Call for German property tax return

Property ownership in Germany has undergone a major tax reform. What is its essence and what obligations does it entail?

Property tax reform

The year 2019 was a crucial year in Germany for the creation of the property tax reform. The justification for the reform stems from the fact that the amount of real estate and land tax was previously determined on the basis of the so-called "outdated" values from 1935 and 1964.

These values have therefore fallen behind the actual development of property values, which has led to unequal treatment between property owners.

The goal of the reform is to recalculate the current tax rate or to determine the amount of property and land taxes fairly for all taxpayers

Call for tax returns

In order to determine the new tax, every owner of real estate or land is required to file a tax return. Property owners will also be informed of this obligation by the State, either by means of an invitation to file a tax return or by means of an information letter. The notices will be sent to property owners on a rolling basis from May 2022 to July 2022.

Property tax return

The tax return may be filed on the following dates:

• from 1 July 2022 - earliest date,
• until 31 October 2022 - the last date.

The taxpayer is legally obliged to file the tax return only electronically. One of the options for electronic filing is the online tax portal "Elster". Electronic forms for filing tax returns will be available on the Elser portal from July 1st, 2022.

In individual cases there are exceptions for filing a paper tax return, whereby the taxpayer must prove that neither he nor his relatives have the possibility to file electronically. For these cases, paper forms will be available at the local tax offices.

Information on a tax return

The taxpayer is obliged to provide the following information about the property or land in the tax return:

• location,
• area,
• the standard value of the land,
• type of building,
• residential area,
• year of construction of the building.

Read also:

How is rental income taxed in Germany?

Property ownership in Germany has undergone a major tax reform. What is its essence and what obligations does it entail?

Calculation of the new tax amount and its due date

The tax authorities will start calculating the new property tax amount once all tax returns have been received or once all the necessary data has been provided. The data will then be passed on to the municipalities, which will recalculate the tax amount by the end of 2024.

We will be happy to process your property tax return for you.