Best Tax Return Software in Germany For Expats

Remember the days of cringing at the thought of your tax return? Well, guess what? They are over. Thanks to the best tax return software in Germany, you can file your tax return 100% digitally in as little as 20 minutes. 

Here are our picks for the best tax return software in Germany this year. All listed software providers offer their services in English.

• SteuerGo: Its intuitive interface provides helpful tax tips and explanatory texts, making the process straightforward. The most in-depth and detailed software.
• Taxfix: Interview-style questions to assess your life and tax situation. Simple to use but limited to easy cases.
• Smartsteuer: Great for both employed or self-employed. It allows you to file up to 5 tax declarations a year. English website no longer exists. For the translate function in-app to work, you need to accept ALL cookies.
• Wundertax: Great if you’re employed and want a simple step-by-step process.
• MyExpatTaxes: A tailored option for USA Citizens. They can help you file your taxes both in Germany and the USA. Great for employed and self-employed individuals.

How do you get your taxes back in Germany?

To get some of your taxes back in Germany, you need to file a tax return at the end of the calendar year. We have written a detailed guide on how you can submit your tax declaration in Germany in which we outline four possible ways:

1. Use a tax return online software
2. Use a tax consultant  
3. Become a member of a Lohnsteuerhilfeverein
4. Use ELSTER – the official German tax authorities online form

In this guide, we will focus on the best online tax return software in Germany, which is a great option for employees without any extra income sources.

Which is the best tax return software in Germany?

Every tax return software listed below does what they are supposed to; however, some have limitations, while others have useful add-ons. Take a look and choose the software provider that best fits your needs.

1. SteuerGo

SteuerGo calculates your possible tax return online for free. It’s a great choice for everyone who likes to add as much detail as possible and understand more about what can be declared in a German tax declaration.

Once you decide to upgrade to SteuerGo Plus to submit your tax return, it forwards your data and documents reliably to the tax office via the official ELSTER system. The functions of the tax software are intuitive and easy to use. Should you have any questions or need help, you can contact the English customer service. SteuerGo is also available in Russian and four other Eastern European languages. SteuerGo Plus costs 34,95 euros per tax return.

SteuerGo Benefits:

✅ Free trial
✅ No installation needed
✅ Works on all devices – Desktop, iPhone, iPad, and Android
✅ Easy data entry
✅ Data transfer from the previous year
✅ Access to pre-filled data from Finanzamt, such as your wage tax and health insurance contributions
✅ Checklist for tax documents
✅ Verification of the entries
✅ Customer support in English by email
✅ Customized tax tips
✅ Supports complex situations such as: self-employed, income abroad or from property, pensions, married with children, etc.
✅ Supports Capital Gains
✅ Tax return in 20 minutes
✅ Tax assessment check from Finanzamt included

2. Taxfix

Taxfix is another German Fintech company striving to make peoples’ lives easier when it comes to taxes. With an interview-style questionnaire, you can submit your tax declaration in 22 minutes, without needing to know anything about taxes. Taxfix is available in English, French, and Italian, however, only for employees. It does not support self-employed or other complex situations. The price is 39,99 euros for one person.

Taxfix Benefits:

✅ Free tax calculation
✅ No installation needed
✅ Intuitive app with photo option to upload your documents
✅ Easy data entry interchangeable between phone and desktop
✅ Data transfer from the previous year
✅ Access to pre-filled data from Finanzamt, such as your wage tax and health insurance contributions
✅ Supports Capital Gains
✅ Customer support in English, French, and Italian
✅ Easy interview questions with no previous tax knowledge needed
✅ Tax return in 22 minutes

Taxfix Drawbacks:

⛔️ Does not support more complex taxes from self-employment or rental property income
⛔️ Does not include a verification check of the tax assessment received from the Finanzamt after filing the tax return

3. Smartsteuer

Smartsteuer is a great complete and detailed tax return app. Unfortunately, they no longer offer an English homepage. For the auto-translate function within the software to work, you need to accept ALL cookies. Smartsteuer also offers a free tax calculator, where you can enter all of your data. Should you wish to proceed and use smartsteuer to file your tax return, you can transfer your data to a free user account and then pay for submitting your files in less than an hour.

Smartsteuer costs 39,99 euros and includes five tax returns per same tax year, making it a great tool to also file taxes for other family members in Germany.

Smartsteuer Benefits:

✅ Free trial
✅ 5 tax returns per year included 
✅ No installation needed
✅ Simple language with detailed explanations
✅ Data transfer from the previous year
✅ Verification of the entries
✅ Customized tax tips
✅ Supports complex situations such as: self-employed, income abroad or from property, pensions, married with children, etc..
✅ Supports Capital Gains
✅ Access to pre-filled data from Finanzamt, such as your wage tax and health insurance contributions
✅ Checks tax return calculation to actual tax assessment received from Finanzamt
✅ Tax return in less than 60 minutes

Smartsteuer Drawbacks:

⛔️ English website no longer exists. For the translate function in-app tow work, you need to accept ALL cookies.

4. Wundertax

Wundertax is another tax return software that caters directly to expats in Germany. The user interface is simpler than with SteuerGo, but less intuitive as with Taxfix. You need to enter all of your data manually, as it does not offer a data retrieval from the Finanzamt to pre-fill your prepaid wage tax and health insurance contributions.

Wundertax Benefits:

✅ Free tax calculation
✅ Works on all devices – Desktop, iPhone, iPad, and Android
✅ No installation needed
✅ Easy data entry
✅ Data transfer from the previous year
✅ Verification of the entries
✅ Customer support in English by email
✅ Customized tax tips
✅ Supports employees & self-employed
✅ Supports Capital Gains
✅ Tax return in 17 minutes
✅ Tax assessment check from Finanzamt included

Wundertax Drawbacks:

⛔️ Does not include a verification check of the tax assessment received from the Finanzamt after filing the tax return
⛔️ Has no access to pre-filled data from Finanzamt, such as your wage tax and health insurance contributions → you need to enter this data manually

Bonus: MyExpatTaxes for US Citizens

If you are a US citizen living in Germany, next to declaring your taxes in Germany, you will also have to file them in the US every year. MyExpatTaxes is the No. 1 software to do so. Whether your situation is simple or complex, MyExpatTaxes can handle it all. You can get a free Stimulus calculation, and choose from four different pricing and service packages, starting at 149 euros.

Conclusion

Filing your tax return has never been easier thanks to these new-age software providers and apps. For regular employees, Taxfix had the best usability during my test, whereas SteuerGo is the most versatile option supporting almost all taxpayer categories.

Disclaimer: Neither myself as the author of this article, nor Simple Germany as a business, are qualified to provide tax advice under German law. We cannot provide specialist tax services beyond any of the general tips contained herein. For tax advice, we strongly recommend you consult a professional tax consultant.