How do I submit my tax return?
You transfer your data securely and electronically encrypted via online submission directly to the tax office - optionally with your personal certificate or with the portal certificate of Lohnsteuer kompakt.
You also have an option of submitting your tax return in paper form - with electronic data transmission and signature. In this case, you send the signed tax return together with the supporting documents by post to your tax office.
An overview of possible tax return submission methods:
- Online submission with a personal certificate
Submit your tax return entirely online with your personal Elster certificate. There is no need to send your tax return by post.
- Online submission with identification
Submit your tax return entirely online. There is no need to send your tax return by post. For your security, you must identify yourself digitally.
- Paper submission with electronic data transmission
First, you submit your data online to the tax office. Then you send a signed printout of your tax return to the tax office.
Important note: Starting from the tax year 2021, the tax authorities, unfortunately, no longer allow this type of submission. Please use another convenient submission option. You can still use the „Paper submission with electronic data transmission“ to submit tax returns for previous tax years.
- Paper submission of completed tax forms
Since June 2021, this option is no longer available due to technical improvements. Just use another convenient submission option.
There are no price differences, so you are free to choose any type of submission you prefer. Regardless of the type of submission, Lohnsteuer kompakt will of course inform you of the legally required proofs that must be submitted to the tax office by post.
In order for your tax return to be legally valid, you must provide a signature in the case of paper submission, i.e. even in the case of paper submission with electronic data transmission, the compressed tax return must be printed out at the end, signed on the first page and then sent to the tax office.
How do I submit my tax return?
Who is required to submit a tax return?
Whether you are required to submit an income tax return for the year 2024 depends on your individual circumstances. In many cases, there is no obligation, but there are certain situations where you are required by the tax office to submit one. The legal basis can be found in § 46 Income Tax Act (EStG).
Submission is mandatory if:
- You have received wage replacement benefits (e.g. parental allowance, sickness benefit, unemployment benefit) totalling more than 410 Euro in the year. These are subject to the so-called progression clause.
- You had multiple employments simultaneously, one of which was taxed under tax class VI.
- You and your spouse chose the tax class combination III/V or IV with factor.
- You earned additional income of over 410 Euro – e.g. from self-employment, rental, capital gains without withholding tax or pensions.
- You received a request from the tax office to submit one.
Detailed information on mandatory assessment for employees can be found here: Obligation to submit a tax return.
No obligation to submit if:
- You were employed by one employer only in the year 2024 and were classified in tax class I.
- You received no wage replacement benefits and no additional income.
- None of the above special cases apply to you.
Tip: Voluntary submission is often worthwhile!
Even if you are not obliged, a voluntary submission (so-called application assessment) can be worthwhile. Many employees receive a refund – on average over 1.000 Euro! The reasons are, for example, work-related expenses, special expenses or extraordinary burdens that were not taken into account in the wage tax deduction.
When in doubt: Ask the tax office
If you are unsure whether you need to submit a tax return, contact your local tax office.
Who is required to submit a tax return?
How can I amend data that has already been submitted?
If you have already submitted your tax return electronically to the tax office but need to make some changes, this is not a problem. Simply restart the submission process by clicking on the navigation link "Submit tax return". In the middle section, you will find the button "Restart submission of tax return". If you have already submitted the signed (compressed) tax return, please inform the relevant tax office in advance. Otherwise, you can resubmit your tax return free of charge if there are changes.
Then print out the compressed tax return, sign it, and send it by post to the tax office. The Telenumber can be used to link the electronic tax return with the paper document.
How can I amend data that has already been submitted?
