The German tax return deadline (Steuererklärung)

According to Berlin's official service portal, if you're obliged to file, your income tax return must be submitted by 31 July of the following year (for 2024, by 31 July 2025).

If your return is prepared by a tax adviser (Steuerberater) or a wage-tax help association (Lohnsteuerhilfeverein), it can be submitted up to the last day of February of the year after the following year. Longer special deadlines applied one last time for 2023 (to 2 June 2025) and 2024 (to 30 April 2026).

Source: Service-Portal Berlin — Einkommensteuer, Erklärung abgeben (Pflichtveranlagung), read 10 October 2026.

Whether you must file depends on the types and level of your income. Berlin's portal gives examples for employees: you're always obliged to file if you received wages from more than one employer at the same time, or if a tax-free allowance was applied to your wage tax deduction, among other cases.

Many employees aren't obliged to file but choose to — often because they expect a refund. That's a voluntary return, which has its own rules; the tax office explains them separately.

The tax office can grant an extension on request, by post, fax, email or phone. Include your name, tax number or ID number, the tax year, the deadline you want and your reason. If the extension is granted, you usually won't get a reply unless you ask for one.

If you have business, self-employed or farming income, the return must be submitted electronically and authenticated through Mein ELSTER — paper returns are treated as not filed, except in hardship cases. Register on Mein ELSTER early: you'll receive an electronic certificate to log in. Your Steuer-ID is the number you'll need throughout.