Slovakia | Neotax

FAQ

• 1. I worked in the Slovak republic and paid taxes. Can I get them refunded?
  • Everybody who works abroad has to pay an income tax. Under certain conditions, you can get back the tax which you (or your employer) paid.

• 2. What taxes are paid in the Slovak republic?
  • The personal tax structure in the Slovak republic consists of only one tax. The tax rate depends on the wages earned and can reach up to 25%. Participants in work and travel programs usually pay 19% Income Tax.

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

• 4. 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 Slovak 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.

• 5. How much taxes are paid on your income?

  • Taxable income in EUR	Tax due
    0 - 36 256,38	19% of taxable income
    36 256,38 +	19% of 36 256,38€ + 25% of the amount over 36 256,38€

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

    • Form - Potvrdenie o zdaniteľných príjmoch or a copy of your final cumulative payslip from each employer.

• 7. What is a form - Potvrdenie o zdaniteľných príjmoch?
  • The Potvrdenie o zdaniteľných príjmoch is a form that each employer has to give to his employees at the end of the year. The form reports an employee's annual wages and the taxes withheld from each paycheck. The Slovak employers must send the Form Potvrdenie o zdaniteľných príjmoch to employees before February 15 of each calendar year. The Form Potvrdenie o zdaniteľných príjmoch is not based on the fiscal year, but reports income on a calendar year (January 1 to December 31).

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

• 9. How many years back can I file my tax refund?
  • According to the Slovak tax law, you can go back as far as 4 years from the year in which you apply.

• 10. How long does it take to receive my tax refund?
  • On average it takes 30 to 90 days for tax returns to be processed by the tax offices. This is counted from the time your documents are received by the tax authorities. The actual time may vary on a case by case basis.

• 11. When is the deadline for filing the tax return?
  • Your tax return for this year should be filed at the Slovak republic Tax Office on March 31st of next year at the latest. This means that you have to send your tax return in such a way that the tax office will receive your tax return by this date. You should also pay your taxes by this date. If you do so later than this date, you may be asked to pay a “Late-filing penalty” (in case the tax office receives your tax return later), or a “Failure-to-pay penalty” (in case you paid the taxes later).

• 12. What are the penalties for late tax return filing/tax paying?
  • The penalties start at 30 Eur. If you need any information about the penalties for late tax return filing and late taxes paying, please check updated information on the Financial Administration web.

• 13. 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.

• 14. 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 Potvrdenie o zdaniteľných príjmoch)
    • Your employer wrongly more/less than was necessary
    • You may have some debt/overpayment from previous years