Foreign Income

Is Foreign Income Taxed in Germany? If you live and work in Germany you are usually taxable in Germany on your foreign income worldwide. All your income needs to be reported to the German authorities.  If you have income outside of Germany the Double Taxation Treaty between Germany and the country where your income comes from…

Freelancer Next Steps: How to Pay VAT Taxes in Germany

Your Finanzamt will ask you to initially submit monthly VAT returns for your VAT taxes (unless you are registered as a “Kleinunternehmer” – a micro business).You will have to report your monthly VAT liability to the Finanzamt and make VAT payments accordingly. The reporting (“Umsatzsteuervoranmeldung”) is done electronically via https://www.elster.de/eportal/start where you also find the relevant forms.  At…

Tax Residency

For tax purposes, nationality is only a relevant factor in very rare cases. Many tax benefits available to German nationals are equally available to EU nationals, but not in all cases to non-EU nationals. There is no specific “Expat Tax Status” in Germany like you find in some other jurisdictions. In other words: As an…

Where Can I Find Tax Forms and My Local Tax Office?

Can I Submit Forms Online? You can submit your German tax forms online at https://www.elster.de/eportal/start You need to make sure to download (for free) the most current version of the tax software onto your system. Alternatively you can also get the required software (for free) on CD-ROM from your local Finanzamt. Please note that you also need…