified yes, but sometimes it does take time. Be aware that by default, you will be on a 4/4 situation. You need to apply for 3/5, if you were interested.
i am filling the form for the tax office, Can you please tell me what i have to write in the 26, 29,33 and 34.
Hey Shahid. I’m afraid i can’t give advice on a case by case basis. That would require a little more than a line or two in the comments section of a blog. Would need a bit of time to talk about your profiles, cases etc.
Hi,
In 2019 we used to have tax classes 3/5 with my husband for approx. 2,5months on the beginning of the year 2019 then we both changed for class 4. Since 1.1.2020 we are not living together but we are still not divorced. My question is whether we must do the tax refund for the year 2019.
Hey Veronika. Have you seen this? I’d say probably, if i understand your situation correctly.
Hello,
Recently We updated our tax class from 4/4 to 3/5. My spouse is not working so she’s put on class 5. By default we got class 4/4 and after 6 months they updated to 3/5 and now we are charged with less tax than earlier. So when can we get the additional tax amount deducted for the last 6 months back, do I need to place any request or fill any form for that amount?
Hey Manish. this you can do with your next tax return.
My German/American wife and me (American only) intend on moving to Germany next year and I will become a resident. My income is all from retired pensions, no actual “income” per sie. My wife receives a pension from Germany and from the US and my US pensions are 2-3 times more than my wife’s pensions, so would that put me in tax class 3 and her in 5? Since all my pensions come from the US can I just file and pay US taxes or is there a tax agreement that does not allow that?
Hey Gary. Regarding double taxation, please check this post. US is a separate system on it own. I can’t really answer on this. Even if all your money comes from pension benefits, it will be considered income and need to be declared in Germany too, as such. Regarding tax classes, you should use the calculator i linked to, to see what makes more sense for you two.
Hi Friends,
I came to Germany in Feb 2020, my wife was pregnant and so she stayed back in India. Due to current covid situations, all the embassies are closed in India and she is not able to apply for VISA.
I am married since Feb 2019, here my tax class is category 1 as my wife was in India. Considering a case that she may not be able to come before end of 2020, is it still possible to change my tax category to 3? Or can this case be taken as covid related exceptions to get tax benefit for the year 2020 later when she comes here sometimes in 2021?
Hey Binod. If you don’t qualify for this, i doubt they will make an exception. You can ask your Finanzamt too.
Hello
I have filled the PDF form from ”August 2018′. Can I send it or I must fill this one?
And where I should send it?
Can you please tell me the Email or the post address where to send this filled form?
Than you in advance
Kind regards
Hey Levan. Send it to your Finanzamt, as mentioned in the post.
Hi Bastien!
My future wife is a german citizen who works and lives in Germany. I am Croatian national, however, I will be living and working in Croatia or China. We will be married in Germany. Do you know maybe which class tax we will have?
Thanks a lot.
Hey Marko. Have you see the dedicated section in the FAQ? In you work and live in China, you won’t be able to be in a 3/5 arrangement.
Hi!
Thanks for all the information on your website and I still have one question: I moved to Germany for a new job mid-2019 and my wife and kids are moving here after the summer holidays. When I got hired, I told my employer’s HR department I was married but now I see my Tax Class in the Tax Certificate is “1”.
I already read #My_partner_is_living_abroad_can_i_still_change_class” but… is it possible to ask for a refund as “married”? The reason I am asking is because other person mentioned he had a Tax Class of “4” and his wife was still outside Germany (implying that he was not classified as “single” like me). I am ordinarily resident and subject to unlimited tax in Germany, and my wife does not work. I have only one source of income, which is my German employer.
Many thanks for your very helpful website!
Hey Ricardo. It seems that i need to be more accurate in this paragraph. It is possible to be on a 3/5 or 4/4, provided your partner also lives in a EU country (+ Switzerland) AND has EU (or Swiss) citizenship. Will amend now.Source.
Thanks Bastien!
My wife is not an EU national but an EU resident under EU law as the spouse of an union citizen. Based on a quick translation of the text in the link, seems that the spouse nationality is irrelevant as long and the spouse is resident in EU, EEA or Switzerland (which is my case). So it seems that my employee should had entered Tax Class “3” instead of “1” because I am not a cross-border worker but a ordinarily resident (I understood that cross-border should apply to the Tax Office for this Tax Class).
I will ask my employer about this to hear what they say.
Do you think I should try one of these online tax refund Apps to process my refund as “married” even though my certificate states Tax Class “1”? Would it be rejected my the Tax Office? I have tried three of there, two of them do not support foreign addresses, and the one that does seems that it would allow me to complete the whole process as “married” entering my wife’s foreign address and leaving her “Identification Number”.
One of these Apps told me about the “antrag auf vergabe einer steuerlichen identifikationsnummer für nicht meldepflichtige personen durch das finanzamt”. Is this something that would apply on my case?
Many thanks again!
Ricardo.
I mean: leaving my wife’s “Identification Number” blank as she does not have one of course!
Good input there thanks. Which app were those? I’m interested to know. This is completely up to you to decide, but it’s maybe best to stick to the current Finanzamt truth as a single person and try to get extra return at a later stage.
Hi Bastien, thanks for your reply.
I read your posts about how to change Tax Class and this form is shown “Antrag auf Steuerklassenwechsel bei Ehegatten”, this seems to be good when both spouses/partners live in Germany.
I checked my local Tax Office website and I found this form “Antrag auf Behandlung als unbeschränkt einkommensteuer-pflichtiger Arbeitnehmer nach § 1 Abs. 3, § 1a EStG für 201_ (Anlage Grenzpendler EU/EWR)”, this seems to be good when both spouses/partners live abroad.
I cannot find one for my case, which is “Im Inland wohnhafte EU- bzw. EWR-Gastarbeiter, die den Familienwohnsitz am Wohnort des Ehe-/Lebenspartners in einem EU- bzw. EWR-Staat bzw. in der Schweiz haben.” I tried different searches to no avail… hope you can shed some light on this too!
Thanks again for all the time you put into helping others!
Hello, I have used the info on website a lot in last 2 years, thanks !
First time I have a question 😀 – We have Blue card, and tax class 3/5.
My wife is not working here, but has prospects to get some online freelancing work in India, amount ain’t going to be much max 3-4 Lakh INR (1Lakh = 100K ) annually.
Already got 1 around 80K INR in Indian savings account. ( paid 10% TDS as well in India on that income )
How should we best declare that income – there is just 1 client from which work and money will come (Client will pay only in INR)
Is it okay to pay income tax for that amount in India.
Do we have to show that income while I file ITR here in Germany ?
Will it impact our tax class here in Germany ?
Hey Siddarth. Have you already read this piece about avoiding double taxation?
Hey there,
My husband and I got married in Australia end of last year, but went travelling straight after returning to Germany middle of March when everything was in lock-down.
In the last month, we registered our marriage here, changed tax class to 4 and now 5 and 3 (I am employed, he not). We recieved confirmation today that this will affect us from next month (August).
There are still two things unclear to me:
1: Will I see a difference in my monthly income from August?
2: When we do our joint tax claim for 2020 in 2021, will they consider us married and with these tax classes for the full period 2020 or just from August?
Many thanks!
Hey E. 1- Yes, probably. 2- From August only, but you will be able to get the difference from months prior.
Hi,
I have a query regarding tax class change. And reimbursement.
I am from India working in Germany from Jan 2020.i am currently in tax class 1 And my fiancee is a student studying in Germany from July 2020
And i will be marrying her in India and getting a marriage certificate in the month of November 2020..
Is it possible to claim the tax class 3 refund for the year 2020 ??
Hey Shiva. As mentioned in the post, that is only possible if you can change tax class before the last day of November.
Hi, I am from India and I work her on short term visa in Germany. I previously came in 2017 when I was not married. Now I am married but my tax class is still showing as 1. My wife is employed at India. Should I change my tax class? I already received income for few months here in Germany with tax class 1.
Hey Leander. Have you seen this?
Hi Bastien. I would differ in your assessment of this. It is possible if the partner is resident of other EU/EEA country as well and one can prove the same. In my case I am employed in Germany and Wife lives in Sweden and I was moved to class 3 from 1 when I asked for that and provided related documents.
Hey Arun. That’s an amazing bit of info. Could you direct me to the source to support this so i can add it in this post? It’s the first i hear of something like this.
I am a student in Germany. I went to work for two weeks in February for another company whilst doing another job. After that two weeks I was only doing one job but I am being charged for tax class six. How do I change it since my job is even less than €450 and I am currently doing just one job.
Hey Bettina. You can call your Finanzamt to ask why that is the case. An adjustment should be made automatically after a little while.
Hello,
I have applied for tax class change from Slab 1 to Slab3 in Feb 2020, was Told it would be updated by April. It’s not yet updated even in June payslip. When contacting my HR, I am not getting any good reply. Can anyone let me know what has to be done in this situation
I live with my girlfriend and have a kid. We come from Mexico and are not married (we just live together). She is not working. Can I apply for tax class 2?
Hey Alex. Appartently, you can’t. Source.
Hi!
I got married in February in India. My wife and I working in different cities in Germany. We want to apply for tax change to 3/5 as my wife earns less. Should we submit some documents while applying? Also, do we need to have our marriage registered in germany for changing tax class? If yes, could you please tell how can we do it?
Many thanks in advance!
Hey Tharun. See here for the guide about marriage registration in Germany.
Hi,
Thank you for the info. I have started to work in germany since 1 Sep 2019 with Bluecard. I have married on 2013 in my country but my wife will join me in mext 1-2 months. Then after her registration can I apply for tax return for the whole time (from 1 sep 2019 until now)?
Hey Amir. No, that’s too late for 2019 but you may do that for the month in 2020.
Hi! My case is that i am married since march 2019 and i got my wife to germany (Registered) on the 17.12.2019. i got the tax id later and i changed my self to tax class 3 on the 14 of jan. 2020. When i called the Finanzamt the told me that in December i was tax class 4 which is equivalent to class 1. However my wife didn’t work so it is possible to change my tax class in 2019 to be class 3 and do the tax declaration to get the difference back ?
Hey Mohamed. No, because you did the tax change request too late in 2020. Won’t be able to apply that retroactively for 2019.
Then in this case as long as she came here before 31-12-2019, i can do the combined tax return with her ? Would that help my situation ?
Hey Mohamed. I’m not sure about this one because there is a chance she would need to have been liable for taxes in 2019 in Germany too, which requires German residence for more than 6 months i believe.
Hello!
We have been in Germany for a year and as I earn more than my husband, we are a 3/5 taxes range. We just separated and he is keen to change the taxes range to a 4/4, as he gains significantly and I lose a lot.
2/2 is slightly fairer than 4/4.
How do you prove you are separated?
Hey Helene. Do you mean divorced or separated?
Hello,
I am Italian, married with a Brazilian and live in Italy. I found a new job in Germany and move in July. My wife will be in maternity since the end of July until end of December and will join me in Germany in November. She is thinking to ask parental leave for other 7 months, from Dec until July 2021, then she will be unemployed. Will I be in tax class III since the beginning? Can she be resident in Germany since November during her maternity leave here in Italy? Do you recommend for her to quit her job earlier and apply for Entergeld?
Thanks,
Gio
Hey Gio. Only when your wife is moving to Germany and your marriage registered, you will be able to have a 3/5 situation. Otherwise, you will be considered single. To be considered resident, your wife has to move and register here. I won’t recommend anything to your wife, that’s for you guys to say.
Hi Bastien,
thanks for your answer, really appreciate, all is clear now. Just one last clarification, would my wife be eligible for Elterngeld even with an Italian contract, or would she considered as unemployed in Germany? In other words, to calculate the Elterngeld allowance, does Germany consider also other EU work contracts?
Thanks a lot,
Best Regards,
Gio
So if i understand this source correctly, it tells me she would not be eligible for Elterngeld in Germany.
Hello, Thanks for the information. I am a masters student currently doing Pflichtpratikum. My wife recently moved from India and she is having fulltime job. By default after the city registration she is classified as tax class 4. Can you please let us know what tax class category we should ideally be classified as? 3 and 5?
Thank you so much !
Hey there. You may use this calculator to evaluate the best option.
Hello, thanks for the reply. It looks like 3 and 5 would be more suitable for us as I am earning less than my wife. However, I had some doubts in the form. 1. Do we need to fill section C? 2. We do not have a Steuernummer. We only have Steuer Id and that is the same as Identifikationsnummer. Is it fine to keep Steuernummer field blank?
Regards.
Hey Ab, yes, leave it blank for now.
Hello! Thank you for the post, very helpful.
I still have a question though, maybe you can help.
I moved to Germany in 07.2019 and my wife in 08.2019. At the time I was classified as class 4, but my wife wasn’t here yet and even when she arrived she had no job. So I changed to class 3 around october. My 2 firsts payslips were discounted as class 4. I would like to know if it is still possible require a refund of the difference of the amount between class 4 and 3.
Thanks in advance.
Hey Felipe, you can do that by filling a tax return for 2019.
HI,
I moved to Germany last month and my wife is still in India. She will be joining me later this year.
So do I need to get my tax category changed now and also can I change it again when my family is in Germany.
Hey Sudhir. No.
hi do you now how many months i have to wait to claim my taxes i have work 3 months last year. have nice day
Hey Lavdim. I don’t get the question, can you rephrase?
Hi! Really great website and useful information. Thank you for this.
I recently started to work in Germany (March 1st). It’s me having a job in Germany and my husband who is living with me but not working currently (housekeeper).
When I received my first pay slip I ve noticed I was put on class 1 even if I specified to our HR that I am married, and my husband is unemployed. My net salary was considerable diminished due to this. Maybe you can advise me with whom I should take this up, my HR or Finanzamt? I consider to be HR mistake, but maybe I am wrong.
Thank you in advance.
Hey Ana. Is your marriage registered in Germany yet?
I get registered at local KVR office with my wife and 2 year old kid. My wife is not working here. As I see my salary slip it is mentioned TAX CLASS 4, but it should be 3 due to which more tax has been deducted. Is there any way to change it to class 3. Please suggest. Thanks.
Hey Manish. Well, all the info is in the post really… Make sure your marriage has been registered in Germany.
Can I send the document via DHL to finanzamt? Do they accept courier? What all the documents they need apart from the filled in form? Somewhere I saw that I need to go personally to Finanzamt for changing the tax class. Is it ok if I send in the form via courier?
Hey Amit. You can send it in via Post.
Hello,
I am starting a job in Germany, Munich, this month. My husband and daughter still reside outside, but in an EU country, until the year ends.
My husband is employed there. I was told that as long as my husband works in another European Union country and is taxed there, I can still claim the Tax III level in my Anmeldung. Is this valid? I receive varied information. They will ultimately move here before November next year.
Hello Effie. have you seen this?
Fantastic post, thank you very much!
I have a quick question:
Is a registered civil partnership equivalent to being married, in order to get 3/5?
In a nutshell: I’m moving to Germany, but we are not married. Can we register our civil union in Germany and get 3/5?
Thanks!
Hey Esteban. “Eingetragene Lebenspartnerschaft” are treated like marriages.
Hi SiB. We live in Germany. My husband (who earns significantly more than me) works for a UK employer and under the Double Taxation treaty with the UK is not liable for tax on his income in Germany. At the moment I am in the same position. We have filed tax returns to date explaining this and had no problems. So far we have not had to declare a tax class because we haven’t been paying tax on our income here. I am getting a locally paid job in the near future (still being paid less than him). What class do I declare and how do I then file a tax return against that? I’m trying to think it through and it almost seems like I should declare myself as single, but that can’t be correct. Any suggestions would be gratefully received.
Hey Carrie. That’s a great question and i think a wee bit too much out for the humble man i am. You’d better be asking a Steuerberater. I think you should still be under 3/5, since you are married and a German resident.
Hi, I am working in Germany from 11.2019 and I was in Tax Category III(I registered this category when I did “Anmeldung”), in February 2020 I got reduced salary and when I checked my Tax Category was changed from III to I. me and my spouse aren’t EU citizens and she isn’t living here in Germany. how can I change category back to III? is it possible?
Hey Hattori. Have you read this?
Thanks, So as I understood to solve the issue, I have to bring my wife here in Germany and register as resident. In this case is possible to change TAX Category.
am I correct?
Hey Hattori. Yes, that’s the idea.
Hi Bastien, thanks for the post, it is really helpful. I have arrived in Germany in the beginning of February 2020, I’m married and my wife is not working. We both did the town hall registration and I sent the class change form to our Finazamt trough the post about a week ago. I have received my first payslip and I understand that I still have class 4, but once it changes, when can I ask for a tax refund ? Only next year? Thanks!
Hey Gomez. Yes.
Hi! I am working in Germany and hold Blue Card. Recently I got Permanent Residence Card. I was married on 7.01.2019 and my wife will come to Germany on 02.02.2020. Can I Change my tax class from 1 to 3 and Is it possible to return tax for the marriage?
HEy Sumon. Once your wife becomes a German resident, you will be able to apply for a tax class change yes. I don’t understsand the second question.
for 2020, you will get the tax return according to tax class 3. For 2019, unfortunately you have to pay tax according to tax class 1.
Hi! I am married but we are not living together due to the nature of our jobs. We both are non-EU citizens. I live in Frankfurt, Germany with my kid who is 5 years old and my husband lives, works in SG. My husband is regsitered here and having a depedant pass to visit us often. .Our tax class is 4 from Jan 2019? is this the right tax class or should I change it to Tax 1?
Hey Bob. Have you seen this?. It should answer your question.
Hi, thank you for the very helpful information. I’ve just arrived to Frankfurt in January, and I noted that the tax class applied was 3/3 while my wife is not working. The marriage was submitted in the town hall while we both registered ourselves. I would like to use the ‘Antrag auf Steuerklassenwechsel bei Ehegatten’ in the link but noticed that in part C, it says ‘201x’ (like if were only applicable for up to 2019), so not sure if there would be an 2020 form ?
Thank you very much for the help and support on this.
Best,
Giacomo
Hey Giacomo. I don’t see it like you? I can enter 2020 in the online version.
Hello, i live in essen, i have 2 kids (11 years and 10 years ) with my partner and we are all living together in the same house, although i am not married to my partner. We are living together with my partners first child who is thirteen years. My partner works part time e.g( 450 a month ) an i work full time. Which tax class do i belong, at the moment i have tax class 1.
Hey Raph. Only married partners and “Eingetragene Lebenspartnerschaften” can be using the 3/5 tax classes.
hi,
My wife is not in Germany now and I am a part time worker so if I get a minijob, which tax class will be applied to me ? thanks
Hello, I just moved to Germany and got my second salary. But I was surprised to see in my pay slip that the tax class mentioned there is 6. Any Idea whose fault is it? I am just employed at one place and do not posses additional employment.
I am single person leaving in Germany and my spouse and kid is in my home country.
Hey Manzoor. It’s maybe best to ask your HR department directly. It’s probably a mistake and if it is, you can get back the difference doing a tax return.
Hi, my husband is employed in Germany since 2019 and I was unemployed. He filled out the Antrag auf Steuerklassenwechsel bei Ehegatten, chose the 3/5 combination and we both signed it and send that to the Finanzamt. This year I got a job and we are wondering do I have to go the Finanzamt with the same form or will I automatically be Klasse 5, since my husband is Klasse 3 and I don’t need to go to the Finanzamt ? We are still choosing the 3/5 Klasse.
Hey Dharmica. You don’t need to submit a new form to stay in the 3/5 configuration no.
Hi! I got married in January 2020 and I want to change our tax class number, my wife did the tax declaration last year and I did not which means I don’t have a Steuernummer to fill in the point 1 in the tax class change document. What would be the best way to continue, do the tax declaration this year (last year except January and December I was on unemployment benefits) and get also a Steuernummer or let my wife fill the application.
Hey Janar. Why don’t you have a Steuernummer? Did you register in Germany yet? If you have ALG1, then you probably have one already.
Hi! My husband just did the Anmeldung in the municipality of Munich. We are married for two years now however I was treated with tax 1 until yesturday. Now I am doing the Steuererklärung, is it possible that I get refunding for the fact of being married even before, let’s say during 2019 which was my first year earning incomes in Germany?
Hey Ela. As pointed in the post, it’s too late for 2019.
Hi, thanks for your article. Could I ask if we can change the tax class for a period of time in the past only? Since I arrived to Germany to work from 8/2019 with my wife (my didn’t have job yet at that time), so our tax class should be 3/5. But I didn’t know much information about it that time -> my tax class for that period is 4. Could I changed it back to 3 at the moment (1/2020)?
Hey Dung. No it’s too late.
Damn 🙁 my all payslips from 8/2019 were on tax class 4, does it mean I need to refund tax by the gap between class 3 & 4?
Hey Dung. If anything,there would not be anything to refund at all. Class 4 is less advantageous. It’s probably good.
Hi Bastien,
Thank you for your post! I have a question in regard to the filling of the form as I am receiving unemployment benefits from the Bundesagentur für Arbeit. Together with my husband, we want to change our tax class to 3/5 as we got married recently.
My question is what should I fill in the section 32 of the form, where I have to state my income (Voraussichtlicher Jahresbruttoarbeitslohn aus dem ersten Dienstverhältnis?) Should I add the current amount I receive every month from the unemployment agency or to add in zero here?
Thank you!
Hey Roxana. It clearly says “Jahresbruttoarbeitslohn”, which refers to salary, and not benefits. So maybe you put 0 or maybe, since it’s an estimate of your future income (“Voraussichtlicher”).
What a great website you have here! Thank you for this.
I have a question, maybe you can help.
I am married in this 3/5 classes. We are separating but still not divorced. Can we change the tax class if we still live together? Can we change to class 1 or 4?
The point here is, the one in class 5 could easier get an apartment with a higher netto income…
Thank you.
Hey Isabel. You need to be officially divorced first.
Hi,
I got married on 26th December outside of Germany. I am going to register our marriage at the end of January. I am interested will I be able to get tax refund for 2019 as a person in tax class III (Married), because technically we got married in 2019.
Best,
David
Hey David. No, because of this.
Hi! I am married but we are not living together due to the nature of our jobs. We both are non-EU citizens and living in Germany. My husband earns more than 60% of the total household income. In that case, could we move from tax class 4 to tax class 3/5? Thanks
Hey Nghia. I don’t think it’s necessary to have the same address to be on 3/5.
Hi, I was registered in marriage outside Germany in September 2019 and my partner is on Blue card dependent with me since then. Could I apply for tax rebate for the months in 2019 (sept, oct, nov, dec)