My German Tax Return

This is a tax guide for all employed persons who want or need to file an income tax return (or: tax declaration) in Germany but do not speak much German. It explains the basics of German tax law and guides you through the most important questions and tax forms:

- Where do I file an income tax return (Steuererklärung)?
- What deadlines do I need to know regarding my tax return?
- Which tax office (Finanzamt) do I have to submit my tax return to?
- May I send a German tax return by email?
- Which expenses are deductible in a tax return?
- Are there lump sums (Pauschbeträge) or do I have to calculate every little bit?
- What do all these weird words in the tax forms mean?
- What do I need may wage tax certificate (Lohnsteuerbescheinigung) for?
- What do tax payers mean when they talk about the "Mantelbogen"?
- What the heck is "Elster", if not a magpie?
- How do I fill in the Annex N?
- Is there a chance for a tax refund?
- …And so much more!It's so much easier than you think!
Even for native speakers, German tax law sometimes seems rather incomprehensible. But then, most of the time, it's not as complicated as you may have feared! Many tax forms are actually quite self-explanatory.
Whether you do your tax return yourself or seek professional advice: This guide about filing a tax return in Germany will help you!
Though you may speak little or no German, you can basically do your tax return yourself. But even if you use the services of a tax advisor (Steuerberater) or go to an income tax help association (Lohnsteuerhilfeverein), the following applies: only if you know the basics of German tax law you can point out important facts to your advisor that may be unusual for other taxpayers.