By Rita Deutschbein and Björn König | Jun 24, 2023 2:28 p.m
The tax return is an annoying evil that in many cases cannot be avoided. In the meantime, however, there are some apps that can be used to complete this task relatively quickly and easily. TECHBOOK explains what the best-known tax apps can do.
Elster should make the tax return much easier. However, many taxpayers do not really get used to the official software from the financial administration. Too complicated, confusing and not really usable, especially on a smartphone. In addition, there is no help with problems, so if in doubt you have to consult a tax consultant again in the end. Steuerbot, Taxfix and Co. promise to guide users out of the tax jungle. But how well does that work in practice and can tax apps really replace a tax consultant?
Deadline for filing the income tax return
The income tax return for 2022 is due this year. Those who do their tax returns on their own can still do so until October 2, 2023 submit to the tax office. The deadline this year is slightly shorter than last year, when it ended on October 31, 2022. However, if you get help from the income tax help or a tax consultant with the tax return, you can even deal with the tax until July 31, 2024 take your time.
By the way: Those users who seek advice on their tax returns can even submit them for 2021 this year. The deadline for this is August 31, 2023.
After the income tax return has been submitted, the tax offices become active. How long they need to process depends heavily on the federal state, according to a recent evaluation by the taxpayers’ association. In general, there are indications that the processing times will be somewhat longer this year. Applicants have to wait an average of 4 to 16 days more than in the previous year for their tax assessment. One of the reasons for this is the large number of property tax returns that have had to be processed in parallel with the income tax returns since July 2022. According to the evaluation, the tax offices in Berlin are again the fastest with processing, followed by Hamburg and then Saxony, Bavaria, Thuringia and Rhineland-Palatinate. On average, taxpayers in Brandenburg and Bremen have to wait the longest.
The majority of Germans now have to submit their tax returns digitally. There are only a few exceptions for employees, pensioners and retirees who have no other taxable income. For this reason, tax programs have increasingly come into focus in recent years. The income tax return can be sent to the tax office electronically and free of charge via “Mein Elster”. However, the platform is not particularly clear, which is why many users are now turning to alternative programs or control apps. Good to know: They are also based on Elster, so they transmit the data in the background via the financial management software. In the following we present four recommendable tax apps.
Taxfix
“Taxfix” is one of the most well-known tax apps with an intuitive user interface. There are no form fields to fill out here, instead you go through a predetermined list of questions. A major advantage of “Taxfix” is that the tax return can also be completed using a PC or notebook, because the service works equally well in the web browser.
In the free mode, the tax refund to be expected can already be calculated; fees are only incurred when the message is sent. These amount to EUR 39.99 for single people and EUR 59.99 for married couples and registered partnerships. This is undoubtedly cheaper than the tax consultant on site. However, whether the tax savings are the same depends on the specific individual case. In addition, according to the website, the self-employed or freelancers are left out, at least for the time being.
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control boat
Similar to “Taxfix”, “steuerbot” also relies on a playful chat mode to summarize all the necessary information for preparing the tax return. All data is then transmitted to the tax office via the standardized Elster interface. Here, too, there is a free preliminary calculation of the expected tax refund.
If you have any additional questions, support from tax experts is available and will reply within 24 hours. Advantage over “Taxfix”: For refunds of less than 100 euros, use is free of charge, provided there is no obligation to submit a tax return. All other users pay 29.95 euros per tax return, short-time workers receive a tariff discount of ten euros.
WISO tax
Buhl Data Service has been known for its “WISO” tax return software for a long time. The program was also able to convince in comparisons, such as with Finanztest, in the past. A big advantage compared to other apps is that “WISO Steuer” not only runs on Android and iOS smartphones, but also on PC, Mac and in the browser. In contrast to the competition, the self-employed can also explicitly prepare their tax returns with WISO.
The app is even suitable for investors, real estate owners or retirees. In the standard version, WISO Steuer costs EUR 34.95 per tax year, and up to five declarations can be submitted. From 134.95 euros there is also a “Profi-Check” option, with which you can have your tax return checked by a professional.
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Account tax service
A very interesting alternative to the control apps mentioned so far is “Kontist”. The app is best known as a bank account for freelancers. For some time now, however, the Berliners have also been offering a personal tax service for freelancers, which can be booked in addition to the current account in the “Kontist” app. However, there is a big difference to all the offers mentioned so far: You don’t have to fill out the tax return yourself, this is done by tax consultants who are specially trained for solo self-employed people.
This makes “Kontist” undoubtedly the most convenient solution among all tax apps, which is also reflected in the price. The offer includes in particular the private and business tax return, advance sales tax return and annual financial statements. It starts at 179 euros per month.
Is a tax app worth it?
In many aspects, “WISO Steuer” offers the best overall package among the tax apps mentioned. In terms of price, it is also comparable to “steuerbot” and “taxfix”, but explicitly also includes the self-employed as a professional group. “Taxfix” and “steuerbot”, on the other hand, are in principle only suitable for employees; standardized queries are carried out here. In more complicated tax cases, the apps quickly reach their limits. In comparison, “Kontist” is a special case, but it is by far the best solution for the self-employed, because when sales tax and depreciation are added, there is no way around a tax consultant, at least for this professional group.