Now the only certainty for us expats living in Germany is FREE and easy tax returns! Besides improving our German (because the ELSTER website is only available in German), we found that it’s actually easy to do your German taxes online. We’ve heard the stories too! And that’s probably why you’re here.īut you see, we recently filed our own taxes as freelancers in Germany using the FREE and easy to use ELSTER platform. Now we know you’ve probably heard from fellow expats that they’ve had to pay hundreds and hundreds of Euros to tax practitioners ( steuerberater) to help them with their German taxes. But that’s the furthest thing from the truth. And if you live in Germany, you’re probably thinking that death-by-taxes might get you first given how incredibly difficult and expensive it seems to file your German tax return. We’ve all heard the saying that nothing in life is certain but death and taxes. Whether you’re a freelancer, self-employed, employee or retired, follow this step-by-step guide to discover how to do your German taxes online for FREE. Easily do your taxes in Germany online and for free with ELSTER.įiling your tax return in Germany has never been this easy.

Elster online aktivierung