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What does Einkommensteuer mean?

Einkommensteuer (income tax) is the tax on your income, for example on wages, a pension or profit.

die Einkommensteuer

For employees, the employer deducts it every month from the wages as Lohnsteuer (wage tax).

With the tax return, the Finanzamt works out how much income tax you must pay for the whole year.

If you paid too much, you get money back. If you paid too little, you have to pay the difference.

You can file an Einspruch against the Steuerbescheid. The deadline is in the Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung.

Example sentence

Die Einkommensteuer für 2025 wird auf 1.284,00 € festgesetzt.

The Einkommensteuer for 2025 is set at 1.284,00 €.

What you can do

Compare the figures in the Steuerbescheid with your tax return. The Finanzamt usually explains differences in the notes (Erläuterungen).

Calculate your deadline

  • Steuerbescheid A Steuerbescheid (tax assessment) tells you how much tax you must pay or will get back. It usually comes from the Finanzamt.
  • Steuererklärung In the Steuererklärung (tax return), you tell the Finanzamt your income and expenses. It then calculates your tax.
  • Finanzamt The Finanzamt (tax office) is the office for taxes. It checks your tax return and sends you the Steuerbescheid.
  • Vorauszahlung A Vorauszahlung (advance tax payment) is a payment in advance towards a tax that is only calculated exactly later.
  • Einspruch With an Einspruch, you challenge certain decisions, for example from the Finanzamt (tax office) or a Bußgeldbescheid (fine).