Tax return in Germany for foreigners made easy – Steuererklärung
Interactions with the finance authorities is almost always something we want to avoid. However, doing your tax return in Germany can not only be super easy, but also prove to be quite profitable. That’s right: you could probably expect to get a few hundred to a few thousand euros!
If the “how” is the part that worries you the most, let me assure you that Germany has come a long way the past few years. Foreigners have been blessed with many other way to do their tax return in Germany in English too.
So dive in with me into this broad introduction.
Even if it’s not your first year here, the average tax return in Germany is close to 1000€ nation-wide. Now that’s motivation!
The long road to your tax refund in Germany:
Before your panic when thinking “I haven’t done my tax return this year!”, let me assure you that there is good chance you won’t have any problems with your Finanzamt if you forgot to file a tax return. It might not be compulsory.
Should I be doing one?
It is compulsory for self-employed people. For employees, it is only compulsory if they are in one of the following situations:
Income sources
- Additional income (not from salary) higher than 410€ in total.
- Salary replacement income (like unemployment benefits, Elterngeld or Kurzarbeit Geld) higher than 410€ in total.
- More than one employer in the year.
- More than 2 salaries (like a full-time job and a minijob).
Family situation
- Married with tax classes 3 and 5, or both 4 “mit Faktor”. More info on tax classes here.
- Divorced and re-married the same year.
However, it’s almost always a good idea to submit a tax declaration in Germany, even you are not in the situations above. There are many ways to deduct expenses to lower your total taxable income, even as a student or when unemployed!
You have already paid your taxes throughout the year, now your job is to obtain as much refund as you can! I show you how in this guide.
How to do my tax return in Germany
Doing it on your own with Elster
You can skip to this part if you need help.
From 2022 on, the ministry of finance has made away with paper forms. It’s only possible to submit a tax declaration digitally. That’s where ELSTER comes in.
ELSTER (ELektronische STeuerERklärung) is the name of the free official tool edited by the ministry of finance you will use. With ELSTER you can:
- Find all the forms relevant to your situation (as listed below).
- Input your personal data securely.
- Save drafts at any point.
- Pre-fill some of your information to save time.
- Contact your local tax office directly.
- Receive your final tax assessment faster in digital form.
- Get an answer faster from the tax office.
- Easily have an accountant connect to your data.
- Bonus: Use built-in Chrome translate function to understand what the forms are about. rocessing of your info
This tool is relevant for all tax payer profiles: singles, students, couples, families, employed or freelancing.
This is how you sign-up for Elster:
- Navigate to elster.de and go to “Konto erstellen“.
- The most common option for foreigners is to receive a “certificate data” to start the account. Think of it as a key to prove your identity.
- Pick “Zertifikatsdatei” as an option & “Auswählen“
- Pick “Für mich“.
- Pick “Mit steuerlicher Identifikationsnummer“
- Enter your name, email & your tax ID, (not your Steuernummer, your tax iD. Read this guide about tax IDs for more details). Enter your user name, pick your security question and the answer to that question.
- Tick the terms and conditions box & click “Weiter“.
- A single use password will be sent by post to you within 10 days. With this, you will be able to download your certificate data on your computer & pick a permanent password.
- Every time you want to login on Elster, you’ll need to upload your data as well as using your user details.
Here are the most commons forms for tax return in Germany
If you are an employee , you need the following forms (e.g for 2022) :
- ESt 1A 2022 or (The main form that details general info like your address, iD nummer,etc)
- Anlage N 2022 (The form to detail your income as an employee)
- Anlage Vorsorgeaufwand 2022 (The form to detail your insurances)
If you are self-employed, you need the following forms (e.g for 2022) :
- Est 1A 2022
- Anlage S 2022 (Freelancers only)
- Anlage G 2022 (Gewerbetreibende only)
- Anlage USt 2022 (if you pay V.A.T)
- Anlage GeSt 1A 2022 (Gewerbetreibende only)
- Anlage EÜR
Other common forms include:
- Anlage Sonderausgaben: to document special expenses you want to put off in taxes. This would include pension contributions, education costs, donations and a lot more.
- Anlage Außergewöhnliche Belastung: to document “extraordinary” expenses in case of traumatic events, health issues or handicap.
- Anlage Haushaltsnahe Aufwendungen: to document home related services expenses such as your cleaning professional or renovations.
- Anlage Kind: to document expenses related to your children.
- Anlage Unterhalt: to document financial support provided to other members of your household (eg: spouse, relatives with no income).
- Anlage V: to document rental income.
- Anlage AUS: to document income from outside Germany (except salary)
- Anlage N-AUS: to document salary income from outside Germany.
- Anlage AV: to document a Riester-supported pension scheme.
- Anlage VL: if you received or want to receive vermögenswirksame Leistungen.
- Anlage SO: in case you sold property that is not your primary residence, less than 10 years after purchase or pay alimony.
- Anlage KAP: to document income from financial assets.
- Anlage R: in case you are a retiree and want to submit a tax return in Germany.
- Anlage L: to document income from farming or forestry.
- Anlage U: to document alimony paid to ex-partners or spouses.
- Form “Einwilligung zur elektronischen Bekanntgabe“: this is where you specificy you want to receive your tax assessment in digital form only.
How to fill in Elster forms
Honestly from there, i will gladly direct you to one of the best guides made in English around by our good friends of ToyTown Germany. It’s a bit outdated, but it still gives a good overview. It is very neat, clear and complete to do your tax return in Germany in English properly. I don’t see how i could give better information on how to fill in all those forms.
I need help filling in my tax declaration in Germany, how does it work?
If you are not so good with numbers or a bit scared of doing mistakes because of the German language, there are other ways to do your tax return in Germany.
Good value for the money: self-help online platforms
If this is too much to do, there are also online tools that make it super easy to get your tax declaration in Germany right for a maximum return. New platforms have appeared the past few years to help expats do their taxes 100% in English. They offer the following:
- You can do your tax return in Germany in English.
- Your hand is really guided step-by-step with the tool in a clean interface.
- Check in real time how high your return will be.
- Save progress at any time when you register for a free account, only pay when you submit.
- Submit everything to the Finanzamt online directly.
- Call a English-speaking hotline if you have questions.
In that space, i would recommend the following 3 providers:
TaxFix (39,90€ per submission) or Wundertax (34,90€ per submission): Pick this if your situation is relatively simple: employee or student, no income from abroad, no income from rental, etc. The interface is particularly clean and aimed at high processing speed but they don’t support all profiles yet.
SteuerGo (30€ per submission): Pick this if your situation is a little more complex: self-employed, married with kids, income abroad, pensions, income from property etc. For self-employed people, it also lets you do additional forms like (Einnahmenüberschussrechnung (EÜR), Umsatz- und Gewerbesteuererklärung). Interface is a little noisier but it supports almost all profiles.
SteuerGo does not support one case: if you have had a foreign employer that year. In this case, you can turn to platforms like SmartSteuer which also supports that (No English though).
Worth it if you have a more complex situation: a Steuerberater
You can also turn to professional tax advisers in Germany for this. A Steuerberater is a trained agent capable of preparing, processing and submitting your tax declaration in Germany. They are accountants usually experienced into finding particular rules that is relevant to your tax profile to optimize your return. Even if their fees are controlled by certain laws, you usually have to pay a few hundred euros for their services. This is why it’s only relevant if your situation is a bit more complex like earning relatively well, being married, having kids, owning a house and having different sources of income. It’s also quite normal for freelancers and self-employed persons to have one.
Full guide on how to find a good English-speaking Steuerberater (in Berlin or anywhere else in Germany).
I am ready to submit my tax return, what now?
If you have decided to go with paper, send all forms together to your Finanzamt, without forgetting to sign them. If you have signed-up with ELSTER already, it’s all a matter of a click. With self-help platforms, you will need to pay a fee in order to submit it to the Finanzamt.
After this is done, you will probably wait for 1 or 2 months before you get any answer. You will receive what is called a “Steuerbescheid“, which contains the final assessment made about you from the Finanzamt. Hopefully, a little ka-ching will appear on your bank account some weeks after that. You can now afford this awesome ebike you spotted, or else, paying for your next trip back home.
Alternatively, the Finanzamt might ask you to provide proof for certain things you stated in the forms, or provide additional documents. In this case, expect even more processing times. Make sure to submit a response in time! Here again, if you need more time to gather those documents, you can simply ask for a little more time.
Freelancers – Make your life easier by using a book keeping software
All bookkeeping software sold in Germany use the same standards than the tax advisors do. This means that you can easily let somebody access your data and do the hard work for you. No need to go over each details, saving you and your Steuerberater a lot of time. And this is not even talking about all the time and stress it can save you in the day-to-day business. I have reduced my time spent on bookkeeping by 80%.
You can find recommendations for book keeping software here.
The impact of the Corona crisis on your tax return in Germany
You need to account for support your received
Living in Germany has been a blessing during Corona times. The country has had a healthy budget in order to support freelancers, companies & employees with support packages. Many of us have received support with public money in one way or another.
The money you have received from the German authorities need to be accounted for in the tax return made for 2020 and 2021. This could come under different forms. Some examples:
- Kurzarbeit Geld: if your employer reduced your hours, the German state has compensated for your lost income in the form of Kurzarbeit Geld.
- Corona grants/aid/support money for freelancers: This has taken different names like Corona Zuschuss, Überbrückungshilfe, Neustarthilfe or Härtefallhilfe. In some cases, the application had to be done by your Steuerberater, so they would know where/how to include it for you. For this you use the new “Corona Hilfen” form. Those aids are also to be accounted in your general profit statement (EÜR/Gewinnermittlung).
- Compensation due to legal restrictions: you could not work because of restrictions measure (Infektionsschutzgesetz Entschädigung)
- Krankengeld: if you were infected by the Corona virus and weren’t able to work because of it. You probably have received support money in this case too.
Basically anytime you received public money, it should appear in your tax declaration for that time window.
There is a chance you need to pay some of it back
You know how it all went. The times were uncertain, some measures had to be applied very fast. In some cases, German authorities have applied the rule: “Pay now, ask questions later”. This had the result to pay more to some that didn’t need after all. In this case, the Finanzamt might take this into account and ask some of it back.
For Kurzarbeit 50 for example; those who have worked partially within a month and only received short-time allowance for the lost part. In that case, the employer only withheld wage tax from half the salary.
Doing your tax return after leaving Germany for good
For a lot of us, our love affair with Germany might not last forever. In this case, there are plenty of items to take care of on your way out of the country. One of them is not to forget to do a tax declaration the year after you leave the country. Example:
I left Germany for Denmark in 2021. In 2022, I can still submit a tax return to the Finanzamt from Denmark, as a Danish resident.
Even if you aren’t a German resident by the time your submit your forms, you can still get money back. The process doesn’t change all that much. You just need to pay attention to these points:
- Use Elster or one of the providers listed above to send your documents to your Finanzamt digitally.
- Indicate your current/new address in your new country in the forms.
- Communicate your new bank account details:
- IBAN / BIC/SWIFT
- Bank name & address
- Bank account holder name
I personally checked with my tax consultant as well as with the Finanzamt: they have a internal process/protocol to handle tax returns for people located abroad, so there should not be any issues and everybody gets their money eventually. However, they do recommend to keep a German bank account to reduce potential costs and speed up the process.
Tax return Germany – FAQ
In theory, the deadline is to the 31st of July of the following year (for people that obligated by law to submit one). However, you can ask for an extension if you are short on time. Using a Steuerberater allows you to have even more time, as they have until February of the year after to do it (eg: a submission in Jul 2024 for the year 2023). Be aware that there is a penalty of 25€ per late month.
Important note: employees whose sole income are their salaries are not required by law to submit a tax return. This means that the deadline moves to 4 years in the future. For example, you can do your tax return in Germany for the year 2020 until the last day of 2024. Even more importantly:
As an employee, you can claim a tax return for up to 4 years prior the current year. Pretty handy if you forgot to do it those years to maximize return.
If you feel like you are running out of time, you can let your Finanzamt know before the 31st of July you need more time. They usually give you an extra 2 or 3 months to do your tax return in Germany. If you are working with a Steuerberater directly, they can even do until the year after!
If, like me, you love to play the optimization game, you are surely interested to know which expenses can be put off in taxes. I have made an overview of possible tax deductibles for Germany on this post, for employees, freelancers and students. Self-help platforms usually support most of them and help you make use of them.
It takes between 8-12 weeks for the Finanzamt to process your files and obtain your tax refund in Germany on your account. It’s usually quicker when sending everything out electronically. A poll made by a tax payer’s association uncovered the following waiting times to hear from the Finanzamt:
18 % have to wait about 6 weeks
32 % 6 to 12 weeks
32 % up to half a year
18 % longer than half a year
If you think the Finanzamt made a mistake to process your case, it is possible to protest and open a case (Einspruch) to explain your situation, within one month after receiving the Steuerbescheid.
When this happens, your wage is being taxed at the maximum rate possible. It is possible to get the difference between that rate and the normal rate back when doing your tax return the following year.
If it’s your first year in Germany, it’s very well possible that you don’t have a Steuernummer yet (although you should have a Steuer ID already. Yes, they are not the same confusingly enough. More on that here.) In this case, just leave this field empty, and the Finanzamt will assign you a Steuernummer after your tax declaration.
It used to be the case that the Finanzamt would request the tax payer to prove any and all expense stated in the tax declaration. As you can imagine, that was just lot of paper to process. These days, the Finanzamt will request proof on a case by case basis only, in case they have a doubt or if the amount is rather large.
Beware however that you should still be able to prove those expenses even after the tax return has been processed. It is recommended to keep all relevant receipts for 10 years, especially for freelancers.
The Finanzamt requires of all German residents to declare any and all income sources, even if they are coming from abroad and have nothing to do with your life here. If that income was already taxed from that country, you might avoid double-taxation if it has agreed to a tax treaty with Germany. If so, you can do that by filling the Anlage AUS – Ausländische Einkünfte for your declaration. More info about that here.
Absolutely, you can do a tax return in Germany for the year you left the country. The Finanzamt will transfer you the money in your foreign account if you give them all the necessary information, and a specific request to do so. You will very likely support the costs of the transfer on your own.
I hope this overview helped you to get started on your tax return in Germany. Feel free to ask questions in the comments. All comments are read. Answers in the comments do no constitute professional advice and should not be treated as such. When comments can’t be answered, i usually recommend other solutions or resources. 🙂
Hi Bastien,
Appreciate the thorough and helpful article! My question is regarding receiving the Steuerbescheid 2022 digitally via Elster. I completed and submitted my taxes the past years through Elster, and for the last two years ticked off a box and gave my email address on the Hauptvordruck anlage to receive my Steuerbescheids digitally. But for 2022, I don’t see that option. What’s the way to receive 2022’s tax return also via Elster and not in paper form? Do we have to fill out the Form der Bekanntgabe des Steuerbescheids in order to do so? Just want to make sure I didn’t miss the box to tick to receive it digitally. Thanks for any help!
Best,
H
Hey Hinna. That’s a great question. I can write details about that in the post. This Elster FAQ gives you more details on how to proceed. You need to go to „Formulare und Leistungen“ then „Einwilligung zur elektronischen Bekanntgabe“. Let me know if that helps.
Hi Bastien, Thanks for this great article.
Can I ask: I received my tax assessment four weeks ago, and it said I am due a refund, and that it will be paid to my bank account. However, I have not received anything in my bank account yet. Is this normal, or could there be a problem somewhere?
Many thanks, and all good wishes,
John
Hey John. Glad you found it useful. The FAQ has section about that. You are well within the normal time. It can be anything from 6 weeks up to half a year, depending on your case. Does that answer your question?
Thank you so much for the easy to understand article 🙂 I am a non resident freelancer and only brought in about 900 total euro this year. Does this simply my tax filing at all- it’s just such a small amount to do so much paperwork for.
Hey Leesa. Can you clarify what you mean by non-resident? If you are truly not a German resident, you should not be filing your taxes here.
hello, very helpful article
however, I really need help for my specific situation
Specs: Citizen of India, Tax class #1
I arrived in Germany in Aug 2022 and now, will leave the country by the end of Sep 2023. During this time, i haven’t filed any returns
– I understand that i am eligible but not sure should i file for both the years together or separately?
– I tried taxfix app but it only gives an option for 2022 so is it better to apply for both the years at once, after i leave?
– Could you please share some contacts for genuine tax advisors?
Hey there. You cannot file both years at once. Each are filed separately. Since the tax year 2023 is not over yet, you will have to wait until 2024 to be able to file for 2023. I cannot recommend tax advisors but you can find a guide on how to pick one here.
Hi Bastien,
Thanks a lot for the information in the article. I have a question. I forgot to report the information of a summer job I had in 2022 in my tax declaration. I would like to ask you if it is possible to resubmit/correct the tax declaration? Do you know how to proceed?
Thanks
Hey Jules. It is possible to submit again to correct it yes. When did you submit it in the first place?
Hi,
I worked in an EU country for the majority of the year in 2022. I then moved to Germany in August 2022 and started freelancing here.
I found a tax advisor to fill out my tax return and told him I earned money in my home country and in Germany, he said I do not need to pay tax and filed my tax return for me. He sent me a copy but I found it weird that I did not have to sign it.
Also, I had to pay no tax because my income in Germany was less than 9000. However, my total income from both countries for 2022 was more than that … I read online that I should pay tax based on the total income. Could it be that the tax advisor made a mistake? What happens in this case? Am I liable to any fines?
Also, the receipt I received from the finanzamt only showed the amount I earned in germany and had no inform about the amount I declared while working in my home country.
Hey Nads. I would trust the advice of a certified tax advisor. I don’t see a reason to distrust their opinion. If they were somehow not accurate, you don’t risk anything because they did it for you: they are liable for any mistakes in the eyes of the Finanzamt.
Hi and thanks for all the valuable info! I believe my case is a bit special: I have never been a resident in Germany but I have invested in 2 rented apartments in Eastern Germany. I live and work in another EU country where I am an employee just like my wife. We pay taxes on our wages in this country of which we are nationals. We are not Germans. The apartments we own in Germany are in both our names. I have received a letter from the Finanzamt that we need to submit a Steuererklärung but I have no idea which form from Elster we should fill in and submit. Could you please help us? Thank you very much!!! Best wishes.!
Hey Andy. As owner of property in Germany that is rented out, you still remain partly liable for taxes in the eyes of the German authorities. (More info on this post about the implications of that). If that is the case, you would probably need to use the forms Est 1C (and NOT Est 1A) together with Anlage V, which details income from rental property. In doubt, please reach out to a professional.
Hello,
I hope you re doing well.
I am a Vietnamese graduated student in Poland. From 3/2022-8/2022 (6months). I lived and had paid internship in Stuttgart, Germany.
After 6 months internship, Im going back to Poland and still stay here so far.
I was wonder about tax return, my income for 6 months in germany got from my internship salary.( in total gross 11.100€).
I asked someone and they advised I can submit Est 1c for limited tax liable.
Would you confirm if thats correct? and to do so – can you give me some recommendation about software or service?
Im not quite sure about how much I can get back – because I am afraid lf service fee would higher than tax refund.
Thank you so much
Best regards,
Bao Anh
Hey Bao. Yes, that’s a possibility. You can check the self-help software I listed in this post. They only cost about 30€ which would well worth the potential return you’d get probably. Reach out to their respective customer service if they can support this type of form/situation.
Dear Bastien,
I would love if you can answer to my query, I would really appreciate your professionalism and experience.
I was working until mid 2022, when I god fired and been of Arbaitloss Geld! I decide to declare my Tax refund, did it over TaxFix, where they calculate that I need to get 590e refund. I send the paper, together with their statment to my Tax Office and I got back that I actually need to pay 1000e euro back! Not sure how’s that even possible? How can TaxFix be wrong? Also, how can I return something if I’m on the Arbait loss geld? Any tips or advice would be amazing? Thank you so much 🙂
Hey there. It’s unfortunately not possible for me to answer: only somebody looking thoroughly at numbers could tell. You should contact somebody more qualified for this. TaxFix makes an estimate, but it’s an estimate only. Remember that you can protest this decision by the Finanzamt to try to correct it (as pointed out in the FAQs).
Hi Bastien, great article! Thanks for all the info.
One question: I moved to Germany along with my wife & child in January 2022, and started working. My wife does not work. I was given a tax class 4/4, as that is the rule for immigrants when they enter Germany.
Recently, in Feb 2023, I realised that I had to change my tax class to 3/5 and I did so, and now, since Apr 2023, I get a slightly higher salary due to this.
Now, how can I get back the extra tax I paid during 2022? I probably should file my tax returns for 2022 for this, but where in the forms or App can I mention that my tax class was wrong last year and that I should get back the extra tax I paid?
Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks!
Hey Santosh. This will happen automatically if applicable, since the Finanzamt is now aware of your new tax combination. (Source)
Hi,
I’m hoping someone can answer this… My husband and I lived in Germany for 5 years and moved back to the US in June 2022. We deregistered before leaving and filed both US and German taxes in the 5 years we were there. Should we be receiving the annual income statements from Germany so we can file taxes for last year? And if so, who can we contact to get these forms if they don’t arrive in our mailbox?
Hey Trine. I’m not sure: which forms are you talking about now?
It’s the statement that the employer sends out in January or February summarizing your income for the past year. I think it might be called “Lohnsteuerbescheinigung”.
Yes, your employers should still send you that document, even though you have moved out. You should reach out to them/HR to make sure you receive them.
Does my dad need to pay tax on pension he receives from Germany? We have received letter from Germany about tax calculation. How can we avoid paying this? do we need to fill in a form?
Hey Sarah. If pension is already taxed in the country it originates from, you can make use double-taxation treaties between that country & Germany. You will still need to report that income in Germany, but no/less taxes will be paid on that. More info on that dedicated post here.
Hi Bastien,
Thank you very much for your useful article!
My husband and I moved to Berlin last year in September 2022, from Belgium. We both worked for Belgian companies and paid the respective tax in Belgium until we both resigned end of August 2022.
I started as a consultant (self-employed) in Berlin from September 2022 while my husband has not and is not earning an income.
For the annual tax report of 2022, do we declare that we earned income abroad (whilst residing and working in Belgium). We were not residents or linked to Germany in any way until we left Belgium and arrived in Germany?
As said, we were not residents of Germany from January – August 2022 and of course paid tax to Belgium over that period.
We registered ourselves in Germany from the start of September 2022 and received all the necessary Tax numbers, ID’s and joint steuernummer etc.
Thank you kindly.
Hey Danielle. You are correct. In 2022, you have been less than 183 days in Germany so you were not tax residents in Germany at that point.
Hello Bastian,
Thank you for the great guide and info. I’m in a bit of an odd situation that’s been difficult to find specific information around—I had regular jobs over 2020 and 2021, but had been. moving around flats as well during this time.
I finally got around to filing my 2020 and 2021 taxes with taxfix, and the pleasant surprise was I would receive refunds for those years.
Unfortunately, the address I used to file was not correct (and one for which I did not have an Anmelduing :/
I was wondering 2 things:
– When filing taxes, do you use your current address, even if you were living at a different address in the given tax year?
– If so, can I refile my taxes from my correct address or do I have to amend or withdraw my filed taxes in order to refile with the correct address?
Thanks so much
Hey Alex. 1- You use your registered address yes, even though it is different than for that year. 2- For such a small correction, you can simply get in touch with your Finanzamt, in order to know where you should address your correction to. That can be done via a simple letter; no need to use a dedicated form.
Hi Bastien,
I sold my flat and left Germany last year. I lived in it for 3.5 years, all the way until hand-over. I know the sale profits will not be subject to Speculation tax. But I have two questions…
1.) do I fill out the Anlage SO form? (That seems to be for properties that were used as rentals.)
2.) since it was my residence over 3 years, and although it won’t have Capital gains taxes, will it be taxed as if it is income? Also, if so, is there an exemption amount that is not taxed? I’ve read different things and it is not clear to me how is this handled?
Thanks in advance!
Hey Chris. 1. My research tells me that if you don’t pay the speculation tax, there is no need to use the Anglage SO. 2) I have also read different things so it might be best to ask a professional. Perhaps the estate agent that you worked with could give you pointers. A Steuerberater would also be able to tell.
In general, any income should be declared, even if it won’t be taxed. Good luck!
Hi Bastien,
Thanks for this thorough guide. Question: on this page it states that one (in my case a Kleinunternehmer) doesn’t need to fill in the EÜR form unless you make more than 22.000€/year, but I’ve read on Toytown and elsewhere that since 2017, all freelancers are required to fill it out regardless of their income. Do you have any info regarding this? Thanks again for your help!
Best,
H
Hello H and well spotted. I think I’ve left that there because there was confusion regarding digital vs paper forms a while back when this changed. I have removed this sentence because it is incorrect. All self-employed people need to do this indeed. (source here again for good measure). Thanks !
Hi Bastien,
Thank you for your invaluable help.
I find myself in a situation where I don’t really know where to seek counsel, so I hope that you would perhaps have an idea on the matter.
I am in the process of doing my tax return for 2021, as I was unemployed for the whole year, I know that the unemployment benefits that I received were not taxable.
I took the year to do a vocational training and wanted to know if it was relevant to claim that or not.
Would be really grateful if you had any idea about this.
Many thanks in advance,
Stephania
Hey Stephania. If this training can be considered “Weiterbildung/Fortbildung”, then you should definitely put it in. That would go under the “Sonderausgaben” (max 6000€ overall). Use GoogleTranslate on this page for more details.
Hi,
Thanks for the detailed explanation on the process.
I have a question – I left Germany earlier this year for good after spending 1 year there. However, I did not register for ELSTER while I was there. How do I do it now since I don’t have an address where it can be received by post?
Hey Adarsh. Excellent question. Is there a reason you would need Elster access now?
Hi Adarsh, how you were able to solve this problem? I am facing very similar case.
Hey Bastien, great article! Lot’s of useful details.
However, I still have some questions specific to my situation, which I was hoping you could help my answer.
Background: I am an EU citizen. In the first part of 2021, I was living and working in my home country, where I had several sources of income (salary as employee and self-employment). On 1st June 2021 I moved to Germany and started to work for German company. Since then my only income was salary from my German employer.
I would like to file my tax declaration for 2021, but I am unsure about the income that I received prior to moving to Germany:
1.) Do I have to declare that income?
2.) How do I correctly declare that income?
Hey Matej. Glad it was useful. 1) Yes, you have to declare any and all income, regardlesss of where and when you made that money. Now, that doesn’t mean you will get taxed on the part you earned before you left in Germany. Check this guide for more details. 2) Anlage AUS & N-AUS as pointed out in the guide. Some self-help platforms also support that case. Make sure to ask their customer support if they do before.
Hello, i hope you can help me. I was in Germany from November 1st until January 31st 2022 as an exchange student. In this period i was receiving my salary (from my homeland) and scholarship. Also, i applied for health insurance in Germany. I left the country and i received the form for tax return. Am i obliged to submt it or not? I am confused (and scared a litle bit).
Hey Joan. Where did you get this scholarship from?
I received this from Erasmus+ Scholarship, but was payed thorugh Institution in Serbia
From Erasmus through institution in Serbia.
Hey Joan. From your description, it looks like you were never a resident as far as taxes go, since you stayed so little time in Germany. In that case, you would not be liable for taxes in Germany, but in your home country.
Hi,
Can house rentals be considered as an expense and minus off in the income tax? What items can a foreigner declare to reduce the income tax?
Hey Zarena. Do you mean the amount of your rent? Or rental income as a landlord? You can find a list in this dedicated list about deductible expenses in Germany.
I left my job (employee) and Germany on April 30th this year. How soon can I apply for a tax refund?
Thanks
Hey Gareth. For 2022, you will have to wait for 2023. But you can do 2021 already.
hi Bastien,
i lived in Germany for just under 15yrs, and now in the UK for the last 226yrs. i retired in 2016, and recieve both uk and german state pensions. my ife does not yet get a pension but recieves no income of any sort, thereby, no tax or statement from the uk tax office. i wish to declare joint assessment with the german tax office but find the process both super complicated from the german office and quite useless from the uk office. i have already declared my income to the german tax office and i have to pay german tax and a backdated sum, because i am marginally over thre threshhold. if i declare joint assessment i would then be under the threshhold and pay zero tax. trying to do this is proving to be a nightmare.
Dear Bastien,
First of all, I want to congratulate you on this article. It is very detailed, almost answered all my doubts. Your courage is also crazy, how you answer all these questions.
My question would be:
I worked in Germany for two months without a Steuer ID (maximum tax rate applied).
I did not register my address Anmeldung because I lived in sub-sublets or hotels.
All the documents that I have are 3 payslips and some paper from the insurer (TK).
Do you think I still can apply for a tax refund?
Kind regards,
Vaszilisz
Hello Vaszilisz. Are you still not registered and with no Steuer ID to this day?
No. I was living in flats where I could not get Wohnungsgeberbestätigung or hotels, so I did not my registration.
When I wanted to do so, due to COVID-19 I could not get a quick online appointments (Termin vereinbaren) at any nearby customer service centre (Kundenzentrum).
Therefore I had to pay pretty high taxes, and now I was wondering whether there is any change to get back those taxes as all of the money theoretically would be tax-free.
Hey Vaszilisz. Yes, that’s possible, as mentioned in the post. However, you need to register first and get a Steuer-ID.
Hello Bastien,
I have a concern about my situation as it is not clear to me whether I am obligated to present my tax return for the year 2021.
I have moved to Germany for working in November 2021 from a country outside Europe where I worked for the past 6 years until September 2021.
My tax clearance in the country I came from was done and completed successfully before I left the country and came to Germany to start working here (otherwise I would not be able to leave the country and start a new job here in Germany)
Is it considered I had 2 employers in the year 2021?
Is it considered I received income from abroad? (even it was only my salary while I worked overseas and I already paid my taxes and did my tax clearance in the country I came fro
Hey Marta, since you moved so late into the year, you probably won’t be considered liable for taxes for that period. The 6 months threshold was not crossed (Source). So you don’t HAVE to. However, it might still be worth it.
Hi Bastien – I am under the same scenario as Marta: Lived and worked abroad in my home, non-EU country and paid taxes there until September 2021. My husband and I started working here in October 2021, which matches our Anmeldung. We submitted our tax returns, but they are stalled and we are now being asked to provide pay slips to prove our means of living for the period Jan-Sept 2021. Do you think this makes sense? Could we be taxed for what we have already been taxed in the country where we actually lived?
Thanks for your time and information!
Hey Laura. Yes, it makes sense because if you do submit a tax declaration, you have to show any and all income you have had this year, regardless of its origin. In most cases, this does not lead to double taxation. I’ve written a whole guide on the matter here for more info.
Hey!
First of all thank you for all the guides and help, you’re a life savior!!
I have a question about how to declare in my tax return the income I got from unemployment. I got the relevant Leistgungsachweis document from the Arbeitlossagentur but I don’t know if I should declare the net amount that I actually received in my bank account or to add to that the amount that was given for Rentenversicherung. The document I got has them both but separately so i’m not sure how to proceed..
TIA!
Hey Dimi. You’re weclome! The lowest amount that you actually got in your bank account. (source)
Hi,
I want to submit my tax return under employee category but I’m not able to do so as I cannot find ESt 1 V form which is mentioned on the website. This is the first time I’m filling my return in Germany.
I can see ESt 1 A, ESt 1 B, ESt 1 C, ESt 1 D but not ESt 1 V. Where can I find it?
Thanks
Hey Jagruti. Thanks for pointing that out. It’s a mistake in the last update I made to this post. ESt 1 V is not used from year 2020 on. From 2020 on, please use ESt 1 A. I will clarify in the post too.
Hello,
Really appreciate the kind of information being provided on this website.
I have got query regarding my German tax return for 2021.
I was in Germany till Jan,2021 (for 1 month in calendar year 2021) and will be filing tax return for same duration.
Though i am in not in Germany anymore and don’t have any German bank account also.
however, i do have friends in Germany , So can i put their bank account for refund and do i have to fill “Notice of Assignment / Abtretungsanzeige” to get tax refund in other person bank account?
Thanks,
Pratik
Hey Pratik. This source tells me that this Abretrtungsanzeige is a tool to transfer the claim of a creditor to another creditor, when someone has debts. I don’t think it is not designed for cases like yours. The bank details don’t have to match so you can simply put your friends’ details instead.
Hi Bastien,
Found this article very useful. I wanted to ask you a question on tax refund — I was a Masters Student in Germany from 2017 to 2020 and wanted to check if I am eligible for any tax refund in your opinion (please note that I did not have an income from any jobs during the period of my masters)
Seperately, I worked in Germany in 2021 for 2 months and have since moved abroad. In the tax return should I provide my address abroad for all correspondence?
Thanks
Hey Vijit. Yes, even as a student with no income, you can submit a tax return. However, some tax deductions are only possible if you also have taxable income that year. If you can, it’s preferable to use a German address for correspondance with the Finanzamt.
Hello Bastien,
Thank you for your article. Super insightful!! I had a quick question with respect to filing taxes after leaving the country. I worked in Berlin, Germany, for 10 months in 2021 and am now leaving the country. I asked TaxFit about putting my Indian bank account for the file return for 2021, which they said is not possible from their app. Is there another way you can recommend me, so that I can leave in peace? 🙂
Thank you in advance! 🙂
– Arun
Hey Arun. If you have somebody you trust here, you can add their bank details for the return on TaxFix. This person would then transfer you the money afterwards. Alternatively, you can open a cheap/free account with cheap international transfers like Wise just for that purpose, and close your account afterwards.
Hi Bastien, This article is fantastic, I must say.
Just have a quick question about unemployment benefit ALG1 and tax return. In what cases should a person pay income replacement benefits like ALG1 back to the government as the whole point of having granted that money is to help you cope with a moment of adversity in the first place? The benefits are supposed to help you pay expenses etc… not set aside as savings. In that case, you no longer have that money or part of it to pay back.
Anyway, just wanted to understand in what cases they could request a “refund”.
Thanks so much.
Hey Dave. Well, you never pay back ALG1, but you still have to declare it. In theory, if ALG1 were not due (because you cheated and actually worked somewhere else or something), then you’d need to give money back. But that’s an edge case if you were doing the wrong thing.
Hello
I worked for 4 months and quitted job in June 2021. Can I claim tax now for 2021? because I will leave Germany in a couple of months, or do I have to wait next year for 2021 tax claim?
Thank in advance
Best
Hey Sera. That’s right, you have to wait for 2022.
Hi Sera, were you able to declare your taxes outside Germany? If yes, how was the process? Thanks in advance,
Hello Bastien.
I submitted the tax return one month ago, but I already moved back definitely from Germany to Spain (where I come from) and I will not be able to receive the letter with the tax return answer, as I already moved out from my german flat. Furthermore, as I am not living there anymore, they won’t be able to find the address with my name and deliver the letter.
How can I know the tax return answer and whether I need to deliver any further document or they have accepted my tax return?
Best regards and thank you very much in advance,
Cristóbal.
Hey Cristobal. You can use the services from the Deutsche Post to redirect any mail you might receive at this address, to your new address in Spain. See here :https://www.deutschepost.de/de/n/nachsendeservice.html
Hi Bastien,
I don’t have some of the Lohnstuerbescheinigung to fill the tax in online software. What should I do in this case?
Hey Shruthi. You should have received one from your employer. If not, you should request it.
Hi! Thank you for this article. I received a 5k grant for being a self-employed person during the first corona lockdown and need to include it in the tax return form but i’m not sure where I am supposed to put it, could you tell me in what form/under what title it needs to be included? Thank you!
Hey Hannah. Those aids need to be accounted in your Gewinnermittlung, as well as in the special new forms “Corona Hilfen”. More info on how to do that here.
Super article! Thanks Bastien!
Would love an update or a separate article with a review of Wundertax and TaxFix.
Thanks Gabriel R. Maybe you are able to provide one?
Bastien, thanks for the post, it is very helpful. After reading it I have some questions… I started working in Germany last year, and it was assigned to me the steuerklasse 1 (by default), instead of the number 3, what I have just now (this is my first month in this cathegory). It is possible to get back money for the extra taxes I payed last year boecuse of the wrong steuerklasse? It is possible to get it throught an online platform?
I hope you can help me!
Thanks!
Regards
Javier
Hey Javier. As mentioned in this post about tax classes, it’s not going to be possible because you need to have changed classes before the end of the November, for the year you want to get that money back.
Hi Bastien,
I worked for a few months last year. I was wondering if I can file my taxes, if I won’t be filing taxes next year. I was told that I can’t file them because I have to file them every year. But, this year I’m in Germany with a residence permit for a language course which means I am not allowed to work and last year (when I worked) I was allowed to work.
Hey Ornela. I don’t really understand your question.
Hi, I changed jobs in 2020 and now I don’t know how to file taxes with 2 Lohnsteuerbescheinigungs. Should I simply sum up the amounts and put it in one form? If I put them in different forms it looks like I have to pay extra?! which is weird for me… I’m using wundertax btw..
Hey Nazan. I don’t how this would work exactly on Wundertax, it’s perhaps best to ask customer support directly.
Hey there,
I hope someone can help me.
I’ve submitted my tax return via TaxFix about a month ago.
Today I’ve received an email, that I have a letter waiting for me on the Elster platform, which I registrated last year or so.
I have no clue about my logins, so now I should apply for the activation code again – but my question is: will I get this letter which I got via Elster in the post as well?
I really hope Elster is not the only way the Finanzamt to contact me.
Hey Reka. You can ask for new codes again yes. It will take a few days to arrive by post.
Hi,
Thanks for the information. However, I have a query. I left Germany in September 2018. Now i wish to file income tax return for 2018. How can i do it? Is it possible? Please help!
Hey Gaurav. You can still do it. Address it to the Finanzamt corresponding to your last known address in Germany. You have the same possibilities as the ones listed in the post.
Hi Gaurav, we’re you able to solve this problem? Could you please give some hints? Thanks in advance
Hi,
I received the tax bill in which tax officer has determined my refund amount, and it was mentioned in the letter the amount will be refunded in my given foreign bank account whose IBAN number was mentioned in the letter.
How many days it usually takes for refund to be credited to the bank account ? In my case, since its a foreign bank account, I assume it can take slightly longer time than usual.
Regards,
Amandeep Singh
Hey Amandeep. Depends where the bank account is located. If it outside of the EU, you should account for several additional days delay on top of the normal timeline. It normally takes between 2 to 3 weeks.
Thank you for your reply.
The bank account is located in UK, which is still in EU for all practical purposes I suppose (despite Brexit). So, if I understood correctly, if it is within EU its 2 to 3 weeks ?
Regards,
Amandeep Singh
Hey Amandeep. Sorry for the typo. I meant 2-3 months.
Good day Sir,
Thank you for nice information.
Just one thing- What is average return for single person?
Like 1000EUR Net, how much aprox. % is return?
If worked few months, got 6k net, its worth to try get back tax?
Thank You very much.
Hey Edgars. I can’t tell you. Depends on many many parameters. It can be worth it yes. You can use some of the self-help platforms to calculate what you return would be by entering your information. You can do this for free and decide if it’s worth it or not.
Hey, I left Germany in 2017 and I applied for the Tax return for 2016 in September 2020, But until now 24-03-2021 I have not received any money in foreign bank account not even steuerbescheid. Its been more than 6 months now and this delay is getting on my nerves. Whenever I call finanzamt, nobody understands english. Is there anyway I can complain about my Tax officer/Tax Office ? They are least interested in replying to my emails either. Please help me way out of this situation. Thanks
Hey Jibran. I’d suggest to approach someone who speaks German, who could clarify this for you.
Hi Jibran, were you able to solve this problem? Thanks in advance
Hi Bastian,
I had filled my taxes for the year 2019 in January this year via Taxfix. As I had left Germany in Sep,2019 I had provided my friend’s address living in Germany for correspondence. Now that I left Germany in September hence I earned salary in my home country for the months of Oct,Nov and Dec which I showed as my foreign Salary. Finanzmant has sent a letter at my friends address asking for the proofs of it. They suggested I can do it electronically via elster or some other form of communication. I am unable to create a account in Elster now coz I dont reside in Germany. So how can i send them the proofs?
Hey Sanjana. You will have to explain that you cannot create a Elster account as you are not a German resident anymore, and they should let you know what the best alternative is.
Hi Bastian, Are you able to recommend a tax consultant. I worked in Germany only 2 months in 2020 after which I relocated to the US. So I need to get a refund of the tax I paid in 2020.
Hey Shailendar. Can’t recommend anybody specific I’m afraid.
Hi,
I submitted my tax return for year 2016 through Wundertax. I live outside of Germany. The tax officer has been communicating to me over my email through which he requested for more information. Now he has calculated the final refund amount and asked me if I would like to receive refund in a different bank account (other than my German bank account). And yes, I need this refund in my other bank account which is in the UK.
That is what the tax officer wrote in his email:
“I need an original sign on a sheet of paper- no scan (UK bank account).”
I wrote a letter on sheet on paper with my UK bank account details, signed and scanned it and sent it over to him. But he replied that he needs an original sign on a sheet of paper- no scan (UK bank account).
Can someone help me understand what is he asking from me ? How to do I send my signature in email without scanning ?
Hey Amandeep. He probably means you need to send them the original copy with a letter, by mail.
Thank you. Understood now, will send him by letter/post.
Hi,
The tax officer has asked me to send him a message through MyElster with my bank details where I want refund and he mentioned I have MyElster account. I had filed my tax return (which is my first time) through Wundertax.
Before filing my tax return, I tried to register and create account on MyElster but I was unable to as I live outside of Germany and could not receive certification file (needed to login to MyElster). Subsequently, I got my return filed through Wundertax and the bank account for refund mentioned was my Germany bank account (now I want to receive this refund in a different account which is outside of Germany, in the UK).
Can you please guide me how can I can access my MyElster account and send him this message via MyElster ?
Hey Amandeep. Why cannot a letter addressed to your Finanzamt be enough?
Hi Bastien
Thanks for the informative article. I did my tax return for last 3 years using steuergo, had many mistakes I believe and learned some from there and other online content.
I have question about the situation I just realized. It is about an trading account I opened 3 years ago and never had the idea that I should also report that, because mostly no profit in total and more loss. So, I only reported einkommensteuer from my salary statements. Recently understood that it should be reported.
The question is how to handle that? I mean should I ask for resubmit for all 3 years adding numbers related to trading? If so, can I do it by myself or only a Steuerberater should do?
And about this year, to include the tradings in the tax return report, is it easy to do it by myself using steuergo? Or there are technicalities and complexities that better be done by a tax advisor.
Appreciate your advice.
Hey Mehdi. A tax advisor can help you optimize your tax return but in my opinion, it’s also valid to go through this yourself, as your situation is still relatively simple. In your case, it might be helpful to go through a tax advisor as it may maximize your chances to avoid/minimize a penalty, should the Finanzamt decide there is cause for that. Since the numbers are so small, I don’t think you should be in too much trouble though. Good luck!
Hi there, we´ve been living in Germany for year and a half and last year we got a tax refund but this year it seems that we owe 4.000€. Is that even possible? We used Taxfix and SteuerGo and both of them made different calculations. Very confusing& frustrating
Hey Niki. That’s simply not possible for me to tell. It depends on so many parameters. In doubt, you should consult with a professional.
Hey thanks for the info, I made my 2018 and 2019 tax return on the 27.02.2020 , I got a return for the 2018 after some weeks , now we are in 2021 still no return from my 2019 tax return.. what could be the problem… patiently waiting for your reply
Hey Abi. No idea. Call your Finanzamt to ask.
Hi there!
Do I need a German physical address in order to use Elster?
Thank you!
Hey Mich. Yes, since you will receive your logins/password by post.
Hi Bastien,
Thank you for your reply. I’m outside Germany and need to file my tax return. Would I be able to file it in paper via mail then? Or I also need a local address in this case?
Hey Mich. As mentioned in the FAQ, yes it’s possible.
Hallo please i would like to know if a person doing Ausbildung for three years is also allow to Claim a tax return
Hey there. Yes, you can do it.
Hi, I am studying in Germany from 2018 until now. I have done part-time jobs throughout my studies. I want to file a tax return. It will be helpful if anyone can guide me. Let me know which transactions can be included when i apply for tax return. and which expenses I am eligibile to claim back. Thanks in advance-
Thanks, I found the information about the different forms really useful and helpful and thorough! Personally, I couldn’t find a suitable self-help platform for the ones you suggested and I thought I’d share my experience:
Whilst Taxfix is all in English, I find the app very hard to use. You can’t go back to change something once you submit it (or perhaps you can at the very end, I didn’t get that far), and the explanations are not very informative.
Whilst SteuerGo has detailed explanations of terms and you can go back to change form entries normally, the translations are not always understandable and I have puzzled for hours over the meaning of a single term.
A friend used Sorted for freelance work and said it was incredibly easy, but there isn’t an option for an employed person by the looks of it.
In the end, I’m going with SteuerGo, mostly because I’ve used it before and I’m a bit more confident with my German than I was last year! Thus, I hope to understand the German transliterations a bit more.
Hey there. Thanks a lot for taking the time. I appreciate it!
Hi Bastien,
thank you very much for this great guide, that’s the clearest I’ve found so far (I’ve got the feeling the ToyTown own is a bit old, isn’t it?).
I have a question regarding two points:
* It is mandatory to send the Steuererklärung if an employee had “more than one employer in the year”. But does that mean “two employers at the same time” or “if you changed job during the year”? Don’t both employers detract the needed taxes automatically?
* “Anlage VL: if you received or want to receive vermögenswirksame Leistungen.”. Aren’t VL already counted for taxes in the payroll? Is this form only for people who want to request a Arbeitnehmersparzulage?
Thank you very much!
Fabio
Hey Fabio. I’m glad you found it useful. I had to check again: German sources state that it’s compulsory if you have multiple employers at the same time. VL & Arbeitnehnersparzulage: this is a good source about it.
Thank you very much Bastien!
Hi Bastien,
Firstly, very great work and write-up you’ve put together here. It is indeed very relevant and useful.
I have a few questions as follow up to Fabio’s and have explained them below.
How about if in 1 year (2020) I have changed jobs? i.e. January to April with Employer A, then May to December with Employer B.
In all of these, Taxes were filed by my Employers, and salaries were different. Should the taxes be filed separately for each Employer or together in one document? If together is recommended, could doing it separately yield a different result? Which?
Second part or complication here, is: in the year preceding the tax year in question (2020), I got married and my wife is European and was resident in Germany then Switzerland and now back in Germany in mid 2020 (read the EU and Switzerland are considered if partner is resident here). I have successfully had a change of Tax class to Class 3/5. What will be your recommendation or guidance on how many Months we are to file the refund for in 2020 (considering we got married in December 2019)? Any other hints to note, ahead of filing the tax?
Hey Nii. If you do your tax return on your own, or if a software, the forms support this use case. You can’t really optimize how you fill this in for a better result. I don’t really understand your second question.
Hello. I’m married and did my tax assessment alone and now I would like to cancel what was submitted to finanzamt and do a joint assessment with my husband. Is it possible? Thank you
Hey Kerr. Yes, it is possible but if you want to do it without a Steuerberater, it’s probably best to wait for your Steuerbescheid to arrive, and then do an Einspruch to resubmit it completely. More info here. It would be faster with a Steuerberater.
Hello everyone . I went to Germany last year for 3 months ( October2019 – January2020 ) and I worked there as a student . In May 2020 I sent my documents where I applied for a tax refund (2019 ) but I don’t have any answer yet . Do you have any advice for me ?
Thank you !
Hey Flori. Only to have more patience or else call the Finanzamt to ask about it 🙂
Hi, thank you for this great piece of info!
I moved to Germany in August 2019 and started to work. Before this I was working in France. In that case I cannot use Taxfit for the year 2019?
Hey Xavier. I believe that would be possible. Ask Taxfix directly when in doubt.
Hi Bastien,
I moved back to the UK from Germany in the middle of last year and I hope to claim my tax back from that job this year. However they never sent me the ‘Lohnsteuerbescheinigung.’ I assume as I have used this info in the past to claim for tax back, that I need to get this from the employer. Is this something that they should be able to send to me, even if I didn’t work until the end of the year and moved out of the country? Thanks
Hey Kim. Correct. You should get that from your previous employer.
Hello! I went to Berlin in March 2020 and worked for 6 months, left the country in September. I’m not planning to come back to either Germany or any EU country. Can I use a tool like TaxFix and submit the request on January? Since it’s not available to submit relative to this year (?)
Hey José. Yes.
Hello
My dad worked for 8 years before going back home . How do I apply for his tax return.