{"id":30907,"date":"2026-08-20T12:44:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T10:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/help-center\/how-to-read-letters-you-receive-from-the-finanzamt\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T17:27:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T15:27:58","slug":"how-to-read-letters-you-receive-from-the-finanzamt","status":"publish","type":"help_center","link":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/help-center\/how-to-read-letters-you-receive-from-the-finanzamt\/","title":{"rendered":"How to read letters you receive from the Finanzamt?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\"><b>During your life as a self-employed, you will communicate with the tax office (Finanzamt) about many topics: your status, your tax numbers, your tax obligations, tax reminders and even possibly fines&#8230;<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\"><b>Even if we are not in 1990&#8217;s anymore, the Finanzamt usually sends physical letters to your home to communicate with you. These letters are written in German tax language.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\"><b>Worry not: we&#8217;re here to guide you in understanding what they mean.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\"><b>In case of doubt, you can always send us a picture of these letters and we&#8217;ll tell you what to do.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<h1 class=\"font-degular\" id=\"h_c832728745\"><b>Our free online Finanzamt letter reader: Finanzamt-Brief<\/b><\/h1>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Visit our <b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.finanzamt-brief.de\/en\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"intercom-content-link font-inter\">Finanzamt-Brief<\/a><\/b> to get a free simple translated summary for any Finanzamt letter<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<hr>\n<h1 class=\"font-degular\" id=\"h_b5a13e1b92\"><b>Letter after registering as a freelancer<\/b><\/h1>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">If you want to start freelancing in Germany, you will have to register with the tax office. This is done by filling out the <i>Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung<\/i>, or questionnaire for tax collection. <\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">If you want to save time, <b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accountable.de\/en\/online-tax-registration\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"intercom-content-link font-inter\">simply fill out our digital version of the questionnaire<\/a><\/b> and submit it to your respective tax office. <\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">After submitting the document, you will have to sit still for a little bit, as you are not allowed to issue freelance invoices without your new tax number. It should take about 2-4 weeks for that number to arrive in your letterbox, depending on how busy your tax office is. <\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Here\u2019s what that letter looks like:<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<div class=\"intercom-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/accountable-d3847fd74af9.intercom-attachments-1.com\/i\/o\/625082100\/0e45bc8dbf822daa12e668d7\/Steuernummer.png?expires=1787637600&amp;signature=1529da381e74e6eeee19e96d2141b20e4e0db5871ce0f1518bc1f34f5dfe23f4&amp;req=ciIiFsF8nIFfFb4V1XW4gULWRzJ4PX3kiH%2FBJzcXOEGjVSe9DhK2pPLNjh5Z%0ABmXtpjAEP2Wj1Q75aItBcUoq9g%3D%3D%0A\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">In this letter, you will find your new tax number \u2013 which means you can start working as a freelancer and issuing invoices for your new self-employed business.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">The letter also includes some helpful notes about your old tax number, which you shouldn\u2019t use anymore, even if you are only freelancing on the side and are still employed. You can use the new tax number for both your self-employed activities as well as your income tax declaration for wages from being employed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<h1 class=\"font-degular\" id=\"h_4aa7905b77\"><b>Letter about your tax assessment<\/b><\/h1>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">As a freelancer in Germany, you are obligated to file an annual tax declaration. After submitting your details, you will have to wait for the final tax assessment of the tax office. How long you have to wait is again depending on how busy the tax office is. In larger cities like Berlin, Munich, or Cologne, it can take a bit longer, whereas smaller cities might be quicker in their assessment. So be prepared to wait for anything between 3 weeks and 2 months.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">When the tax office has assessed your income tax declaration, they will issue a letter to you explaining their assessment. The letter will include the respective tax tiers they used to calculate your taxable income as well as information about which deduction they accepted to reduce your income tax obligations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<div class=\"intercom-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/accountable-d3847fd74af9.intercom-attachments-1.com\/i\/o\/625082112\/cf054eef7e3ab7859c3235b1\/Steuerbescheid.jpg?expires=1787637600&amp;signature=8d8544d74b5d504035bea9dd72ddefe6dce1f8668ae972ec3f914d769ee4b7b9&amp;req=ciIiFsF8nIBdFb4V1XW4gb9%2FpnV7uIBAissOaJ5l%2BDlN4dltWU%2BLLra%2FQgqb%0AREUeH7MyC15OtqusfLUTRVntVQ%3D%3D%0A\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Additionally, this tax assessment includes calculations on how much you are obligated to pay for the solidarity surcharge, or <i>Solidarit\u00e4tszuschlag (Soli)<\/i> in German. <\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">As of 2021, the exemption threshold for the solidarity surcharge has been lifted substantially. <b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accountable.de\/en\/blog\/abolition-of-the-solidarity-surcharge-this-is-how-much-money-you-will-save-in-2021\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"intercom-content-link font-inter\">Find out how much money this will save you here. <\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Furthermore, your tax assessment letter will also include an overview of how much you might have already paid the tax office and how much money you are still owing. Already issued transactions will be offset with the open amount, so you will only have to pay the difference to the tax office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Also, please note the deadlines for your open payments, as any delays might lead to fines. <b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accountable.de\/en\/blog\/speaking-finanzamt-explaining-the-most-common-letters-youll-get-from-the-german-tax-office\/#7\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"intercom-content-link font-inter\">You can learn more about reminders and collection letters below.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<h1 class=\"font-degular\" id=\"h_d6cd34d0d7\"><b>Letter about income tax prepayments<\/b><\/h1>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">If you are working for yourself, your tax is not automatically subtracted from your income as it would be if you were employed. Instead, you are responsible to calculate your tax liability on your own, and save money throughout the year to then pay your owed income tax at the end of the financial year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">This can quickly become a big worry in the back of your head \u2013 and the tax office has to wait for their money as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Which is why self-employed people in Germany usually have to pay tax prepayments based on their income from the previous year. The tax office will issue a letter telling you how much they have assessed, including the dates these payments will be due for payment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<div class=\"intercom-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/accountable-d3847fd74af9.intercom-attachments-1.com\/i\/o\/625082125\/8083ded68db9667266abb34a\/Steuervorauszahlungen.png?expires=1787637600&amp;signature=c4774a7374b9ea5e8f2f30d9a68d80a26b01b17a69289cd26a4bab21f92d40c7&amp;req=ciIiFsF8nINaFb4V1XW4gR3qAu9l76tTkU65m31YAIufEVvDNs%2BUAfmvwTff%0Adfk7xUANXRGynbH0nDUlJRbiQA%3D%3D%0A\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">This is one of the more important letters, as it states the exact amounts you will have to pay as well as the due dates. So make sure to keep this letter in a safe spot \u2013 or at the very least take a photo of it!<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<h1 class=\"font-degular\" id=\"h_38a34e78d3\"><b>Letters about VAT<\/b><\/h1>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">If you are working for yourself, you are probably familiar with the term VAT, or value added tax. In Germany, this is called <i>Umsatzsteuer<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">You will probably receive at least two letters from the tax office regarding VAT: One letter for you to choose which type of taxation to apply, and a notification in case you are registered as a small business owner and your income has exceeded the VAT exemption threshold. <\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Let\u2019s take a closer look at those two letters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<h2 class=\"font-degular\" id=\"h_8385c75845\"><b>Actual and debit taxation<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">There are two ways to organise your accounting: By actual and debit taxation, or Ist- und Sollversteuerung in German. The Sollversteuerung (debit taxation) is \u201ctaxation according to agreed charges\u201d, while Istversteuerung (actual taxation) is \u201ctaxation according to received charges.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Or in more simple terms, if you choose to be taxed by debit taxation, you will have to pay VAT based on the issued invoice date. This of course means that if your client hasn\u2019t paid the invoice yet, you still have to pay the VAT rate to the tax office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">The actual taxation however calculates your VAT charges based on the date your invoices have been paid.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Upon your freelance registration, you have to choose one of the two taxation types. Your choice will then be acknowledged by the tax office in a letter:<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<div class=\"intercom-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/accountable-d3847fd74af9.intercom-attachments-1.com\/i\/o\/625082134\/8efe7f7ddf9b4bc4a1b2fc48\/Ist-oder-soll.png?expires=1787637600&amp;signature=39bdd2ed9f870f2fcd2ccd43758d5ffa968813651c2a11fae5591b8c475a4a16&amp;req=ciIiFsF8nIJbFb4V1XW4gc%2Bd2ASU9M7X4fYiBJgmCnsvxe%2BytD7N3ky226Oq%0AMu5qkEjuYaH%2FnKzO8EVJY0CxNQ%3D%3D%0A\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">This letter includes a note about the respective deadlines for your choice of taxation (the letter above references actual taxation) as well as an explanation as to why this type of taxation is applicable to you.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<h2 class=\"font-degular\" id=\"h_4d7d0923bd\"><b>Change from small business owner to regular taxation<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">If you are registered as a small business owner, or Kleinunternehmer in German, you will be exempt from paying and charging VAT on your invoices. However, if you exceed the income threshold for small business owners, you automatically have to start charging and paying VAT \u2013 and you will also get a letter from the tax office informing you about your change of status.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\"><b>Please note:<\/b> Before 2020, the income threshold was 17,500\u20ac, as you can see mentioned in the letter above. As of 01\/01\/2021, this threshold has been increased to 22,000\u20ac.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<div class=\"intercom-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/accountable-d3847fd74af9.intercom-attachments-1.com\/i\/o\/625082143\/b83cd313ded3a9d23ea22041\/Wechsel.jpg?expires=1787637600&amp;signature=e470f438b64dfd14c8ebc0ee0aef7391f7b559d02de926fd579d809f8f75abf9&amp;req=ciIiFsF8nIVcFb4V1XW4gUz6WUj5YX%2BuGrklFqMtjV5KgToywLG4yPrY97%2FT%0A%2B0vrodwoWUrnPzwN2cAlRwQJJw%3D%3D%0A\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">In this letter, the tax office is noting that you have earned more than you are allowed under the Kleinunternehmerregelung (small business owner rule). This means you will automatically switch over to standard taxation, and will have to charge and pay VAT.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Depending on when you receive this letter, it is possible that you will have an extended deadline to issue your first VAT return.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\"><b>Please note:<\/b> Even if you get this letter some time during the year, you will have to pay VAT for the whole financial year. That\u2019s why you should always monitor your income and start charging VAT as soon as you exceed the small business owner threshold.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">An awesome way to track your income and your expenses is using the automatic photo recognition in our app. Simply upload a picture of your invoices, and Accountable will keep track of your income for you.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<h2 class=\"font-degular\" id=\"h_67f06c0196\"><b>Change of VAT deadline<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">If your VAT from the previous year is exceeding a certain amount, you will receive a letter from the tax office. This letter will inform you about a change in deadline for when you have to submit your VAT returns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<div class=\"intercom-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/accountable-d3847fd74af9.intercom-attachments-1.com\/i\/o\/625082155\/05414667b788c7f5e597ef18\/submit-vat-quarterly-2-scaled.jpg?expires=1787637600&amp;signature=456baec1895b3d190d7ada3afbc054149ba177435be106fc2927dd5cc062e0e3&amp;req=ciIiFsF8nIRaFb4V1XW4gQqSJpjeFJxBe404YrhogeFfBJ03SqGVn9v13sK5%0APVBCU7FwyVO9pRaF4yQP2Feulg%3D%3D%0A\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<h1 class=\"font-degular\" id=\"h_f25098c9b7\"><b>Reminders and collection letters <\/b><\/h1>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">It is totally normal to forget a deadline or miss a payment once in a while. Usually, the tax office will remind you if they are missing certain documents or are waiting for open payments. But if you ignore these letters for too long, chances are you will receive a collection letter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<div class=\"intercom-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/accountable-d3847fd74af9.intercom-attachments-1.com\/i\/o\/625082164\/193e5e4bc378e7b7f563dbaa\/mahnung.jpg?expires=1787637600&amp;signature=d9e0664e9f78018c7146ed8571c9d9811d05caf38b224081952f2f0ae1286d1f&amp;req=ciIiFsF8nIdbFb4V1XW4gZvk28J0%2BJIBibKCPVbBo2wAC5EQmKChBVAORVuQ%0AA%2B%2BoOdISq8bQi0tVLlnWpLPWwA%3D%3D%0A\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">In this example, the taxpayer forgot to pay VAT, which is why the tax office issued a 12.50\u20ac fine. The fine now has to be paid on top of the required VAT.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">If you don\u2019t pay this amount by the set date, you will be issued with additional fines.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During your life as a self-employed, you will communicate with the tax office (Finanzamt) about many topics: your status, your tax numbers, your tax obligations, tax reminders and even possibly fines&#8230; Even if we are not in 1990&#8217;s anymore, the Finanzamt usually sends physical letters to your home to communicate with you. These letters are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","help_label":[439,499],"class_list":["post-30907","help_center","type-help_center","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to read letters you receive from the Finanzamt? - Accountable<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/help-center\/how-to-read-letters-you-receive-from-the-finanzamt\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to read letters you receive from the Finanzamt? - Accountable\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"During your life as a self-employed, you will communicate with the tax office (Finanzamt) about many topics: your status, your tax numbers, your tax obligations, tax reminders and even possibly fines&#8230; Even if we are not in 1990&#8217;s anymore, the Finanzamt usually sends physical letters to your home to communicate with you. These letters are [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/help-center\/how-to-read-letters-you-receive-from-the-finanzamt\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Accountable\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-24T15:27:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/accountable-d3847fd74af9.intercom-attachments-1.com\/i\/o\/625082100\/0e45bc8dbf822daa12e668d7\/Steuernummer.png?expires=1787637600&amp;signature=1529da381e74e6eeee19e96d2141b20e4e0db5871ce0f1518bc1f34f5dfe23f4&amp;req=ciIiFsF8nIFfFb4V1XW4gULWRzJ4PX3kiH%2FBJzcXOEGjVSe9DhK2pPLNjh5ZBmXtpjAEP2Wj1Q75aItBcUoq9g%3D%3D\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.accountable.eu\\\/en-be\\\/help-center\\\/how-to-read-letters-you-receive-from-the-finanzamt\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.accountable.eu\\\/en-be\\\/help-center\\\/how-to-read-letters-you-receive-from-the-finanzamt\\\/\",\"name\":\"How to read letters you receive from the Finanzamt? 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