Understanding Tax Cards in Germany: Registration & Requirements

Table of Contents

Description

What is it?

A tax card, or Steuerkarte, is required for taxation purposes in Germany. It contains your personal tax identification number (Steueridentifikationsnummer), which is a unique number assigned to each person for tax purposes, and your tax class depending on your marital and job status.

Who needs it?

Any person who is working and earning income in Germany needs a tax card.

Procedure

  1. Register your address with the local residents’ registration office, or Bürgeramt, after arriving in Germany.
  2. After successful registration, you will receive a confirmation letter that includes your tax ID number.
  3. If you do not receive this letter within three weeks, you can contact the Federal Central Tax Office (Federal Tax Office ) to request your number.
  4. Share your tax ID with your employer. They will use this to deduct your income tax directly from your wages - this is referred to as “Pay As You Earn”.
  5. If you wish to change your tax class, you can do so by applying to your local tax office.

Required Documents

  • Identity Card or Passport
  • Proof of residence (Anmeldung)
  • Marriage certificate (if applicable)
  • Application for tax card change (if changing tax class)

Providers that can do it for you

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Additional details

Your tax class is determined by your marital status, number of jobs, and other factors. For example, tax class III is for married taxpayers where one person is the sole earner or earns significantly more, while tax class IV is for when both partners earn similar amounts. For more complex situations, employed taxpayers in Germany can apply to have their individual tax burdens calculated with a factor procedure (Faktorverfahren).

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