The tax-free allowance is stored by the tax office as an electronic wage tax deduction feature (ELStAM) and automatically communicated to the employer. It increases the monthly net income immediately. In addition, the tax-free allowance can be applied for two years at once.
"An allowance is particularly worthwhile for employees who have high income-related expenses, such as travel costs for commuters," says Hans-Joachim Stephan, head of Oberfinanzdirektion Karlsruhe.
The application can also be made electronically via My ELSTER. A personal contact with the tax office is thus no longer necessary.
"With My ELSTER, a central, platform-independent, personalized and barrier-free service is available that citizens can use to apply for their tax-free allowance conveniently and paperlessly. All that is required is a one-time, free registration at www.elster.de,"Stephan continues.
My ELSTER can do even more. Apart from the wage tax allowance among other things also the tax class change can be requested electronically.
In addition, citizens can use the chatbot of the Baden-Württemberg tax administration for general questions about tax returns. The chatbot is a virtual assistant for explaining tax-related topics.
In addition, the tax administration offers Baden-Württemberg explanatory videos on various tax law topics. The offer is constantly being expanded.
The chatbot and the explanatory videos are available online on the homepage of Oberfinanzdirektion Karlsruhe and the tax offices.