The “MeinElster+” app from the tax authorities is intended to simplify the preparation of tax returns Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-tmn
From BZ/dpa
Very few people should enjoy the tax return, many put it off for a long time. Perhaps a consolation: An app from the tax authorities is now intended to simplify the procedure.
Collecting and sorting receipts all year round and entering everything at the end of the year: this is how many taxpayers struggle through their tax returns year after year.
The “MeinElster+” app, which was presented at the end of February for iOS and Android devices, is intended to make collecting and sorting the receipts much easier.
For example, anyone who has invoices for income-related expenses – for office supplies or work equipment, for example – as well as invoices for craftsmen or donation receipts can scan them using the smartphone camera as soon as they are received and load them into the app.
This eliminates the hassle of searching when creating the declaration itself – or after submission, if the tax office still wants to see receipts.
The app also works with text recognition software. According to the Taxpayers’ Association, the software recognizes relevant values in the scanned invoices and sorts them accordingly. The documents can then be managed via the respective user account at the Elster online tax office.
In principle, the Association of Taxpayers advises: Anyone who submits their tax return early and digitally will receive their tax refund more quickly.