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Tax return 2019: These items bring you a lot of money back

2020-05-08T08:39:09.760Z


It's time to get money back from the tax office. The one who gets the most is the one who now cleverly settles all expenses. Here are the tips from Stiftung Warentest.


It's time to get money back from the tax office. The one who gets the most is the one who now cleverly settles all expenses. Here are the tips from Stiftung Warentest.

  • Good advice on tax returns is expensive.
  • The experts at Stiftung Warentest know what to do.
  • Read their tips here.

Get as much money out of the tax return as possible? Now is the time to get money back from the tax office. The one who gets the most is the one who now cleverly settles all expenses. The tax experts at Stiftung Warentest say how you can claim craftsmen's costs, work equipment, etc. for tax purposes - here is a selection:

Tax return 2019: craftsmen, domestic help, care costs

Gardeners, caregivers or electricians - sometimes professionals are in demand at home. "20 percent of the costs * directly reduce the tax liability. A tax bonus of up to € 1,200 is included for craftsman invoices (minus material)," said the Warentest experts. "There are tax reliefs of up to 510 euros for services provided by mini-jobbers in the household. For other help, regardless of whether the employee is subject to social insurance or on account, up to € 4,000 a year can be billed. In total, a maximum of 5,710 euros a year for household help Tax savings in there. "

Craftsmanship: " Tenants or owners? Regardless, both receive a tax rebate if craftsmen repair, renovate, renovate, maintain or modernize something at their expense * in their home, on the property or in their apartment. They can invest 6,000 euros each year for the maximum tax bonus of 1,200 euros (20 percent). The invoice amount must be reduced by the material costs shown, they do not count. The tax office takes great care that the invoice was not paid in cash but the money was transferred. "

Don't forget additional costs : "Costs that are incurred proportionally for caretaker, gardening, cleaning the hallway, chimney sweep or maintenance also bring the bonus. Often, ancillary or operating costs are only available after the submission date for the tax return. In this case, the The office has to change the tax assessment even after the objection period (Finanzgericht Köln, Az. 11 K 1319/16). If this is too cumbersome, the claim will be invoiced in the year in which it is received Possibility: Schedule advance payments for regular services such as caretaker, gardening, and cleaning in the year in which they are performed. "

Nursing and care costs : "If there is a level of care or a medical prescription, the costs count as an extraordinary burden, and those affected have to bear a part themselves (special nursing costs). For this own contribution (reasonable burden), they can apply the tax reduction for household services The tax office may only deduct care insurance benefits in the case of benefits in kind, not care allowance at all. "

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Tax return 2019: travel routes, home office, union and account

"If employees invest more than 1,000 euros in their job, each euro * saves additional taxes". say the experts. "Many are already breaking the line with the cost of their daily trips to work. Even small amounts can be crucial to exceed the flat rate."

Daily route: " The journey from home to the office or to the company counts at the tax office like this: Every working day it recognizes 30 cents for every kilometer of the one-way trip - whether by car, bike or on foot the longer distance is faster, for example because there are fewer traffic jams, this can be billed. Bus and train drivers deduct the actual ticket costs. "

Home office: "More and more workers can work from home in one or more days. They can sometimes cut running costs for the private telephone and Internet connection if they also use it professionally." According to the experts at Stiftung Warentest, employees in the home office can make it easy for themselves, "like some other professional groups, such as teachers or field workers". For this, they would set a flat rate of 20 percent per month of their expenses, according to the experts.

Account management and trade union: "The fees for the salary account can be divided into private and professional costs. However, the office also accepts a flat rate of 16 euros for each." The tax office also recognizes membership fees to professional associations and unions as advertising costs.

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Tax return 2019: glasses, medication, braces

Private bills for treatments, co-payments, medication, new glasses or eye surgery, braces for the children - far from all expenses are paid for. But, Warentest reports: "All privately paid medicines and treatments that were medically necessary and appropriate count for the tax."

Know and crack your own share : "Everyone, depending on their marital status and size, has to bear part of their health costs that their health insurances do not cover. As soon as the limit is exceeded, however, they have a tax-reducing effect."

Medicines and dressings: "All co-payments for prescription medicines can be claimed, except for contraceptives. The receipt serves as proof. It contains a note if the pharmacy has retained the prescription. Private patients have to pay their costs by copying a prescription and billing health insurance If the insurance company has only paid for a cheaper preparation, the surcharge can be charged. "

Dentures: " Dental braces for the children, inlays, crowns, implants - additional payments are often required and quickly make money. It is reassuring that the tax office usually waves through bills. The bills are sufficient as proof. Exception: tooth cleaning."

Hearing aids and other aids: "There are additional payments for walking aids, hearing aids, wheelchairs or orthopedic shoes. Proof of purchase serves as proof of purchase and regulation. This also applies to the installation of handrails or stairlifts (Bundesfinanzhof, Az. VI R 61/12)."

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Tax return 2019: childcare, school fees

Kita, Hort and Co : "For children up to the age of 14, parents * can submit invoices of up to 6,000 euros for childcare, two thirds of which - a maximum of 4,000 euros - per year and child are recognized," writes Stiftung Warentest. As with tradesman invoices, the office only accepts amounts paid by debit or transfer. "

Grandma as a babysitter : "If parents put grandma, grandpa or aunt in the care, they can still report the expenses incurred to the tax office. For the tax bonus, however, the officials require an employment contract such as 'usual among strangers' and the transfer of wages. Cash payments accepted not the office, and the person who looks after the children cannot live in the same household. " If there is family support free of charge, parents could at least reimburse the grandmother for the travel expenses with a simple receipt and then settle the bill. "

School fees : "If the children attended a private school or a privately funded school in 2019, for example because they should receive a foreign language or religious focus in their education, parents can deduct up to 30 percent of the school fee as special expenses. Up to a maximum of 5,000 euros per year The school fees paid by parents are entered in full for this. The tax office calculates the deductible part. "

Training allowance : " If children study or study and live outside of age, parents are entitled to a training allowance of € 924 per year per child. They receive this as long as they receive child benefit for the offspring. For each month without entitlement to child benefit, the allowance for the child falls Year around 77 euros. If parents submit their tax returns separately, they can split the training allowance between them in half. "

Single parents : "Single parents claim for their children the relief amount of € 1,908 for the first child and € 240 for each additional child through the tax return. The amount is granted to a single person if there is no other adult living in the same household. For everyone The month in which the conditions are not met, the amount decreases by a twelfth. Where the children actually live during the year is irrelevant. It only depends on the registration of the child in the parent's household. "

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Tax return 2019: maintenance for close relatives

Stiftung Warentest advises: "Anyone who has had close relatives in the past year, such as an adult child for whom there is no child benefit, or who has supported the ex-partner financially, can save taxes with these expenses." For 2019, 168 euros more maintenance could be sold than in the previous year. The maximum amount is 9,168 euros. In addition, basic health insurance and nursing care insurance contributions still counted. "

Income is offset: "The recipient's income, which is more than 624 euros, is deducted from the maintenance amount by the tax office. The income includes all taxable income such as wages minus advertising costs, unemployment benefits I and II, income from mini-jobs, parental and care allowance - but not child benefit A lump sum of 180 euros per year can be deducted from the salaries. Exception: Training aids such as Bafög. Anything above 180 euros will reduce the deduction. The exemption does not apply when Bafög is received. "

Maintenance for the ex-partner : "Divorced persons can deduct even more for maintenance payments. Up to 13,805 euros per year plus basic contributions to health and nursing care insurance are included as a special expenditure deduction. If the maintenance recipient has his own income, this is usually" real splitting " cheaper than the deduction as an extraordinary burden. The beneficiary must agree to the payments on Appendix U and tax the maintenance. In return, the maintenance payer must compensate him for any financial disadvantage. "

The experts' tip : "Compare the possible tax savings before you decide on a type of deduction. Note the possible financial disadvantage."

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Tax return 2019: PC, cell phone and office furniture

If you also needed the PC you bought last year at work, you can immediately sell such work equipment in full at a purchase price of up to EUR 952 including VAT, Stiftung Warentest advises. "This makes it easy to skip the € 1,000 flat-rate advertising costs. Spending on things that taxpayers use for 90 percent of their work can be set as advertising costs entirely, including office furniture."

Some things would be used privately to a large extent. "They even count as work equipment if only half of them are used for work. However, only the professional share of costs can then be claimed in the tax return."

More expensive work equipment: "Taxpayers must split a purchase price of over € 952 evenly over the years of the expected useful life of the item. In the year of purchase, the costs are split up to the exact month."  

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Tax return 2019: church tax

"Depending on the federal state, church members still paid 8 or 9 percent of their wage and income tax in 2019," writes Stiftung Warentest. For employees, the employer withholds church tax and wage tax. Church members could deduct church tax from their tax return - "minus church tax that was reimbursed in 2019".

Sometimes only on application : "Depending on the federal state, church tax may not amount to more than 2.75 to 4 percent of taxable income. Exception: Bavaria. Those who have crossed the border can expect the church tax to be reimbursed for the church tax paid too much. In Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and the Saarland this does not happen automatically, but has to be applied for. "

Church tax on capital gains: "Church members have to pay church tax on interest and dividends, in addition to flat-rate tax and solos. They cannot deduct this from the tax return. The financial institutions automatically withhold them Then it will be determined with the tax assessment. "

Deduction is possible: "If investment income is subject to the personal tax rate, church tax can count as special expenditure on this income (Finanzgericht Düsseldorf, Az. 15 K 1640/16 E)."

Source: Stiftung Warentest, test.de

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