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. 🙂
Hello, thanks for the super useful info! I’m in a tricky situation at the moment, since I issued my request for tax return for 2019 correctly (via a well known and reliable website, by the end of June 2020) and after a few weeks I got a letter from the Finanzamt to forward to my employer, stating that the (big international) company I was working for in 2019nhad made some mistake and didn’t actually send through all the electronic documentation about me and my incomes, as they should’ve. I’ve given this letter to my former employer, they said everything was fine and in a month I got another reminder for the same issue from the Finanzamt, so I got back to them and to this day I still don’t know if the problem was fixed. My question being: is there a time limit to get the money back? Will I lose the refund I’m entitled to? I’m pretty stressed about it, since my former employer looks so ill-equipped in dealing with this matter. Thank you! 🙂
Hey Matra. No, you are eligible for a return, it won’t disappear after a certain time. no worries.
Thank you Bastien, such a relief! Btw to this day I still haven’t received anything, I got in touch with the Finanzamt in the meantime. Fingers crossed!
Why did i receive a letter from Finanzamt asking me to file tax return for 2019 when it is not at all compulsory to do so incases for employed workers. I have only been working for one company with no any extra/secondary income from other sources. I did file tax returns for other years but not for 2019 as i noticed little to no refund for 2019. Any idea why FA is reminding me to do it for 2019?
Hey Ing. Can’t tell you on so little info. There must a good reason.
Dear Bastien-settle in Berlin-. Great website. Vielen dank.
Question: I left Germany in 2018. I received a letter from Munich Finanzambt that I have to do my 2019 tax declaration, official letter! How can I explain them I had no income gained in Germany in 2019 nor did I officially live there. I officially left Munich in August 2018.
Many thanks for any guidance.
Maarten
Hey Maarten, did you officially unregister when your left the country?
Servus Bastien, thanks for your prompt reply. I did officially sign out at the burgerambt. Not knowing I have to sign out from Finanzambt….
How to proceed?
Vielen dank
Maarten
Hey Maarten. Good thing there is this post then. 😉
Hallo There,
Thank you for clarifying income tax returns filing and the importance of doing the same.
I have filed for income tax returns for the year 2018 and recieved in returns only the extra tax amount deducted by Finanzamt.
However, expenses related commuting to office, relocation to Germany,bank account maintainance and internet bills weren’t cosnidered for the refunds calculations. I wasn’t satisfied with the tax refund and sent a letter to Finanzamt to reconsider the missed expenses for the tax refunds.
In reply to my letter, Finanzamt has sent an Einspruch letter. Could you please help me with the procedure of replying to Einspruch?
That is, I would like to know, if I need to point to any specific rules of the refunds calculations from German income tax returns? if so, could you please point me to relocation and the
Hey Anu. All of this goes beyond my expertise and should be left to a Steueberater.
Hi!
Firstly, I’m not a german national. I worked in Germany from July 2018 to March 2019 (afterwards I deregistered from Germany). I just received an “Erinnerung” from the german Tax Authorities to complete taxes in ELSTER – which to me seems quite scary and everything in the webpage is in German. I worked in Germany during my studies and received grants from the government in my home country (where I paid tax) until graduation in July 2019 as well as dividends. Further, I started working full time in July 2019.
Do you have any good advice for me? Do I really need to declare? I’m afraid that I will need to pay taxes even after I deregistered due to my income after starting full-time which will inflate the “foreign” income for the full year.
Hey Marie. Since you had more than one income source during your time in Germany, it seems likely that you had to do it in my opinion. If you were not a German resident anymore before you started your new job outside of Germany, you were not liable for taxation in Germany anymore. In doubt, i’d get in touch with a Steuerberater so they can give you a detailed informed consultation.
Servus dear Marie and Bastien,
I am in a similar situation. I left Germany august 2018. Now I receive an “Erinnerung ” to do my tax for of 2019. Note, after August 2018 I did not work nor reside in Germany.
How come I am reminded to fill in the tax, how to let them know I am not obligated to pay tax in Germany as I did not work nor live there.
Should I ignore the erinnerung ?
Vielen dank
Maarten
Hey Maarten. As replied to you in another comment; Did you unregister with the authorities when leaving the country?
Hi! My partner’s company asks some document from me that shows how much money I made in 2019.
Salary slip is not enough as it doesn’t show other source of income. Do you know what document can I get from tax office for this?
I have not done any tax return in Germany yet. Thank you for your help!
Hey there. Yeah typically, a way to show that is to give a copy of your Steuerbescheid for the year prior. But for this, you need to do a tax declaration first. If you need this fast and your situation is rather simple, you could use one of the self-help platforms listed above. When submitting, you get a copy of what you sent to the Finanzamt, but there is no official stamp on it…
Hi I started working in in Germany in 2018. I never made any tax return. I had my main job and a side job on a mini-job (450 EUR) basis. Can I still make tax return calculation? Will I pay any penalties because of 2 sources of income ?? any advice of how to proceed?
By the way – very helpful info. Thank a lot
Hey there. You still can and should do a tax declaration for both 2018 and 2019. You will most likely pay a late fee and a fine for doing it too late. There is probably no way to avoid that but you could also ask a tax advisor if there are ways to avoid penalties.
Sorry for responding so late I am very thankful for this answer. It is almost sorted. take care….
Hi there,
The article was quite helpful.
I applied for the tax return and received the letter from the Finanzamt a couple of days ago. It says that I will get no tax return. I started paying taxes from November 2019 onwards the moment I became a full-time employee in a company. I had my tax class changed to III from November 19th too. Do you know why I did not receive any tax return for those last 1.5 months? I applied as an individual married person for the tax return, as my husband was not working in 2019.
Looking forward to your reply! Thanks in advance.
Hey Laraib. It’s quite impossible for me to tell without knowing a lot more about your situation and how you filled in the forms, what expenses you claimed and so on. Sorry.
Hi. I have a small business and I use my vehicle for both business and private use. What are the rules regarding submitting the amount of business and private usage and fuel used etc? Also is there such a thing as a 1% rule I can opt for, which if I am correct avoids the need to keep a record of my business and personal usage and if so, how do I go about registering my preference?
Hey David. Yes, there is this 1% rule you can use (Source). From what i understand, using the other method is a big mess and in my opinion, not worth the hassle. As a rule, you can do it if you can prove you use your vehicle for business purpose for at least 50% of the time. You’d need to record each business trip via a so-called “Fahrtenbuch” very diligently and then report this for your tax return too. Source.
Hi,
Thank you very much for an informative blog on taxation in Germany. Quite useful for students who do not have a huge amount paided as taxes compared to the amount paid to tax advisors.
I had a question, in 2017 I had started a student job (<700EUR/month) at my university (werkstudent) and since the start date was 19th of the month for that particular month I had to pay taxes. It was about 30EURs though not a big amount compared to full time employment but I wish to get those. Any idea if that is possible?
Hey Himani. I’d rather think the other way around: are there any expenses that you could deduct from taxes for that. Have you seen this?
Hello. Thanks for the informative blog.
I was on deputation in Germany for 7 months. My home country + Germany salary was paid after tax deduction. Should i declare my rest 5 months home country salary as a Foreign income while filing return ?
Hey Khanna. This answer does not constitute expert advice, but i would tend to say yes.
Hi,
I am an Indian, and I moved to Germany in Oct 2018 and started working. Before that from 2016 to 2018 I was doing masters in Sweden. For my masters, I took student loan for the tuition fee. So is it possible to declare tax on the loan I took between 2016 -2018? I am paying it back from 2018 – till now.
Let me know if I can claim for tax refund, which year and in which segment I need to declare the cost.
Thanks in advance,
Sneha
Hey Sneha. I don’t know sorry.
Hi..Thanks for the very informative blog. I have a query. My tax class was changed from 1 to 3 in May 2019. So according to that, I should have gotten some more salary from May, 2019 onward. I I started getting it from November, 2019, I asked the tax office and they told that when I would applying for tax return of 2019, I would get the leftover salary. Do you know if any special form needs to be filled up for getting this leftover salary or it is automatically taken care by the tax office?
Bikram
Hey Bikramjit. That should be done automatically yes.
my wife and I use class4 and we normaly did our tax together, But we have now separated not living together anymore and we both did our tax return separate/ My question is that is it possible to get the return back separately as well because none of us has not yet receive anything.
Hey Js. Yes.
I have a capital loss from investing activities in 2018 and a capital gain in 2019.
Can I bring forward the loss from 2018 to compensate the capital gain in 2019 ?
Hey Max. That would work for businesses but not for private persons in my humble knowledge. You may ask a Steuerberater for professional advice.
Hello,
Thanks for sharing the very helpfull information!
Quick question. If I fill in my 2019 tax declaration, my current address (outside Germany), will that be valid for the Finanzamt ? Also in case they want to reach me (tax assesment documents) ? Or should I have an address in Germany for submitting tax declarations ? Many thanks
Hello,
If it’s the case that I worked between two years, so lets stay from July of 2019 to March of 2020, do I apply twice for tax refund, once in 2020 for the taxes during 2019 and then again in 2021 for the taxes in 2020?
Thank you for your informative post!
Hey John. Yes.
Hi,
Thank you very much for this article, which is really helpful!
I may have a question for my tax declaration of 2019.
I started a Doktorand (PhD student) position last November 2019, and for the 2 months, I get some tax return.
In addition to this, for this position, I paid quite a lot of money for the certification of my grades and graduates and also for a TOEFL exam, the total is around 1000 €. But they don’t take that into account… Maybe because I didn’t pay enough tax for 2019 so I can not get any refund on it, which seems logical.
Should I wait next year and do the declaration of 2019 and 2020 at the same time?
Thank you in advance.
Hey Mathieu. Who is “they”? Language tests and classes can be tax deductible.
Hi there,
Thanks a lot for this great article 🙂
I just started my full time job in Nov 2019 after my master studies.
from 2017-2019 Oct, I have around 10k verlustvortrag and I never submit any of them.
My question is: Can I submit all of the tax declaration from 2017-2020 at once in 2021 in order to claim more verlustvortrag during my studies? As in 2019, I did not pay a lot of income tax.
Thanks a lot!!
Natalie
Hey Natalie. I’m not sure what you mean with “during my studies” but you can still process years 2017 to 2020 in 2021, yes.
Hi there!
Thank you for putting all this information at one place. This is really helpful to many people like me out there. I think my situation is common but I still find myself confused.
I had worked in Germany from “20 Jan 2019” to “04 May 2019” for which my employer provided me ‘Ausdruck der elektronischen Lohnsteuerbescheinigung für 2019’ in April 2020. I precalculated my estimated refund amount and it came out to be around few hundred Euros.
I have moved to India permanently now. I had my IBAN in Commerzbank till August 2019 only, meaning it’s permanently closed at present.
I do not have my IBAN active anymore, so would I be able to get my refund amount on someone else’s IBAN account in Germany. I have my friends living in Munich who have their IBANs active, so can I put their IBAN account number for the return process in order to get my refund in their bank account. Is this provision allowed in Germany?
I belong to tax class 1, so would you recommend me to consult a tax consultant of Germany or would I be able to manage this on my own (since I expect a refund being in tax class-1)?
Thank you in advance for your guidance and help.
Hey Palash, Glad it could help. If you can find an arrangement with your friend, then that is a perfectly good solution, they don’t check who owns the bank account.
Thanks a ton for your prompt reply. You are doing a great job. 🙂
Hi , today i received steuerbescheid for 2018 with verspatungs zuchlag of about 300 euros. I filed the tax return july 2020for 2018. In 2018 my wife rcvd elterngeld around 3000 euro total. I filed tax return for both of us. Is there any way for einspruch to remove verspatungszuchlag? Please help
Hey Umair. I’m going to assume that the fine was justified since you were supposed to do a Steuererklärung. You can always appeal the decision but a positive outcome doesn’t look likely if my assumption is right.
Hi! Thank you for an informative article. It helped me in the past to submit tax return declaration+I used SmartSteuer and it worked well for 3 years, I even got some money back. I have full-time job and I am registered as a freelancer but my freelancer’s income is very low. I subbmitted my last declaration in May and last week I got my “bescheid fur 2019” and it asks me to pay extra einkommensteur, solidaritatszuschlag and kirchensteuer but I can’ understand why. It just says “verbleibende Steuer”. I just wonder what could be the reasons?
I have a huge fail with kirchensteuer because when I moved to Germany I thought that writing ‘x’ in the forms in Burgeramt is enough, I didn’t know and didn’t check that I need to actually leave Church in Germany. And somehow this tax was not taken from my salary until 2019 summer when I moved to the new place and new finanzamt noticed that I am baptized in my home country or something and applied the tax. Fair enough, let’s say I understand the extra church tax that I am asked to pay – but what about the other two?
thank you so much!
Hey Gr. You’d need to get in touch with a steuerberater if you want guidance on how to optimize your tax return. All those 3 items are due in full, there is no way around. Solidarität Zuschlag is an old tax to support former DDR regions’ economies, it’s going away next year i believe.
Hey thank you so much for all your help on this topic! I’m american and moved to Berlin June 2019. I made my income in Germany just from freelance but earlier that year I was an employer in a company in America. Since my taxes are taken out of those paychecks are there some forms to mention this so i’m not taxed on that income again in Germany? Also, would smartsteuer be able to help me with my situation or should I just use ELSTER? If I were to use smartsteuer would they have all the forms I need ( Anlage S, Anlage AUS, and Anlage EÜR) and send it to the Finanzamt for me?
Thanks again for all you time and advice!
Hey Briana. I think Smartsteuer supports those forms yes. Have you seen this post about avoiding double taxation?
Hi, Thanks for your support. If I travel to home in abroad every year once, can I claim a Tax refund for the travel expenses (like a Leave Travel Allowance)?
Hey Shinthurha. If it were a business-led trip, then it would be deductible.
Hello.
Thanks for the nice guide and putting together those information. In my tax return for 2019, I claimed for our gardening and cleaning costs as “Handwerkerleistungen”. But the officer ignored my request and didn’t even request for any document; just ignored it! According to the invoice that I received from my landlord for additional costs of 2018, I filled “Anlage Haushaltsnahe Aufwendungen” form and file the costs as “Gartenpflege; Treppenhausreinigung”. Could you please help me how I can file an appeal against the tax notice and request for considering the “Handwerkerleistungen”? Thank you in advance.
Hey there. Have you checked this?
Hi! Thank you for putting all this information together. My situation is probably quite common but I can’t seem to find a clear answer.
I moved and started working in Germany from October 1, 2016. I worked in Ireland until September 30, 2016.
My fist question is, will my employment until September 30, 2016 be considered as a foreign employment for tax year 2016/2017? I understand from this article that SteuerGo doesn’t support foreign employment, but SmartSteuer does. Do you know what is the complexity in terms of documents to submit for the foreign employment? I’m wondering everyone moving to Germany has to do it for their first year.
The final question is, can I just not submit my tax return application for 2016/2017 to avoid complexity and submit it for the subsequent years where I worked in Germany the whole year?
Thank you again for this helpful article.
Hey John. The Finanzamt can ask you for proof after submission, but it’s not very likely. As for your second question: if you situation allows it, yes you may not need to submit one. Check on the post again for more details on that. You may lose some money in the process though.
Hi There,
I am a strange situation, could you please guide?
I submitted an income tax return for 2019 in this year 6th April 2020 through ELSTER. However, I have not yet got any response from the TAX office. I am a bit worried if the form is incorrect or weather they have processed it or not etc. its been 2 months now.
Is it possible to cancel the form I submitted via ELSTER and file one more time with smart steuer ?
Thanks in Advance
MD
Hey Munish. It can take a while to process, sometimes up to 2/3 months. I would not worry just yet, you can easily wait until end of June. You may submit again if you think some things were incorrect but i think you’d need to notify the Finanzamt first.
Thanks a lot. I will wait for some more time.
Very elaborative article!! I have a question, I started my masters in 2018 and then started working as a werkstudent only in 2019. So do I still need to file tax return for both 2018 and 2019 as I was paying tuition fees for education? Also can I make use of tuition fees to get tax return?
Hey Andy. You don’t need to but you can. Yes, tuition fees are deductible.
Hello,
I filed my tax return for FY 2018 and 2019. The amount was credited but i dont know whether tax return for both the years were completed andwant to check that out as the amount credited is very less. I did not receive the tax return bill till now. Could you help me in way forward with this situation? Also what is the german name for tax return bill?
Hey Chetan. If you want to check on how your return is going, you can simply call your Finanzamt. I think the world you are looking for is “Steuerbescheid”.
Hi, I have moved to Germany last summer for work so I have been a full-time employee since July. I have got all the docs from my office in case I need to do the tax return but in many cases of these online tax return pages the fact that one part of last year I lived abroad seems to be a problem. Is this a common problem? s
Since everyone I know told me to do the tax return thing since I moved from abroad for work and with all the expenses I had related to the moving, buying work equipment, even monthly money support for my family (they live back in my homeland) ecc and less to absolutely do it since I would for sure get some tax return.
Hey Serena. I’m not sure what the issue is? Is this about declaring foreign income for last year?
Hello,
I have started working for a Germany company without having TAX ID since I could not relocate yet due to coronavirus. In this case, as far as I know (please correct me if wrong) my TAX Class will be CLASS 6 which is the higher amount deducted from my salary. My tax class will be Class I when I get there and have TAX ID. Can I get these extra tax amounts when I apply for Tax return?
Hey Gokhan. yes, that is correct.
Hello Team, I need to fill online tax refund for Germany. I worked for 09 months in Germany for year 2018. Can you please suggest. Thank you Amit kumar
Hi there I hope you can help.
I successfully submitted my first tax return last year but on my tax return confirmation I was given a new steurnummer. When filing my 2nd tax return should I use the new or original steurnummer on my forms?
Thanks!
Hey Roxanne. The new one.
Hi,
I have few question I hope I get an answer here:
How should one answer to the following question in the tax form? “nachhaltige geschäftsbeziehungen zu finanzinstituten im ausland”
If one has a credit card from a bank in Luxembourg and transferwise borderless account with debit card or a N26 american account? Are they considered as a geschäftsbeziehungen
Thankyou!
Hey Nav. Might be best to ask a Steueberater but in my opinion: you are just the client using a service. I don’t think it qualifies as a business relationship.
Hi, I have a small question i havent filled my tax since last 5 years that means 2015 onwards( Already filled for 2013 -14). I just checked and it says that i can voluntrary fill it for past 4 years that means starting 2016. Then what will happen to 2015? do i just leave it ? or fill it anyways and someone will understand that i forgot and want to will it for last 5 years altogether(BTW in 2015 i got married so tax return is huge). Any comments would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Gagan
Hey Gagan. I can’t really answer on so little details. I’d reach out to your Finanzamt directly, if i were you.
Hi, I came to Germany in Sept last year. My yearly income last year was less then 18k (since I only got 4 salaries). I’m married but my wife is not living in EU and I paid taxes being in the 1st tax class. Does the rule of “non taxable income up to 18,816 € per year for couples” apply to my situation?
Hey Marko. As far as Germany is concerned, your marriage is not registered and not valid for tax reasons. Being in tax class 1 is a good indicator that you are considered a single person by the tax authorities.
Hello. thanks for putting toghether those informations, you are much likely making lot of people happy.
question: if i was both a freelancer and employed, will i need to fill up all the forms of both lists above or you can merge them somehow?
do you know if SteuerGo allows you to make,finish and upload declaration via internet or you’ll need to re-upload it on my-elster?
Hey Jacopo. You just submit all the different forms in one go, you don’t merge them. SteuerGo is also communicating those finished forms to your Finanzamt electronically, no need to use Elster after that.
Do you have any information on whether unemployed people can and should apply for a tax return? I was employed in 2017 and 2018 and received arbeitslosengeld in 2018 — already did my returns for this. But in 2019 i was unemployed all the way till Fall and then I left Berlin. For 2019, is there a point in applying for a tax return?
Hey Dee, as pointed out here, yes, you can but i don’t know if you should. It depends if you plan on coming back. In theory, you should yes because you were a German resident last year, liable for taxes.
Hello, I’d have question regarding freelancers. Do you know how many years do I need to keep for example my phone, If authorities are willing to check what I declared on my taxes as work related expense? I heard there are different rules according to the amount of the expense (e.g. up to 800 I need to keep at least for 1 year etc…).
Thanks
SP
Hey Sebastiano. I’m not sure what you mean. Are you talking about doing “Abschreibung” over multiple years for work-related devices, material goods?
Hi. I am a UK resident looking to invest in the company of a friend in Germany. I will likely only invest 100 EUR so the amounts (and dividends) will be very small. It’s mainly to show support for a friends business but because the amounts are so small I don’t want the hassle of filing tax in another country.
I’ve read the first 9k EUR earned in Germany is tax free so will income from dividends for a non-resident be included in that and will I still need to file a tax return to declare the income? In the UK I’ve learned income from foreign dividends of less than £300 don’t even need to be declared so was hoping for something similar in Germany.
Hey Matt. If you are a UK resident then it needs to be sorted out through UK rules and authorities, there is no action to take from you in Geermany.
Hello there. I´m registered as a Musician (frei berüflicher) on the Finanzamt in Magdeburg, but given the actual situation (COVID-19) I was forced to find a job that has nothing to do with music, in order to be able to pay my expenses. I already have a Steuernummer that I use to write my bills to my clients (in the music scene), but can I also write a bill for this new job with the same Steuernummer? On this new job, that will last until June, I got a Arbeitsvertrag für kurzfristig Beschäftigte. I’m about to get paid, and I don’t know what to do. Could somebody help? Thank you very much in advance!
I’m registered as Selbständiger I forgot to add.
Hey Pedro. If you have an Arbeitsvertag (correct me if i’m wrong), then it means you will have a salary, and you won’t be billing them for your work, right?
That is correct.
Yeah so then there is nothing to worry about in my opinion. The finanzamt will notify you if you need a new Steuernummer for your new situation.
Hello . Thanks for this important guidance . I’ve been in Germany for 1 year , and have been in three situations : employee , employee with freelance casual work (under 3k), employee with two jobs (both low paid). Does the community think I could file all this on a self -help tax return , or would you recommend a Steuerberater (this would be a large dent in my income )?
Hey G. You can use SteuerGo for that yes.
I’ve already sent the forms and received back a letter with the identification number (over 2 months now) but I’ve not received any transfer on my bank yet, can anyone help me how can I check for that or what should I do now?
Hi. I moved to Germany from the UK in Sept last year. I kept my job in London and commute once a month to go back to work. I dont have a second home in the uk as I sleep at work (I’m a carer). I need to declare my UK income in Germany via a tax return. I can’t afford an accountant and every english language software i’ve looked up doesn’t support foreign income filing. So, i’m going down the ELSTER route.
What I’m not sure is exactly what forms I need to fill in to file my tax return. My only income is my UK salary – i have no job in germany, no rental income/savings etc. Just a normal PAYE salary from the uk with all my tax, health insurance paid in the UK already and exported to Germany via S1 form. So what forms do I have to fill out in ELSTER? All the walkthroughs are based on someone working in germany who has extra foreign income. i can’t find any info if you have just one job which is abroad
thanks in advance if any of you can help or indeed know if i even need to submit a tax reutrn, as i’m taxed automatically in the uk already.
Hey Sarah. Your situation is fairly uncommon, i will give you that. I guess you would need to fill in the Anlage AUS, for your UK income, and the other compulsory forms, where you will then put 0, in the lines where they ask you for your German income. That’s the broad picture but bear in mind: i’m no Steuerberater. Otherwise, have you read this post already? It may contain some other answers.
Hello!
I am international student from Berlin and Ive been in Germany since 3 years. I have question about taxes. As a student I work as a freelancer in Orschestras, also outside of Germany.( 4 other countries)
I am bit confused since I am going to earn more than 9000 euro this year.
When I get a fee from “gig” its already minus tax? I have always get just a contract paper after concert and didn’t get any documents via post afterwards.
Also when I am working in other counties its already minus county tax around 15 percent, is it any need to still declare it?
As a student do I have to declare my concerts?
All best
Isabelle
Hey Isabelle. I am going to assume you are registered in Germany as a freelancer. In this case, i will direct you to this post, which has information about taxation too. As a German resident, you need to declare any and all income, even if earned abroad.
Hello ,
I stayed in Germnay from 9th March 2019 to 30th aug 2019.And rest of the time of that year i stayed in india.So in this case am I eligible to file tax returns and for refund in germany for 2019?.
Thank you
Quick question. I arrived in germany Late November of 2018 and I was receiving support from job center from December 2018 – September 2019. I found a job on August of 2019. Will I be able to request a tax refund for the months of August – December 2019?
Hey Dave, you can still do a tax return even though you were out of a job most of last year yes.
I decide to leave Germany can I claim all the taxes and other contributions I paid back? i’m not only talking about the tax return but all the contributions I made because I am leaving the country and no longer want to be part of the contribution system. Is that possible?
Hey Okan. you may find the answers you are looking for on this post.
Hello,
In 2019
I worked from Jan to April in India
In May I worked in Germany
and again in June i moved to India and worked till december,
Could you please let me know if i can file a return for May month in Germany, and can that be deposited directly in my Indian Bank Account.
Hello,
I was a student and used to work in Berlin from nov 2018 to april 2019.
but now i have finished my studies and back to my hometown in Malaysia.
is there a way I can still do this tax return?
Hello!
I as looking for answer to my question in Internet, but unfortunately couldn’t find it. Maybe you can advise me something.
I was living and working in Poland until April2019. I had a full time job, normal employee contract, and paid all taxes there. Than I moved to Germany and started to work here (May-December) and work here on full time as well. Do i have to make any declaration about income received in Poland for those 4 months?
Thank you in advance.
Hey Christina. If you moved here in May, it means you were more than 6 months a German resident and liable for your income in Germany. So yes, you should declare all and any income here and possibly resort to bilateral treaties to avoid double taxation, as explained in this post.
Hi! I hope you’re able to advise me too:
I have a full time job in Germany since July 2018, but I also kept my other side job in another EU country (I work remotely on weekends).
I am now filing my taxes for 2018 & 2019 in Germany – Can I use Wundertax or it is not enough for the additional paperwork required? I tried some online calculation sites and some say that I have to pay back ranging from 600-2000 euros depending on « how many days worked abroad » – but I work online & from Germany! What to do, is this normal?
Many thanks!
Hey Elisabeth. I can’t comment on Wundertax’s features on a case by case basis. That’s too wild. Maybe best to give them a quick call? Otherwise, have you read this post about avoiding double taxation?
Hi there,
Thank you for putting together this comprehensive article.
I’m a freelancer in Germany. Because up until 2017 I didn’t make a profit, I only started to make quarterly advance payments in 2019 based on the profit I made in 2017. In 2018 however, I made more, hence covering my losses from the past years. In 2019 my earnings dropped again. I’m about to submit my 2018 tax declaration this week. I also sent a registered letter to the tax authorities asking to revoke the SEPA direct debit mandate. My question is – will I pay taxes for the 2018 profit in quarterly installments too or will they require the whole amount in one go? Thanks so much.
Hey AD. Are you talking about income tax now?
Yes.
Hey AD. They will let you know in the letter what amount they expect and by which date(s). If you want to negotiate installments, i’m sure it can be arranged. Ask your Finanzamt.
Will do. Thanks so much!
Hi, thank you. The information was really helpful. However I have quick question regarding my tax returns,I have worked in Germany on a work permit for 6 months from June – November 2017. I currently reside in India. I have submitted my tax returns for 2017 on 25th October 2019.The tax returns calculation showed by online tax tools was around 2900 Euros and I got the tax return on 20th Feb 2020 around 792 Euro. If there any mistake that happened or if tax office had sent some document to my past German address and i didn’t reply . How can I correct this and get the full tax refund. What all options are available ?
Hey Monica. It’s probably best to talk to a Steuerberater so they can represent you and fix this.
Hi,
Thank you for the great article!
I worked in Germany as an intern for 48 days. My company and immigration consultant suggested not to register at the townhall as I was working for a short time and did not stay at a leased apartment (booked hotel instead). As a result of this I did not receive any tax ID and was automatically assigned tax class 6 leading to heavy tax deductions. I have already left Germany. Can I file the tax return without a tax ID?
Thank you in advance!
Hey Anishka. I don’t have a really good source on this so i can’t really tell and by default would say that it’s not possible.
Hello, I have a question about my Steuer ID. I left Germany last year in October and did my abmeldung and cancelled all insurance etc. However, now I am back and have re-registered in a new Apartment and I would like to know if I will now receive a new Steuer ID or if it will be the same one as I had before? Thank you very much!
Hey Grace. Have you read this post? Do you mean your Steuernummer or Steuer Identifikationsnummer now?
Hello,
I am not sure if this question was answered here before but maybe you could help me 🙂
I am originally from Lithuania and I have worked in Germany for almost 2 months throughout the summer of 2019 (it was only a summer job there). I would like to make a tax income return for overpayed taxes. Maybe you know exactly what needs to be done in my case if I am not a local citizen of Germany and I would like to do a taxes (that I payed in Germany) by myself? Just trying to avoid the service fee here but if it’s comparably low, that works too! 🙂
Thank you in advance,
Emilija
Hey Emilija. If you were not a German resident at the time, you’d be paying your income tax in Lithuania probably. Probably you need to do a tax return there. Check if there are any double tax agreements between Germany and Lithuania.
Hi,
I’m work in Germany and my wife is student in my native country. Usually she comes to visit me every month. My question is, can I declare this airplane ticket bills even if the tickets are with her name??? Thanks a lot. I appreciate.
Hey Narco. There is not a case that jumps to my mind that would make this possible.
If you have double household (address in your native country), then yes it is possible: Double Household related costs
Many expatriates relocate to Germany while their family is staying abroad. In that case it is possible to deduct double household related costs.
Allowance for additional meal expenses (maximum of 24 € per day) for the first three months
Rent in Germany (up to a monthly maximum amount of 1.000€)
Flight and other travel costs to visit the family in home country (it is also possible to deduct the travel costs of the family for traveling to Germany)
…
Hi Bastien,
Many thanks for the useful information.
I was wondering if the tax refund influences the decision for getting a German permanent residentship?
I was told, it may have a negative impact on my PR application, which I am going to apply within this year.
Thanks for your response in advance,
Nazanin
Hey there. I have no idea about this. Who told you that? I’m interested!
Hello Nazanin,
This is absolutely wrong. You tax refund has nothing to do with your PR application in foreign office. If you have taken social benefits like arbeitslosgeld, then it may negatively influence the decision. You get Tax refund only when you have paid taxes in excess. By all means, as a Tax Payer you are only going to have an advantage.
Vish
Hi there I’m a uk National & resident but I worked in Serbia for 6 weeks but for a German company and I was taxed at 37% plus I was put in the wrong tax band as I have a daughter who lives with me..I also paid church tax and I didn’t earn more than the German tax free allowance of €9169 but I still earned for the 6 weeks just over €9000 am I entitled to do a return and will I get it all back
Hey Michael. If you are a UK resident, refer to your domestic laws. I can’t help you any further.
Hi Bastein,
i am also a student in Germany, and my question is that, In what worse situation can one suppose not go in for the tax return.? Because i dont know whether i do qualify as a student to go in for my returns after my 6months of working alongside studies
Hey Derrick. As a student, if you don’t qualify for any the reasons listed in the post, it’s not compulsory to do a tax return.
Hi, I have a Tax class 3, and i assumed that my wife should have tax class 5. We filed the tax returns last year, when i found that her tax class is 4 and not 5. Is this possible? Do we need to change her to 5 ?
Hi
I want to know in which form i can add my wife travelling cost to school and fee for german courses.
Thanks in advance
Hi Bastien, thanks for the great website!
I’m married and tax class 3 because my spouse has no job here. She does not have and didn’t pay for any health insurance. (we moved from UK and she has the free European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) from NHS).
However, I am requested to attach a receipt of health insurance for her. What can I do? We didn’t know it was mandatory.
Hey Grant. Yes, it’s mandatory for all German residents. I suppose you can always try to send in a copy of the said card but i don’t know if it would be considered valid…
Moin,
I am Student, and I have earned more than 9000€ in 2019, Will I get my taxes back?
What type of expenses I could mension to decrease this high number when they count,… would semester contribution or room rent in government dorm, private health insurance do it?
Hey Moataz. Yes, you can still get a positive tax return. Semester fees yes, your dorm room only if you can prove that this your second residence and that you still pay at least 10% of the costs of your main residence somewhere else in Germany. Private health insurance, i dont know. Source.
Hey,
EHIC should only be used for up to three months, after that you are considered to be using your right of free movement in the EU and you need proper German health insurance. Are you insured by law (public insurance)? If so, I would contact your Krakenkasse and apply retroactively for family insurance for her, starting 90 days after she entered the country to join you in Germany. It might work. Otherwise, the voluntary contribution is 190 euros per month, you might have to pay that as a lump sum.
Hello,
So I sent all documents for tax return for the year of 2017, back in 2019. They sent a couple of letters back calculated my tax and everything and it was all fine. So after some time (still no money received) I got a letter they want another document “Einkommensteuer” for 2018. Problem is I haven’t worked there in 2018 and have no tax whatsoever. In the letter they sent me it says I can get a penalty for up to 25K if I don’t send the forms but as I said I don’t have connections with 2018 whatsoever. What should I do? I don’t want to pay penalties now…
Hey Diki, you might want to check with a Steuerberater for this but if you were a German resident in 2018 but didn’t work or have any income, you can still send in the documents and put O in the income fields where relevant. If you were not a German resident in 2018, you might have to prove that to the Finanzamt.
Hi. My husband worked for 40 days onboard a fishing vessel from Germany in early 2019. Does he have to hand in a tax return in Germany for those 40 days. We live in Norway if that is relevant.
Hey Iris. You might want to check with a tax advisor back home, but as a Norwegian resident, you probably will pay your taxes in Norway. Check if there are tax agreements between Norway and Germany regarding that matter. Have you read this post?. But there might also be special cases depending on the boat’s registration country, if it were in international waters, etc.
Hello. Very useful article, thank you!
I just submitted a tax return. In 2019 I changed jobs and in between was 1 month unemployed.
My coworker, who started working with me on the second job (we have the same income, steuerklasse, etc.) and only had 1 job for 5 months, received more than half higher tax return than me, who had 2 jobs through the whole year.
Does this have something to do with change of the employer? So, if you change jobs you get much less tax return?
Hey Sab. You’d need to have a Steuerberater look into this. There are so many parameters than can impact your return. It’s hard to say within the comments section.
Hello,
Thanks for the article. It helped me a lot.
I have a question :
I have to do my tax declaration for 2018.i was working 5 months as a student and rest 7 months as an employee. Do I need to put all the income in Anlage N? Or only as that of an employee. The problem is I lost one of my salary slips when I was a student, also I don’t have a Lohnsteuerbescheinigung from my employer when I was a student. Can I get some document from. FINANZSAMT stating my whole income during that year? So that I can get the exact numbers and I can fill my returns? If yes, where can I get that
Thanks
Hey Adit. Your employers are obligated by law to provide you with a Lohnsteuerbescheinigung so just request it from them again.
Hi there thanks for all the great info! I have recently left Germany (back to NZ) permanently after completing a working holiday on a working holiday visa. I am trying to do a tax return for 2019 . I have tried both steuergo and wundertax but they both require me to have a registered address in Germany. How is it possible to do a tax return when you no longer live in the country? Also do you know how to apply to get the pension tax back?
hey thomas. See here for the pension refund.
Hi, what are the implications of delayed mandatory tax declarations? I didn’t know it was mandatory to declare for me and my husband due to the tax combination, my tax advisor says we have to pay 20K + interest + delay fee for 4 years and that the Finamzamt may declare this tax crime . We are scared !
Hey Kiara. I would trust your Steuerberater on this. In doubt, you can always ask a second-opinion with somebody else. It sounds plausible but you may also argue for your case and reduce the penalty possibly.
Thanks for your fast reply. Do you know if there are other implications more than just paying the fees ? For example visa problems ?
Hey Kiara. I am not aware of such problems. You should ask a lawyer or Steuerberater.
Hey Kiara,
Tax crimes are usually considered to be against public policy, which means they might not accept you as a citizen further down the line. I’m not sure about other types of residency/visas, it might impact them, too, so I would get help and fight it as hard as possible if I were you.
Hello, I was working as an intern for last 6 months in Germany. And due to some miscommunication my tax class was 6 instead of tax class 1. Therefore, I paid 350 Euros as a tax instead of 80 Euros. Now, will I get all my tax back from Finanzamt or I need to do any other process to claim all the tax? My Brutto salary for those 6 months is around 9500 Euros
Hey Premkishan. If you have the correct tax class now, you will be able to get some of this back yes, with a “standard” tax return.
Hello!
Thank you for your website, so many great advices 🙂
Do you know, SteuerGo still doesn’t support if you received income from foreign employee last year? Does it mean, they don’t have Anlage AUS formula? Thank you in advance 🙂
Hey Christina. It’d be best to ask Steuergo directly.
Great article, just a question about VAT. I registered recently and the Finanzamt asked me to fill in a Umsatzsteuererklärung f0r 2019.
In 2019 I was selling below the threshold and did not have any inventory stored in Germany. Where do I fill in my sales in Elster?
Hey Dirk. Which threshold now? There is a form called Umsatzsteuererklärung 2019 on Elster.
Hello,
Thank you very much for the usefull informations. I have one question that is specific to my case. I arrived in Germany in December 2018. Since then, I am in tax class 1. I do have wife and child abroad and we are still in visa-waiting process for them, I expect this to be finished this January. When they get visa, I will be able to change tax class form 1 to 3, and also 5 for my wife.
Will we be able to get the tax back for this time while we were waiting for entry visa (if I change tax class in january 2020) or are we too late now?
Thanks!
Bojan
To clarify, what I want to ask is difference in tax ammount between tax class 1 and 3 for the whole year, because I am married since 2016, but untill we get family visa I can not change tax class. Thank you
Hey Bojan. It will be possible only for the month of January.
Hello, thanks for the blog which is great. Could you please point me to the link to how to request an extension for filing with the finanzamt? I wasn’t able to find it online. Greatly appreciate what you do here.
Hey Celia. It’s best to do via good ol’ post. here is a template you can use.
Hello,
Thank you for this post. I have a very basic question, I and my wife have already spent over 4000 Euro for learning German. Can we deduct this amount? If so, how much money should I expect?
Thanks in advance.
Hey Musti. Yes probably.
Hi Bastien,
I have a very specific question. My wife and I got married in Australia in January but, due to various things getting in the way, we have not yet registered the marriage in Germany. I have a job but my wife is a student with no income, so I understand that we must submit a tax return for 2019. I intend to do this through an accountant, but I have a question about the marriage registration. Will the German government take our date of marriage as January 2019 or will they use the date of the registration of the mariage in Germany? Also, must we register the marriage this year in order to have it counted for our 2019 tax return, or can we wait until next year to register tha marriage? Obviously we will need to register before submitting a tax return. Any help you could provide would be great, thanks!
Hey James. You can ask your accountant directly about this. I believe the recognition date will serve as a basis for calculation.
Hey! Great article 🙂
I wanted to ask a question: I’m an international student living in Berlin. I want to work on websites like Fiverr, UpWork, as well as using Patreon to get paid with donations.
1. If I do so, do I have to declare to the Finanzamt that I’m getting paid online? How does the taxes thing work?
2. Does PayPal have anything to do with the german taxes? (example: If I get donations on PayPal from my family, or if I transfer money from PayPal to my german bank account, do I have to declare that too?)
Hey Daniel. Then you’d probably need to register as a freelancer. Complete guide this way. 1. Yes, definitely. See guide for details. 2. Any and all income should be declared, even donations.
Hello, sorry if this is a stupid question, I moved to germany in october and started working at amazon on October 15th, my contract ends at the end of the year so in January I plan to leave Germany. Since I will have worked in germany for 2.5 months, will I be eligible for tax refund after New Year? If so:
1. Can I request it once I have left Germany (de-registered and all..) and am in my home country?
2. Do I have to prepare some documents in advance or I will be able to get all necessary documents online?
Hi, Can I receive a tax return if I submit my form too late? Say after 5 years?
Hey Mohammed. No.
Without the penalty of 25€ per month, the maximum seems to be 2 years later. But via an accountant/Steuerberatung, you have more time.
Hi. Thank you for your great sharing. I want to ask you that I was taxed class 1 for single person although I got married and my wife was studing in Germany when I started my job. The reason is we have a foreign notarized marriage certificate and German authorities did not accept it. When I have worked for 6 months, my wife came back to our homecountry. Now if I show them my legal marriage certificate, can I get the tax return for 6 months? I should have tax class 3 instead of class 1. My wife did not have a job at that time when I started my job. Which documents do I need to send to local tax apartment? Thank you for your advice.
Hi, thanks for the great article! I have a question. My wife (German) just started work last month, can she apply for tax refund now (and get it now) or does she have to wait for a certain period? Thank you
Hey Om. It can first be done in 2020 for 2019.
Hello !
Thanks for this article. I would like to know where could I get those documents for 2019 ? I only find them with 2018 noted on it.
ESt 1 V 2018
Anlage N 2018
Anlage Vorsorgeaufwand 2018
Thank you
Hey Louise. 2019 documents will be available in 2020.
Thank you for this post, it is really helpful. I have a question: I work as a designer in a company but also do freelance projects. For these freelance projects, I need to buy a drawing iPad. Can I submit this as an expense for work so the tax office can return part of the money? Is this possible? Thank you in advance.
Hey KT. Yes it is possible but you would write if off progessively every year by 33% over 3 years (depreciation or “Absetzung für Abnutzung”). More info here: https://www.steuern.de/abschreibung-arbeitsmittel.html
Hi!
I live in Norway, and have my main job and a side job here.
I have recently begun to sell on the German market through Amazon.de and through my own webshop.
* Is there any special forms to add for this situation?
* What might be the easiest tool for me to deliver the TAX-documents.
Hey Jostein. I can’t comment on business related matters from a foreign country. Get in touch with a tax consultant instead.
Hi,
Thank you so much for this informative article. I have a problem and I will be more than happy if you address it. I’m employed here in Germany since Dec. 2018, however, due to some bank account problems I started to be paid from 2019. As you may have guessed, I paid a lot because all my saleries (including the one belonging to 2018) was paid in 2019 and they thought I’m really rich :). I filled the tax return for 2018 and I just got the result. It says there is no income on 2018. So now I want to know two things. First, will they pay me back the additional money that was taken from my 2019 income when I fill 2019 tax return? And secondly, as I was employed only for one month in 2018 (only December), technically I should have paid no taxes for 2018 because the whole income was less than 8000 euros or so. So will I also be paid back my taxes for 2018?
Hey Saeid. That’s a specific question for which you probably need the help of a Steuerberater. I cannot tell you how much you might get back because there are many parameters deciding this, which requires proper time and attention.
Hello, I am a student, and I did two internships. during the period I got transferred from tax class 1 to tax class 6 then back to tax class 1 again; do I get back the taxes I paid?
what documents do I need to submit?
Hey Hyari. I cant possibly say, depends on many many parameters as a tax payer. What documents to submit are listed in the post.
Hi.
I had a house in Germany which I sold a couple of years ago, and then returned to the UK to live. I filled out a Steuererklärung for the sale of the house at the start of last year, (and was given a Steuernummer). Later last year I received a notice telling me that I had no tax to pay (as I expected). So I thought no more about it.
Fast-forward to this year, I’ve just received an Erinnerung at my UK address telling me that I am late in filing my Steuererklärung for last year (i.e. the year after the year I sold the house) — and telling me that I may be fined up to 25000 € for filing it late! Presumably the fact that I was given a Steuernummer when I sold my house means that the Finanzamt now expects me to send in tax returns every year.
I am British and am now permanently resident in the UK. I own no German property. I have no income at all from Germany. (I have money in a German bank account, but it is in a Girokonto and earns no interest.)
What do I do, please?! Do I have to fill out German Steuererklärungen every year for the rest of my life, even though I no longer live in Germany and have no German income?!
Any help much appreciated!
Hey there. This is out of my league at is relates to property tax and such. Better ask a professional.
Hi, thanks a lot for great information!
I have a question. I applied my tax refund for last year (2018) by myself but I couldn’t get any refund. (actually I have to pay 2 euro more..)
So I called to the finanzamt but they said my institute already calculated my tax quite efficienttly so there’s no money back. However, other colleagues in the institute got the tax refund properly. I think I applied something wrong or missed some important information on the document. Is it possible to check and claim my tax refund again for 2018? and do you know how I can do it? Thanks!
Hey Son. Have you read this paragraph?
Hi, would it be possible to declare for life insurance i paid in US Dollar from Insurance company from other country? (international insurance coverage from my previous place of work/live in Singapore). if yes how to declare US dollar in tax return? thanks in advance.
Hey Marlene. I suggest you get in touch with a Steuerberater for that.
Hi ! This is very useful!
I have a question , hopefully you can give me some advice.
I made my tax declaration fro the year 2018 this year around February. Then I got a letter from the Finanzamnt with the tax refund that I should receive (around 2500 €) . Everything nice. Then , a week ago I got a letter from the Finanzamnt again saying that there has been a mistake in the calculation( I used google to translate the letter) and that instead of 2500€, I should have only received 2300 €. There is no explanation about the calculation… is this common? Can I appeal somehow?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Hey Pablo. You can always appeal the decision of course, and ask why the difference is there now. I just don’t know if you would want to get into this. That’s a lot of time and energy, but up to you.
Dear Bastian,
I have a quick question about my tax declaration for 2018- I need to fill it by 6.11.2019 and this year decided to do it on my own 🙂
Last year 2018 i was working full time from January until 31 July. On 31 July I quit my job and registered myself as unemployed but not a job seeker since I went directly on a sick leave.
From 1 August until 31 December I was on a long term medical sick-leave and TK Krankenkasse was paying for my social benefits.
Can I use Steuer Erklrärung online Platform ( or any other online TAX support ) app in my situation? Will it be possible to declare two separate situation half year as full employed Str. Klasse I and then my unemployment benefits with TK Krankenkasse ?
I am sure someone else already asked this question but I would be great full für your answer!
Have a good weekend everyone
Hey Karolina. Yes, those situations are supported by online platforms.
Hi!
This is really helpful.
I have a question that I was wondering if you could answer it. I was an employee for half a year in a university and for the rest of the year I got a scholarship. I was wondering how should I fill the forms in SteuerGo? Is there an option that I fill both for that particular year?
Hey Mehdi. You will be able to fill in both types of incomes yes.
Hi
This was a great information to know.
I am a Indian and have worked in Germany for two years (1 year as a student and another year a full time employment). I was heard that if i leave the country before 5 years from the time of Arrival, I will be getting back all the taxes paid. Hence i have not applied for any of the Tax refund.
not sure whom to contact about this. should i get in touch with any of the TAX Consultant.
Looking forward for some leads.
Hello Bastian,
Again, thank you so much for your information and the answer to all the posts. It has helped me a lot. I have a question for you: my husband is in class 3 and I am in class 5. He had a job the full year 2018 but I only worked less than 4 months, therefore, I paid very little tax. Is it more likely that we will have to pay additional costs to the Finanzamt or that we will get a refund?
Thanks.
Hello,
Thank you for these great information!
I just need to confirm. For the one you mentioned about paying 25€, should I pay this first then I will know the amount of my refund? Thank you!
Hey She. First, when you submit, which is after you know how much you get back.
Oh thank you for your reply! Just another question, how can I submit also the other supporting docs or proofs like bank receipts/ OR. Can everything be done online, including submission of documents?
Hey She. Nowdays, you just submit those things on demand, when the Finanzamt requests it. Then, if needed, you can proceed via email.
Thank you so much!!
Hi
I work full time and my wife is on a DAAD scholarship. I understand she is exempt from Taxes so I applied to change from 4/4 to 3/5 as I thought from Finanzamt point of view she has no income. Am I correct? Will her scholarship salary be affected ?
Hey Ahmed. Well, she has income, but it’s not taxable.
Hi Bastien, thanks for the good work. Tax return is based on a formula income less expenses, that means if your income is like 3 times more of what you really spent, chances are you have to return a lot of money correct? If that´s the case, are you are how it works? Imagine income 10K, expenses 3k = 7k what I have to return should be a percentage of this 7k correct? Do you anything about it?
Hey Patricia. The unfortunate answer to this is: it depends. On your family situation, particular expenses, income sources, etc…
Hello,
I got my tax refund from outside the airport (in Marin plats munch) but I failed to stamp my receipts for final stamp. and my registered Credit card got stolen and now I don’t how to pay them the tax refund? what are the legal actions towards me of the failure of paying the tax?
Hey Mara. I don’t know, this post is about tax return for German residents.
Dear Sir/Madam,
In Year 2018 I have worked in Germany for 3 months, My company said, I dont need to register in Rauth house as my stay is not more than 3 months. Hence I have not registered. During my tax returns, officer said, I have not registered my name in Rauth house. Later when we explained the situation to tax officer not mandatory rauth-house registration for less than 3 months stay in Germany. Officer saying i am not stayed more than 6 months hence no returns. Where as all my friends got returns in same situations. I request you to help. I am from India.
Can any one help me with my query?
Hi,
I have a student job in which I earn 433 a month, my only income. Do I need to pay taxes or do the tax declaration?
Hello,
Could anyone help me with this situation? My husband works full time and he has family health-insurance. He has tax claim refund every year. Now I am offered a mini job (<450€/month) without paying tax and no health-insurance covered. If I take the job, will my husband’s tax claim refund decrease?
Thank you very much.