FAQ about Taxfix

What does the app do?
Taxfix can help you with your tax declaration. The user answers interview-style questions using the Taxfix assistant to gather all required information. With help of this information the app automatically fills in the official tax forms. Once the questions have been successfully answered, the Taxfix app calculates the tax refund possible. You can even submit your tax declaration directly to the tax authorities using your smartphone.

For which year does the app creates the tax declaration?
Taxfix helps you with your tax declaration for the year 2016. All questions and information always refer to this year.

How long does it take to prepare the tax declaration?
How long it will take you exactly to file your taxes depends mainly on the complexity of your tax case. But on average, doing your taxes with Taxfix takes no longer than 25 minutes.

Do you also offer tax advice?
No, we do not offer tax advice. Taxfix does not replace a certified tax consultant. If you need help with explanations, Taxfix offers info texts. They help you with general questions about particular issues, but not with individual tax issues.

Who can not use Taxfix for his tax declaration?
Currently the Taxfix app does not support all tax cases.

If you are married you can use Taxfix only if you choose separate assessment. Joint assessment will be supported in the near future.

To use our app your primary residence must be in Germany. Also, the app does not support foreign income.

Also not available in the current version:

• Tax declaration for freelancers & self-employed people
• Determination of profits for farmers and foresters
• Tax declaration for pensioners
• Letting and leasing of apartments and houses

I still have questions. Can you help?

If our information texts cannot help you, try to contact our support team: support@taxfix.de. Please be aware that we cannot provide you with personal tax assistance or tax advice. Our support team will be glad to help you with technical questions.

What is an annual payslip (‘Lohnsteuerbescheinigung’)?
At the end of a calendar year or at the end of an employment contract, your employer has to issue an annual payslip (‘Lohnsteuerbescheinigung’). This documents includes the following information, among others

• Duration of employment
• Salary
• Withheld wage tax, solidarity surcharge and church tax
• Deducted short-time allowance, bad weather allowance, winter allowance
• Number of child allowances

The annual payslip should not be confused with your monthly payslip. Printed at the top of your annual payslip you will find the year which the document refers to.

When do I get my annual payslip?
Usually you receive your annual payslip automatically from your employer by February of the following year. This document includes your wage tax contributions. If you ended your employment with an employer in the course of the year, then your employer will issue you with an annual payslip at the end of the contract.

Entering data from annual payslip
The annual payslip is a core part of calculating your tax refund. You can enter the information on this document in three different ways.

You can choose whether you want to take a photo of the annual payslip, to import the data, or to enter the data manually.

The easiest way is to take a photo. The app automatically imports the relevant information.

How should I take a photo of my annual payslip?
If you want to take a photo of your annual payslip, make sure that the document is placed on a dark background and is well lit. Also make sure that there are no other documents visible in the photo. Grid lines can help you position the camera correctly. After taking the picture your photo will be uploaded and the data imported into the app. Please check the data has been imported correctly.

The data could not be read from my photo. What should I do?

Picture quality is decisive in whether the data can be read from your annual payslip and imported into the app. Make sure the text is sharp and in focus and that the document is placed on a dark background and no other documents are visible. If there are problems with the readability you will receive a warning from the app. In this case repeat the steps following the advice. Alternatively you can enter the data manually.

Results of tax calculation tax refund
In many cases you may be owed a tax refund due to paying too much in taxes. This amount is payed out to you by the tax office when you file a tax return. If it is less than 50 euros, sending your tax return to the tax office is free of charge.

Additional tax payment
In some cases, you may have to pay additional tax. In this case Taxfix does not charge any fees for sending your tax return to the tax office.

Loss carryforward
If your costs exceeded your income, then you’ve made a loss for this tax year. You can carry this loss over into next year with a loss carryforward. This means that you will have to pay less tax in future years. In this case sending your tax return to the tax office is free of charge.

Loss carryforward combined with tax refund or additional payment
In some cases it is possible that you have a loss carryforward and at the same time either receive a tax refund or have to pay additional taxes. The app will show you the result of the tax calculation and whether you will be charged for submitting your tax return.

Can I choose to file my tax return voluntarily?
In many cases you can choose to file your tax return voluntarily. This is beneficial when you expect a tax refund. However, there are some cases where you are legally obliged to submit your tax return:

• You belong to tax class III, IV with income ratio procedure (‘Faktorverfahren’), V, or VI.
• You have received wage replacement benefits of more than 410 euros.
• You have received more than 410 euros in supplementary income.
• You have tax free allowances on your annual payslip.
• You have a loss carryforward from the previous year.
• You run a business, work as a freelancer or are self-employed.

As a result of the tax calculation I can make use of a loss carryforward. What does this mean?
If your costs exceeded your income, then you’ve made a loss for this tax year. You can carry this loss over into next year with a loss carryforward. This means that you will have to pay less tax in future years.

In order to make use of this tax bonus, you have to send a tax return to the tax office. You can do this directly from within the Taxfix app. You will then receive a statement from the tax office acknowledging this loss carryforward.

With your next tax return, your taxes liable will be offset by the losses carried forward. This means you pay less tax. The tax office keeps a record of this amount and adjusts this amount automatically.

How much does it cost to use Taxfix?
Taxfix is available as a free download from the App Store. You can even calculate the amount of your tax refund for free. If your tax refund is less than 50 euros, you can send your tax return to the tax office free of charge. If your tax refund is 50 euros and above, Taxfix charges a one-off amount of 34.99 euros.

How is the payment done?
If you receive a tax refund higher than 50 Euro, Taxfix charges a flat fee of 34.99 EUR for the transfer of the tax declaration to the tax office. The amount will be paid directly via Apple iTunes.

Do I get confirmation of transmission?
Once your tax documents have been submitted to the tax office, you will receive a confirmation by email from Taxfix. The tax authorities do not send an acknowledgment of receipt.

What does Taxfix have to do with ELSTER?
Taxfix is not the official tax software of the tax authorities. But the tax app uses the ELSTER interface to submit your tax data in accordance with the tax office. On that account you can always be sure that the tax office receives your data as if you had handed in the official forms.

The tax assessment differs from the app calculation. What can I do now?
Your tax office is responsible for the calculation of your tax assessment. Only this authority can officially determine whether you receive a tax refund and or if you have to make an additional payment.

Taxfix calculates your tax assessment with the greatest possible care on the data basis data you entered. In some cases it is possible that the financial official may not recognize some of your posts. The taxfix result may differ from your tax assessment.

In case of doubt you always can lodge an objection against the tax assessment.

When will I receive my tax refund?
We cannot exactly say how long it takes to process your tax return. On average you have to wait about two to three months to get your tax assessment sent by mail. If after 4 months you still have no feedback from the tax office, you can check and inquire about the processing status.

Why don’t I get a refund?
Not everyone who submits a tax return will also receive a refund. The tax office calculates whether you have paid too much or too little tax. With Taxfix you can calculate in advance whether you can expect a tax refund or not.

What happens to my data?
The security of your data is highly important. Taxfix transmits all data in encrypted form – whether these are sent to its own servers or even to the tax office. The encryption technologies used are also used by banks for their online services. Taxfix only transfers user data to the tax office if the user explicitly allow us to do.

How are tax documents sent to the tax office?
Taxfix uses ELSTER to transmit your tax documents. ELSTER is the official service of the tax authorities. Taxfix automatically processes your data in such a way that they are automatically transmitted to the responsible tax office via the ELSTER interface.