Tax number and tax ID – two identifiers that most people only need sporadically. They sound similar, but they are not the same. What the numbers are all about and what purpose they serve can be found below.
Tax ID: Valid for life
The tax identification number (tax ID) is valid for life, even beyond. Every citizen in Germany receives the number at birth. It will, like an article from the news portal t online explained, will only be deleted up to 20 years after the associated person has died.
The tax ID is intended to support the tax offices in processing the relevant information. As the Invitel group of companies explains on its website, it serves to compare data more quickly and evaluate the information more easily.
The identifier is sent by post for data protection reasons. It can be found on the tax notices, the income tax card and information letters from the tax office, explains the article. The tax ID, adds an article in the Stuttgarter Zeitung, does not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the person or the responsible tax office. In contrast, the tax number contains information about the responsible tax office, the district and the personal identification number.
Tax number: In the future it will be replaced by the tax ID
In addition to the tax ID, there is the slightly longer tax number. As the t-online article explains, you have this if you have already submitted a tax return. If you hand this in, the tax number will be assigned to you by the responsible tax office.
The tax number is to be replaced by the tax ID in the future, but the two are currently used in parallel. An article on the portal steuermelde.de explains that the income tax return can be quickly identified and assigned using the number.
The tax number can also be found on the letters from the tax office. In contrast to the tax ID, the tax number can change. For example, when changing residence and getting married, explains the t-online article.
Editorial team finanzen.net