Austria | Neotax

FAQ

• 1. I worked in Austria and paid taxes. Should I file a tax return?
  • Everybody who works abroad has to pay income tax. Under certain conditions, you can receive a refund from some of the taxes you (your employer) paid. We refund tax from Austria and we can also help you get child benefit support for your children if they are younger than 18 (or 24 in the case of university students). More about our child benefit service here!

• 2. What does “tax refund” mean?
  • A refund means that your employer paid more taxes on your behalf than was necessary, and you can claim the excess money back. By filing a tax return, you are actually reporting to the Austrian Tax Office how much you earned as gross income and how much you paid in taxes while you stayed in Austria.

• 3. Why do some agencies claim that they will refund MORE tax overpayment for you than the others?
  • There is no such a thing as “more refund” on your taxes. Be careful, because this might be a marketing trick to attract you to sign a contract. If a tax specialist does your tax return properly, according to the Austrian tax law, the refund can be calculated in only one possible way! If an agency applies tax deductions that you are NOT entitled to, your refund will increase on one hand, but you are at a very high risk that you will have to pay it back to the Tax Office.

• 4. How much taxes are paid from your income?
  • Taxation is progressive on the individual's income in Austria. In other words, the more you earn, the more you pay. Austrian tax rates for individuals were between 25 % and 55 % in 2016.

• 5. What documents do you need for your tax refund?
  • In order to receive your income tax refund as quickly as possible and to apply for the highest amount, you need to have:

    • A copy of your Lohnsteuerbescheinigung form from each of your employers;
    • A​ L1i form​ if you worked less than 6 months in Austria
    • A certified ​E9 - EU/EWR Bescheinigung​ form which proves your local income.

• 6. What is a Lohnzettel form?
  • Lohnzettel is a summary of earnings and deducted taxes by an employer during a calendar year. All employers are legally obliged to issue the form by the end of February of the following year (for example, by the end of February 2020 for fiscal year 2019).

• 7. What if you do not have all the necessary documents?
  • Even if you do not have all of the documents mentioned above, you can still apply for your tax refund. We offer a “replacement” service - we will contact your former employers and will claim copies of your payment documents as your certified tax agent.

• 8. How many years back can I file my tax refund?
  • According to the Austrian tax office, you can go back as far as 5 years ​from the year in which you apply.

• 9. How long does it take to receive my tax refund?
  • It may take up to 5 - 7 months until you receive your income tax refund. This is counted from the time your documents are received by the tax authorities. The actual time may vary from case to case.

• 10. When is the deadline for filing the tax return?
  • Tax returns are due by the end of April of the following year! Please note that you may need to pay a penalty or late filing fee if you forget to file your tax return, but it may vary from case to case.

• 11. Why is your tax calculation different from the actual Tax Office calculation?
  • In some cases, tax officials calculate the tax on your Tax Return higher or lower than the Tax Office shows in the final calculation. What are the most frequent causes?

    • The Tax Office had different data on your record (your employer reported different data than you have on your Lohnsteuerbescheinigung)
    • Your employer wrongly paid more/less than was necessary
    • You may have some debt/overpayment from previous years.