Marriage doesn't just affect marital status. The tax changes are also very strong. The so-called splitting advantage is why many get married because of the tax.
Table of contents - Tax return for couples
01.
Tax return for married couples: the spouse splitting
Married couples and registered civil partners can file tax returns together or choose to file two separate tax returns. If you decide on a joint assessment, the spouse splitting applies to you . This often results in tax benefits compared to individual assessments.
On this page we will show you the tax advantages of joint assessment, how it works and how you can save a lot of time and nerves with the tax return.
You should note the following:
02.
This is how spouse splitting works
Do you decide with your partner for the joint assessment you can use the spouse splitting. This also applies to registered life partners. Decisive is the civil marriage or entering a civil partnership in the case of same-sex couples.
With splitting, the tax office adds your income to that of your partner and divides this sum by two. The income tax is then calculated for this result. This is now doubled again. This is the income tax you have to pay as a married couple.
This is particularly worthwhile if the income difference between you and your partner is particularly large.
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03.
A joint investment offers these advantages
If you get married, you get tax benefits. That sounds all well and good, but how exactly does that affect you? Whether or not you enjoy these benefits ultimately depends on how much you earn and, above all, whether there are differences in the level of income.
Some advantages that result from this can be:
04.
What tax classes can married couples use?
Joint investment offers many advantages. We show you here which tax class combinations are available:
Here (German) we show you all tax classes in the overview.
The splitting benefit is always retrospective for the whole year. So if you got married on December 31st, from a tax point of view you have been married since the beginning of the year.
Taxes without forms: Answer our easy-to-understand question-answer process, or have your tax done by an independent tax advisor.
The choice is yours: complete the simple question and answer process, or use Expert Service and have your taxes done for you by an independent tax advisor. Either way, you can avoid complicated tax jargon.
Learn moreTaxfix makes your tax return completely digital. Simply photograph or upload your documents. Taxfix then automatically transfers all important information - accurately and stress-free!
Learn moreWe tell you how much you get from the tax office. Not only do we automatically deduct flat rates that you can use to save taxes, we also show you transparently what information you submit.
Learn moreYour data is always transmitted in encrypted form to the Taxfix servers and via ELSTER to the tax office. We use secure encryption technologies that are also used by banks.
Learn moreMissed the tax deadline? Have one of our independent tax professionals handle your taxes and buy yourself more time.
Start now05.
Registered civil partnership: tax peculiarities
Married couples use splitting and thereby save more taxes. But what about couples who are not married?
Many ask themselves again and again: Is a heterosexual partnership also a registered civil partnership? This is a special topic with regard to taxes. Because man and woman can only enjoy tax benefits in marriage: splitting. When a civil partnership is mentioned in laws and offices, the registered civil partnership for same-sex couples is always meant.
In many other countries in the world, a man and a woman can live in a registered civil partnership. However, Germany is still an exception with its equal tax treatment of marriage and registered civil partnership through the use of the splitting advantage.
Same-sex couples have been able to join in registered civil partnerships since 2001. From a purely formal point of view, they should be put on the same footing as a marriage. But the federal government did not want that with a view to taxes. Registered life partners were not allowed to use the splitting.
First in 2013, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the spouse splitting must also apply to registered civil partnerships. The unequal treatment was unconstitutional. This allowed same-sex couples to use splitting retroactively to 2001, provided they were in a registered civil partnership.
06.
This applies to unmarried couples without a registered civil partnership
Unfortunately, unmarried couples without a registered civil partnership cannot benefit from spouse splitting. But can you hope for other tax benefits? The fact is that marriage-like communities are treated differently from marriages and registered civil partnerships, so basically everyone is assessed individually.
Nevertheless, non-marital partnerships can look forward to some tax advantages.
Unfortunately, unmarried couples cannot take advantage of the splitting tariff and are treated as two individuals for tax purposes. However, in order to avoid disadvantages within the tax class, it is advisable to largely align the taxable income by splitting it up.
There are no disadvantages for children, they are treated the same as the children of married couples and therefore have the same rights.
Taxfix shows you some basic topics on how to file your income tax return as a couple.
Find out here how and whether you can claim the costs of your wedding for tax purposes.
Find out how to do a tax return as a widower and what you have to consider.
Find out here whether it is worth switching to tax class III.
Find out more about the advantages and disadvantages of tax class IV here.
Find out here whether tax class IV with a factor can offer you financial advantages.
07.
Tax returns for couples: ELSTER vs. Taxfix
As you have already read, Taxfix is very different from the classic one ELSTER (German) Online service from the tax office. Couples who file their tax returns with ELSTER have to fill out complex forms that are often not easy to understand.
The questions of Taxfix app are intuitive, simply formulated and each offer an explanation box, should you ever get stuck. In addition, at ELSTER you usually have to fill out several forms, whereas at Taxfix you can complete the question-and-answer process in one go. Meanwhile, you can switch from smartphone to app and back - your data is constantly synchronized.
We also suggest deductible expenses that you might not have thought of. Combined with the plausibility check for your entries, there is practically nothing standing in the way of your tax refund. And best of all: You completed the flow of questions in less than half an hour on average!
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