Anyone who receives support in the corona crisis may have to pay taxes retrospectively.
What those affected by short-time work must consider in their tax return.
Many people received
Corona aid from the state
in 2020
, many were or are on
short-time work.
However, those affected should inform themselves in good time whether and which
taxes are
due.
Experts explain what those affected should look out for so that you do not experience a nasty surprise in the end.
Corona crisis: after short-time work in 2020, is there a risk of additional tax payments?
Update from January 19, 2021:
Many Germans were
affected
by
short-time working
due to the
corona pandemic
in
2020
.
What is the
tax return *
to note?
These state benefits are initially tax-free, as it says on BR.de.
In the report, Ulrich Daumoser from
Lohnsteuerhilfe
Bayern
explains
it like this: “The short-time work allowance is a tax-free benefit, but it is viewed as additional income”.
It thus increases the average tax rate in the tax return.
In other words: there may
be an
additional tax payment
in
2021
.
Because, as the report also says,
wage replacement benefits
are subject to the “progression proviso”.
This means that the short-time work allowance is added to the regular wage retrospectively in the tax return.
It thus increases the
assessment base
and the
tax rate for the regularly paid salary
.
And that in turn can be found in the
tax assessment
.
Also read
: Using the home office flat rate correctly: This is how it works with the tax return
Short-time work: Tax returns from 410 euros wage replacement per year
Anyone who was on short-time should therefore find out more.
According
to
the report,
whether an
additional payment to the tax office
is
really
necessary depends on many factors - including the
duration and the proportion of short-time work
.
But the
individual marginal tax rate
and the distribution of
tax classes among married couples
would also play a decisive role.
It is important:
From 2021 onwards,
everyone who “
receives a wage replacement of at least 410 euros per year due to short-time work
”
must
submit their
income tax
return, ”
the report says in detail.
Also read
: Tax return 2020: What to consider now
Corona grant: Make use of the tax-free bonus by December 31, 2020
Update from November 12th, 2020:
During the first wave of the corona pandemic *, many employees already received a
tax-free corona bonus
of up to 1,500 euros.
Especially in the health care and retail sectors, the money was paid because of the special workload.
Such a corona bonus is not only conceivable there, however.
"
The possibility of receiving this tax-free Corona bonus basically applies to all employees and even to mini-jobbers,
" explains Erich Nöll from the Federal Association of Income Tax Assistance Associations of the German Press Agency.
Employers who have not yet exhausted the maximum amount or have not yet paid a tax-free Corona bonus
can do so
until December 31, 2020
, as the report continues, because the regulation is currently limited to this date.
“The
prerequisite for the tax exemption of the Corona bonus is that this bonus is paid in addition to normal wages and that no salary conversion takes place,
” explains Nöll, according to dpa.
In the case of mini-jobbers, the
corona bonus is
not
offset
against the average monthly income of 450 euros, the report also says.
Corona: Taxpayers should not forget these costs
Article dated August 14, 2020:
Anyone who
receives
Corona aid
from the state should make sure that subsequent claims by the tax office may be due.
The experts from
Stiftung Warentest
refer to this
in a current article.
"Whether employees, self-employed or families: Those who receive support
often have to
pay
taxes retrospectively
," says Finanztest.de. The tips from Stiftung Warentest to avoid a nasty surprise in the end:
Corona aid - in some cases taxes are payable retrospectively
Self-employed
: "Clarify with your tax advisor how high your
tax burden
will be in the future, for example if you
receive
immediate aid
or
have
postponed payments
", so the advice from Stiftung Warentest.
Families
: "Think about whether you
benefit
fully from the
Corona child bonus *
or whether your
income
is too high for it.
The
tax assessment for the previous year
and the income stated there
serve as a guide
. ”The child bonus, like the child benefit, is offset against the child tax allowance.
Employee:
"If you have received
short-time work allowance
*
, plan additional claims from the
tax office
.
If you were in the
home office,
check whether you can
deduct the
costs for a study. "
Early retirees:
Before starting a part-time job, ask what remains net.
Plan for deductions if your monthly gross is over 450 euros.
Find out here:
Saving taxes in the home office: Urgent advice from experts - would you have thought of that?
Corona child bonus to short-time work allowance: don't forget taxes
Those affected should find out more about each individual case.
According to the experts,
many recipients of
short-time allowance
have to
expect
additional demands from the tax office
- "The wage replacement is tax-free, but the short-time allowance can increase the tax rate for the other income," says the statement from Finanztest.de.
You can also read
: Tax return: How you can deduct moving costs and get a lot of money back.
With the
Corona child bonus with a total of 300 euros per child
,
which has been paid out to families since September 7, 2020 (the first installment of 200 euros flows in September and the second with one hundred euros in October), the situation is as follows:
families with low and middle incomes
should benefit from this in particular
.
The extra payment does not count towards other ongoing family or social benefits.
So their amount does not change.
Families with higher incomes
, on the other hand, benefit less or not at all from the
child bonus
, writes the German Press Agency, since it - like
child benefit
- is offset against
the
child allowances
in the tax.
“The higher the income, the more parents benefit from these allowances.
When calculating the tax, the tax office automatically selects the variant that is cheaper for the parents. "
In other words, the money naturally ends up in the
family budget
.
At the end of the day, the 300 euros only remain in full if
married parents
with one child do not have an annual income of more than 67,800 euros.
Unmarried parents
benefit fully from the child bonus up to an income of 33,900 euros.
Families should plan accordingly.
Read here: The
300 euro corona child bonus for child benefit will be paid out from now on: When do you have to pay the first installment?
However, the
tax return
for 2020
could also be "disappointing" for many taxpayers who have not received Corona aid, it says on Finanztest.de - for example for
commuters, because they can claim less travel expenses than in previous years.
The tax savings could then be correspondingly lower.
"If the annual statement brings you a lot of money back, you should take into account that you may have to be content with less this time." Those who work from home for several months in 2020 will of course save on commuting expenses at the same time.
"However, these savings may no longer be in the back of the mind when the tax forms are filled out next year," the experts said.
Can work equipment be deducted from tax?
Another tip for the next tax return - regardless of Corona:
Consumers should basically check which
work equipment
they can possibly deduct from their
tax
.
For example, if you also need the PC or notebook (promotional link) you bought last year for your job, you can immediately deduct such equipment with a purchase price of up to 952 euros including VAT.
“This makes it easy to skip the € 1,000 flat rate for advertising expenses.
Expenses for things that taxpayers use 90 percent for work can be included entirely as income-related expenses, including office furniture, "advises Stiftung Warentest. It is best to file all documents for the next tax return in a folder that you can use at home Shelf (promotional link) have quick access at any time.
Read more here
: Tax returns: These items bring you back a lot of money from the state
Some things are largely used privately.
“They count as work equipment even if only half of them are used professionally.
However, only the professional share of the costs can then be
claimed
in the
tax return
. ”
For more expensive work equipment, the following applies
:“ A purchase price over 952 euros must be divided equally between taxpayers and the years of the expected useful life of the item.
In the year of purchase, the costs are divided exactly to the month. ”
(Ahu) * Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen central editorial network
Source: BR.de; Test.de;
Help with the tax
Taxable?
Appropriate control software (promotional link), in which the individual steps are clearly explained, can be of great help.
Also interesting:
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Compact tax return: amendments, deadlines and submit retrospectively
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