Best Tax Return Software in Germany [2026]

Best Tax Return Software in Germany [2026] - Live In Germany

In 2026, there are at least seven solid tax return software options available in Germany, and the best ones support English well enough that filing your Steuererklärung (annual tax return) no longer requires a law degree or a very patient German colleague to sit beside you.

When I filed my 2024 return here in Wolfsburg, I ran a proper side-by-side comparison of four platforms before submitting, because I had rental income and a home office deduction to handle at the same time. The difference between getting those entries right and getting them wrong came down to which tool actually explained the German-specific logic behind each field. That experience is what shaped this guide.

Germany’s tax terminology genuinely confuses native speakers, so the barrier for expats is real and worth taking seriously. According to the Bundeszentralamt für Steuern (Federal Central Tax Office), over 15 million electronic tax returns were submitted in Germany in 2024, and that number keeps climbing as people move away from paper forms and expensive Steuerberater (tax advisors) for straightforward cases. The tools have improved fast enough to justify that shift.

One thing worth understanding before you pick a platform: Germany’s inheritance and wealth landscape is heavily concentrated in the west. According to Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis), in 2025, 95% of the total taxable value of inheritances and gifts assessed by German tax authorities was generated in the western federal states, amounting to €142.5 billion. That concentration matters when software handles Erbschaft (inheritance) reporting or Schenkungsteuer (gift tax) declarations, since most scenarios you’ll encounter are shaped by western German property values and asset types.

Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis)

The platforms worth your attention in 2026 include WISO Steuer, Smartsteuer, Taxfix, Sorted, SteuerGo, Elster, and a few others. Some have built English-language interfaces from the ground up. Newer platforms like Taxfix and Sorted have specifically designed their products around the international resident experience, handling partial-year residency, foreign income, and Doppelbesteuerungsabkommen (double taxation treaty) rules. This guide breaks down every major option honestly. No software paid for placement here.

How Do You Actually Get Your Taxes Back in Germany?

Germany runs on a pay-as-you-earn system. Your employer deducts Lohnsteuer (income tax) from your gross salary every month before a single euro reaches your account. Those deductions are based on broad assumptions: your Steuerklasse (tax class), whether you have children, and a handful of other fixed variables. By December, there’s a real chance the Finanzamt (German tax office) has taken more than it was actually owed. Filing a Steuererklärung (annual tax return) is how you claim that difference back.

The numbers make a strong case for bothering. The average tax refund in Germany sits at around €1,095 per return filed, and most people who file receive money back rather than a bill. That makes the whole exercise well worth your time, even when German paperwork feels like a second job.

There are four main ways to submit your Steuererklärung, and they differ considerably in cost, language support, and how much hand-holding you actually get.

Tax return software or an app is the most popular route for employed expats. Tools like WISO Steuer, Smartsteuer, and Taxfix walk you through the process step by step, many of them in English or simplified German. If you’re comparing the best tax return app Germany offers, or wondering whether a particular tool’s English support is good enough for your situation, the rest of this guide answers exactly that.

A Steuerberater (licensed tax advisor) handles everything on your behalf. It’s the most thorough option and the most expensive, typically running between €150 and €500 depending on the complexity of your finances.

A Lohnsteuerhilfeverein (non-profit income tax assistance association) charges a modest annual membership fee, usually scaled to your income, and a trained volunteer prepares your return. The scope is limited, though. Lohnsteuerhilfevereins can only assist employees and pensioners, not freelancers or the self-employed.

ELSTER, the official free portal run by the German tax authorities, lets you file directly without any subscription. It’s reliable and costs nothing, but it’s entirely in German, offers zero guidance, and assumes you already know what you’re doing. Most expats find it more trouble than it’s worth unless they’re genuinely comfortable navigating German bureaucracy on their own.

Related guide Link Text German Tax System Explained

Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis)

What Tax Software Actually Works for Expats in Germany?

This is where most people get stuck. There are several options on the market, and they’re not all equal when it comes to language support, ease of use, or how well they handle expat-specific situations like partial-year residency, foreign income, or double taxation agreements.

I’ve gone through the main ones and tried to give you an honest picture of each. Some I’ve used personally, some I’ve tested, and some I know well through the expat community here in Germany.

Wundertax

Wundertax is probably the most popular choice among expats and for good reason. The entire interface is in English, the questions are written in plain language, and it walks you through everything step by step without assuming any prior knowledge of German tax law. You answer a series of guided questions and it builds your return in the background.

The price is reasonable, you pay once per tax year, and there’s no subscription trap. It covers the most common situations for employees, including home office deductions, work-related expenses, dual-income households, and health insurance contributions. For most salaried expats, it does everything you actually need.

Where it starts to show limits is if your situation is genuinely complex. Think: income from multiple countries in the same year, significant investment income, or a mix of freelance and employment income. Wundertax handles a solid range of cases but it’s built primarily for employees, not for people with complicated financial lives.

SteuerGo

SteuerGo is another English-language option that works similarly to Wundertax. It’s interview-style, meaning it asks you questions and fills in the forms based on your answers rather than dropping you into raw tax form fields. The interface is clean and it covers most standard deductions well.

One thing I hear from people who’ve used both is that SteuerGo sometimes feels slightly more thorough in how it prompts you for deductions you might have forgotten. Things like professional development costs, commuting distances, or union membership fees. Whether that translates into a meaningfully larger refund depends entirely on your individual situation, but it’s worth knowing.

SteuerGo also offers a feature where a tax expert reviews your return before submission, which costs extra but sits somewhere between doing it yourself and hiring a full Steuerberater. For people who want a second set of eyes without paying advisor prices, that’s a useful middle ground.

Taxfix

Taxfix is app-first, designed to be completed on your phone. If you like doing things on a screen in your hand rather than sitting at a laptop, it’s genuinely well built for that experience. The app is slick, the process is fast, and it handles the most straightforward employee tax situations with ease.

The trade-off is scope. Taxfix is very much designed for simple returns. If you have anything unusual going on, you’ll likely hit a wall fairly quickly. It also has partial English support but isn’t as fully translated as Wundertax or SteuerGo, which matters more than it sounds when you’re trying to understand what you’re actually declaring.

For someone in their first or second year in Germany with a single employer and no complicated assets or foreign income, Taxfix gets the job done quickly. For everyone else, I’d look elsewhere.

ELSTER (Free, But Demanding)

I mentioned ELSTER already in the context of filing options, but it deserves a bit more space here. ELSTER is the official government portal and it’s completely free. You create an account, receive a certificate file, and can submit your return directly to the Finanzamt.

The problem is that ELSTER does not hold your hand at all. It presents you with the actual tax forms, in German, and expects you to know what goes where. There’s no interview mode, no English language option, and no suggestions about what you might be missing. If you make a mistake, it won’t tell you until after you’ve submitted.

I’ve met expats who use ELSTER happily after a few years in Germany once they’ve learned the system. But if you’re reading this guide, you’re probably not at that point yet, and I’d genuinely recommend starting with one of the guided software options first.

How To File Your German Tax Return

Filing a Steuererklärung (German tax return) comes down to four realistic options, and which one makes sense depends on your income type, your German language level, and how complicated your finances actually are.

Tax software is the most practical route for the vast majority of expats, which is why this entire article exists. These tools, whether browser-based apps or desktop programs, walk you through every field step by step and submit your return electronically to the Finanzamt (German tax authority). The best options typically cost between €15 and €40 for a full tax year.

The second option is a Lohnsteuerhilfeverein (non-profit tax assistance association). These organisations charge membership fees on a sliding income scale, which keeps costs reasonable for most employees. There is a legal catch, though. Lohnsteuerhilfevereine are only permitted to assist people with straightforward employment income. The moment you have freelance income, rental income, or anything more complex, you fall outside the scope of what they are legally allowed to help with.

A Steuerberater (certified tax advisor) is the right call if you are self-employed, operating a business, or dealing with cross-border income between Germany and another country. Fees typically start around €300 for a basic return and rise considerably from there. For genuinely complicated situations, that expertise is worth every euro. For a Kleinunternehmer (small business owner operating under Germany’s simplified VAT threshold) with clean, simple books, a good tax app will almost always be the more cost-effective path.

Then there is Elster, the official free portal operated by the Bayerisches Landesamt für Steuern (Bavarian State Office for Taxation) on behalf of all German tax authorities. It handles everything from simple employee returns to complex business filings and costs nothing. The honest downside is that Elster is German-only and assumes you already understand how German tax law works. For experienced filers who just want to skip the software fee, it is perfectly functional. For everyone else, the learning curve is steep enough that a dedicated tax app will save real time and spare you a lot of confusion.

The table below maps each method to the situation it suits best.

One thing worth understanding before you choose: filing a tax return is not always mandatory in Germany. Employees on a standard Lohnsteuerklasse (income tax class) with a single employer and no side income technically do not have to file. But most people who do file get money back, which is a strong argument for spending an afternoon with a tax app rather than doing nothing.

Related guide German Tax System Explained Tax Guide

What Documents Must You Submit to the German Tax Authority?

The short answer is nothing upfront. When you file digitally through tax software or an online platform, no physical paperwork goes to the Finanzamt alongside your return. No payslips, no receipts, no invoices. The submission is entirely electronic.

That said, “nothing upfront” does not mean “nothing at all.” The Finanzamt reserves the right to request supporting documents after reviewing your return, and when that letter arrives, you want everything already organised. Under the Abgabenordnung (German Fiscal Code), taxpayers must generally retain relevant records for up to ten years depending on the expense type. A dedicated folder, digital or physical, is genuinely useful.

For most employed expats, these are the documents worth having ready before you start:

• Lohnsteuerbescheinigung (annual wage tax certificate from your employer): your employer sends this digitally to the Finanzamt, but you receive a copy too. It is the single most important document in the whole process.
• Receipts for Werbungskosten (work-related deductible expenses), such as home office costs, professional training fees, or your commuting distance
• Contribution statements from your Krankenversicherung (statutory or private health insurance) provider
• Spendenquittung (charitable donation receipts) if you plan to claim deductions
• Your IBAN for the refund transfer
• Rental income statements if applicable
• Childcare or school fee confirmations if you are claiming family-related deductions

Before any of this matters, you need your Steuernummer (tax identification number assigned by your local Finanzamt upon Anmeldung, or address registration). This is distinct from your Steuer-ID, which is a permanent national identifier issued to you automatically. Most tax software asks for both. If you have never received a Steuernummer, you can apply through the official ELSTER portal, though allow several business days for it to arrive by post.

One practical detail that often surprises people: the Finanzamt can retrieve your Lohnsteuerbescheinigung data directly from your employer’s records. Several tax platforms that connect through the ELSTER interface can prefill this information automatically, which cuts down on manual entry and reduces the risk of transcription errors. Over 14 million tax returns were submitted electronically via ELSTER in 2024, which tells you how thoroughly Germany has moved away from paper filing.

It is also worth knowing that Germany’s inheritance and gift tax system involves significant documentation requirements of its own. If you have received an inheritance or a substantial gift, the documentation requirements for that filing are considerably more involved than a standard income tax return, and dedicated software or a tax adviser becomes much more important.

For a standard employed expat, though, the document list is manageable. Get your Lohnsteuerbescheinigung, gather any receipts for deductible expenses, confirm your Steuer-ID and Steuernummer, and you are ready to open the software and start.

Related guide German Tax System Explained Tax Guide

Five of Germany’s Best Tax Return Software (English Interface)

If your German stops somewhere around “Guten Morgen” and “Danke schön,” you are genuinely not alone. Several solid tools now offer a full or near-full English interface for filing your Steuererklärung (annual income tax return). The options below are worth your time in 2026.

Taxfix

Taxfix is probably the most foreigner-friendly option available right now. The app walks you through your return in plain English using a simple interview format. You answer questions, and it builds the return behind the scenes. It handles employment income, Kindergeld (child benefit) situations, and standard deductions well. Where it falls short is anything involving freelance income or rental properties, so if your situation goes beyond a standard employee filing, you will hit its ceiling quickly. Pricing in 2026 sits at €39.99 per return for standard filers.

Wundertax

Wundertax is another English-first option that tends to be popular among expats in their first or second year in Germany. The interface is clean, the guidance is genuinely helpful, and it covers common expat scenarios well. That includes partial-year residence, Doppelbesteuerungsabkommen (double taxation agreement) situations, and Kirchensteuer (church tax) questions. It is web-based rather than app-based, which some people actually prefer when sitting down to tackle something as consequential as their taxes. A single return costs €34.99 in 2026.

WISO Steuer

WISO Steuer is the heaviest hitter on this list. It is the best-selling tax software in Germany, and for good reason. The depth of coverage is unmatched at its price point. It handles rental income, investment portfolios, Kapitalertragsteuer (capital gains tax), and even more complex situations involving foreign income. The English interface is not as polished as Taxfix or Wundertax, but it is functional and increasingly improved. A licence costs €39.99 in 2026 and covers an unlimited number of returns for your household. For expats with more than a straightforward employment situation, this is the one to consider.

If you have received an inheritance or gift and are unsure whether it affects your Steuererklärung, WISO Steuer and Wundertax both cover these scenarios more reliably than simpler apps.

Sorted

Sorted is a newer name in the German tax software space, but it has carved out a genuine niche among English-speaking expats. The entire experience is built around simplicity. You connect your accounts, answer a guided set of questions, and Sorted handles the filing logic behind the scenes. It works especially well for people on standard employment contracts who want something faster than WISO but more guided than Taxfix.

The pricing sits at around €29.99 per return in 2026. There is no desktop app, and everything runs in the browser and on mobile. That is actually one of its strengths. The mobile experience is genuinely good, not just a stripped-down version of the web tool.

Where Sorted falls short is with complexity. Rental income, significant foreign earnings, or anything involving Gewerbesteuer will push you toward WISO or a Steuerberater. But for the employed expat with a clean financial situation, it is one of the most painless experiences on this list.

Steuererklarung.de

Steuererklarung.de is one of the older platforms in the German market, and it shows in both good and bad ways. The database of supported scenarios is extensive, and the tool has been refined over many years of real user feedback. It covers most situations an expat employee will encounter, including multiple employers in one tax year, partial-year residency, and Arbeitnehmer-Pauschbetrag deductions.

The English interface has improved noticeably since 2023, though it still occasionally throws up a German legal term without explanation. The price is competitive at around €34.99 per return. Where it pulls ahead of simpler apps is in the sheer volume of edge cases it handles without requiring you to call a tax advisor.

I would recommend it particularly for expats who have been in Germany for several years and have a moderately complex situation. Maybe you have some freelance income on top of a main employment contract, or deductions related to a home office setup. It is not as slick as Taxfix or Sorted, but it is more capable than either of them.

SteuerGo

SteuerGo occupies an interesting position in the German tax software market. It is not the most feature-packed option available, but it does one thing better than almost anyone else: it shows your estimated refund before you pay a single euro. For anyone filing a Steuererklärung (annual income tax return) for the first time in Germany, that preview alone removes most of the anxiety from the process.

The workflow is genuinely straightforward. You work through a guided questionnaire written in plain language rather than the dense bureaucratic phrasing you would find on an actual Finanzamt form. Once you reach the end, SteuerGo calculates your estimated refund and displays it upfront. Only at that point do you decide whether to pay and submit. The 2026 price is 34.95 EUR as a one-time fee per tax year, with no subscription attached.

What genuinely sets SteuerGo apart from most competitors is language support. The full interface runs in English, which matters enormously if your German is still a work in progress. It also supports Polish, Hungarian, and several other European languages. That reflects the actual reality of who files taxes in Germany.

SteuerGo also handles the post-submission phase, which most tools ignore entirely. When your Steuerbescheid (tax assessment notice from the Finanzamt) arrives, SteuerGo can cross-check it automatically for errors. If something looks wrong, it provides templates and guidance for filing an Einspruch (formal objection against the assessment). Tax assessment mistakes do happen, and having structured help to catch and challenge them is more valuable than it might initially seem.

The software runs entirely in your browser with no installation required, and data from previous years carries over automatically. It covers employees, pensioners, families with children, and people with rental income from real estate. It will not suit someone with complex freelance income across multiple streams, but for the majority of employed expats in Germany it covers everything relevant.

Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis)

WISO Steuer

WISO Steuer has been around long enough that most Germans who file their own taxes have at least heard of it. It is published by Buhl Data, a German software company, and it consistently ranks among the most feature-complete options on the market. If you have complicated finances, this is probably where you end up.

The software handles virtually every tax situation you can encounter in Germany. Employed, self-employed, freelance, rental income, capital gains, foreign income, trade income (Gewerbeeinkünfte), you name it. It also covers the full range of deductions in considerable depth, including home office costs, professional expenses, childcare, and donations. For expats who arrived mid-year or who have income from another country, WISO Steuer has dedicated sections for partial-year residency and cross-border income that other tools often handle clumsily or not at all.

There is a desktop version for Windows and Mac, a browser-based version, and mobile apps for iOS and Android. The desktop version in particular is genuinely powerful, and many tax advisors use it or recommend it to clients who want to go the DIY route with something robust. Data syncs across devices if you use the online version, and previous years carry over without much friction.

The interface is in German. That is the honest reality of WISO Steuer. There is no English-language option, which puts it outside the comfortable reach of many expats who are still building their German language skills. The software does use plain language wherever possible and avoids dense bureaucratic phrasing for the most part, but you will still be navigating a German-language product through concepts that are already unfamiliar if you did not grow up with the German tax system. If your German is at a solid B2 level or above, it is manageable. Below that, it gets frustrating fast.

Pricing works differently from most competitors. You pay once per tax year rather than per submission, and the price covers unlimited submissions for that year. This makes it particularly good value if you need to file for multiple years at once, which some expats do when they realize they have been leaving money on the table. The cost sits in a similar range to other mid-tier tools, generally between €30 and €40 depending on which version you choose and when you buy.

One thing WISO Steuer does particularly well is the advisory layer running alongside the form entry. It flags deductions you might have missed, questions whether your entries make sense given your situation, and explains the logic behind what it is asking. That kind of guided experience reduces the chance of errors without requiring you to already know what you are doing.

WunderTax – GermanTaxes

WunderTax launched in 2015 with a focused goal: make the Steuererklärung (annual income tax return) filing process manageable for students in Germany without requiring them to decode the full bureaucratic machinery behind it. Within a year the platform had expanded well beyond that original audience. Today it serves employees, the self-employed, civil servants, soldiers, and police officers. That’s a broader scope than most people expect from a tool that started so narrowly.

What genuinely distinguishes WunderTax in a crowded market is its English interface. This isn’t a rough translation layered on as an afterthought. The entire interview-style process runs in English from start to finish, including guidance notes and tax tips. For expats still building their German or simply unwilling to gamble on tax terminology in a second language, that matters enormously.

The workflow is practical and low-friction. No account is required to get started, a live refund calculator runs in the background as you answer each question, and the whole process is designed to take around 17 minutes. You only pay once you actually submit your return. That removes the risk of paying upfront before you know whether the result is worth it. No prior year’s tax data is needed either, which makes WunderTax a particularly solid option if you’re filing a German Steuererklärung for the very first time and have nothing to import or compare.

Pricing starts at €34.95, though Live in Germany readers get an exclusive €5 discount. For a tool with a genuinely functional English interface and a guided process that holds your hand from the first question to the final submission, that price sits comfortably in the reasonable range. If your Steuererklärung is straightforward, with one employer, standard deductions, and no rental income, WunderTax will handle it cleanly.

Source: [Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis)](https://www.destatis.de/

Jibran Shahid

Hi, I am Jibran, your fellow expat living in Germany since 2014. With over 11 years of personal and professional experience navigating life as a foreigner, I am dedicated to providing well-researched and practical guides to help you settle and thrive in Germany. Whether you are looking for advice on bureaucracy, accommodation, jobs, or cultural integration, I have got you covered with tips and insights tailored specifically for expats. Join me on my journey as I share valuable information to make your life in Germany easier and more enjoyable.