German Tax Filing Software
Do you need to file your tax return in Germany soon? It is possible to file your taxes yourself without hiring an expensive German tax advisor. Learn how to easily file your expat taxes with these online tax filing software in Germany!
You can file your tax return in Germany yourself in one of the following ways:
- Yourself: With an online German tax filing software
- Yourself: With ELSTER
- Hire a Steuerberater
Scroll down to find out the best way to file a German annual tax return for you!
German Online Tax Filing Software
Using German tax filing software can make a tax return in Germany an efficient process for any taxpayer.
Despite Germany’s notorious bureaucracy, some of the German tax filing software are quite intuitive and easy to use and even available in multiple languages including English.
Scroll down to learn about the best German tax filing software for freelancers as well as salaried employees.
- USER RATINGS (Jan 2023)
- Trustpilot: 4.9/ 5.0
- Trustedshops: 4.6/5.0
- LANGUAGES
- English
- German, Polish, Russian, Hungarian
- Customer Support in English
- FEATURES
- Free Trial
- Android/ iOS app
- Customised Tax Tips
- Free Tax Refund Calculation
- TAX REPORTS
- Annual Tax Return (Einkommenssteuererklärung)
- Freelancers: Profit & Loss Statement (EÜR)
- Freelancers: Advance VAT Return (Umsatzsteuererklarung)
- IDEAL FOR
- Salaried Employees with or without family
- Freelancers or Sole Traders
- Landlords or Homeowners
- Pensioners or Retirees
- PRICE
- €34,95 / ONE Tax Return
- USER RATINGS (Jan 2023)
- Trustpilot: 3.7/ 5.0
- Trustedshops: 4.3/5.0
- LANGUAGES
- English
- German, Multiple
- Customer Support in English
- FEATURES
- Free Trial
- Android/ iOS app
- Customised Tax Tips
- Free Tax Refund Calculation
- TAX REPORTS
- Annual Tax Return (Einkommenssteuererklärung)
- Freelancers: Profit & Loss Statement (EÜR)
- Freelancers: Advance VAT Return (Umsatzsteuererklarung)
- IDEAL FOR
- Salaried Employees with or without family
- Freelancers or Sole Traders
- Landlords or Homeowners
- Pensioners or Retirees
- PRICE
- €34,95 / FIVE Tax Returns
German Tax Filing Tools for Freelancers
Freelancers in Germany have to submit additional tax reports to their Finanzamt for their annual income tax return. Not every German tax filing software is suitable for self-employed individuals.
Scroll down to learn about the best German tax filing software for freelancers.
- USER RATINGS (Jan 2023)
- Trustpilot: 4.5/ 5.0
- Trustedshops: NA
- LANGUAGES
- English
- German
- Customer Support in English
- FEATURES
- Free Trial
- Android/ iOS app
- Free Invoice Creation
- Overview of Income and Expenses
- Free Tax Refund Calculation
- TAX REPORTS
- Annual Tax Return (Einkommenssteuererklärung)
- Freelancers: Profit & Loss Statement (EÜR)
- Freelancers: Advance VAT Return (Umsatzsteuererklarung)
- IDEAL FOR
- Freelancers or Sole Traders
- GmbH or UG companies
- Salaried Employees
- PRICE
- Limited Features: FREE
- Small Business: €80,00/ Year
- Pro Plan: €60,00/ Quarter
- USER RATINGS (Jan 2023)
- Trustpilot: 4.5/ 5.0
- Trustedshops: NA
- LANGUAGES
- English
- German
- Customer Support in English
- FEATURES
- Free Trial
- Android/ iOS app
- Free Invoice Creation
- Overview of Income and Expenses
- Free Tax Refund Calculation
- TAX REPORTS
- Annual Tax Return (Einkommenssteuererklärung)
- Freelancers: Profit & Loss Statement (EÜR)
- Freelancers: Advance VAT Return (Umsatzsteuererklarung)
- IDEAL FOR
- Freelancers or Sole Traders
- GmbH or UG companies
- Salaried Employees
- PRICE
- Limited Features: FREE
- Basic Plan: €7,50/ Month
- Pro Plan: €15,00/ Month
Filing German Tax Return with ELSTER
Want to use ELSTER to file a German tax return?
Click here to learn all about ELSTER and how to create an account with ELSTER in a step by step guide in English.
Hiring a Steuerberater in Germany
Want to use hire a Steuerberater (tax consultant) to file a German tax return?
Click here to learn all about the Dos and Don’ts of hiring German tax consultants.
What's next?
Learn the basics of taxes in Germany. It’s not as scary as it sounds!
Einkommensteuererklärung is an annual Income-tax return in German.
Every employed and self-employed individual must submit an annual income tax return in Germany.
Your income tax is calculated based on the profit or loss generated in your Anlage EÜR.
Then you report several personal expenses such as health insurance, private liability or disability insurance, child care costs. You also report any income from additional sources such as investments, dividends or rent.
All this is considered to calculate the final amount of your income tax by Finanzamt.
You can also use our own German freelancer tax calculator to determine your estimated income tax.
Your German income tax return must be submitted to your responsible tax office by 31 July.
Freelancers in Germany can file their annual income tax returns online using ELSTER.
You can also use German online tax filing software to file your taxes in Germany.
We highly recommend GetSorted which is completely accessible in English and fully integrated with ELSTER.