10 tips: Here you can still save taxes at the end of the year

Created: 11/18/2022, 12:51 p.m

The traffic light coalition has already initiated initial relief for citizens.

Some attention flows automatically.

For further tax benefits, however, you must now take action yourself.

Berlin/Regenstauf - The year is slowly coming to an end.

And with it the chance to secure one or two additional euros at the last minute.

If you still want to get tax benefits by the end of December, you should do so immediately.

We've put together ten tax-saving tips for consumers that they could seriously benefit from right now.

Consumer tip number 1: Use the savings allowance sensibly

Savers can collect interest, dividends and capital gains of 801 euros tax-free every year.

In the case of married couples, the exemption limit is doubled accordingly.

The prerequisite is that the taxpayer has deposited an exemption order for a sufficient amount with the bank where the investment income accrued.

According to the Bavarian wage tax aid (LOHI), it is therefore worth checking before the end of the year which bank has generated income and adjusting the exemption orders if necessary.

Erich Nöll, Managing Director of the Federal Association of Income Tax Assistance Associations (BVL), advises anyone who has not yet fully exhausted the exemption amount to think about selling shares from their portfolio at short notice and taking capital gains with them.

Even those who buy back the shares on the same day in order to benefit from further price gains can use the savings allowance.

Ten tips to save on taxes.

That's what the public has to take care of now.

(symbol image) © imago

Consumer tip number 2: Apply for a loss certificate by December 15th

If gains and losses from investments occur in the same year, these can be offset against each other.

That saves taxes.

However, the following applies here: If profits and losses arise at different banks, this tip does not work without further ado.

For this, the consumer needs a certificate of loss.

According to LOHI, this document must be requested from the bank concerned.

That goes

.

After that it's over.

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Consumer tip number 3: Secure a flat-rate energy price when you start a job

Many employees have already received the energy price flat rate of 300 euros from their employer.

Anyone who has not yet received it - such as pensioners, for example - can secure the lump sum as part of the income tax return.

This applies to all those who were employed in 2022.

So anyone who takes up employment this year will receive the money.

The BVL points out that the activity does not have to be a full-time job.

-job , short-term employment or voluntary work with a tax-free wage is sufficient to

receive the lump sum .

Consumer tip number 4: Make donations tax-deductible

In times of crisis like these and at the festival of love, the willingness to donate is particularly high in this country.

Anyone who considers church, charitable or non-profit organizations can benefit from this themselves.

Donations of up to 20 percent of your total income can be

deducted as

If the donations exceed the maximum amount, they can be carried forward to the next few years and then counted there, explains the BVL.

For

, a bank statement or a deposit slip is sufficient as proof for the tax office.

For higher amounts, a proper donation receipt is usually required.

Consumer tip number 5: Sell tradesmen services

Would you like to quickly install a fireplace or have the heating repaired?

Sure, for that the citizen must first get a craftsman.

But if that works, you can claim 20 percent of the billed craftsman services in the tax return - a maximum of 1200 euros.

Prerequisite: You have the work carried out in the apartment you use yourself, which also includes second homes and holiday apartments, and pay by bank transfer.

• Also read at Merkur.de:

  These one-off payments are available for families, tenants, owners in December from the state to relieve the burden on citizens: housing allowance, child benefit, heating subsidy.

According to the BVL, if the invoice for the work exceeds the amount of 6000 euros, it can be worth agreeing on two partial payments with the company carrying out the work.

One up to a maximum of 6,000 euros this year, the second only at the beginning of next year in order to get more tax savings.

Consumer tip number 6: Sell your greenhouse gas reduction quota

If you haven't already done so, owners of purely electric cars can still sell their greenhouse gas reduction quota for 2022 at short notice.

There are various offers for this on the internet.

Depending on the dealer, the premium paid for greenhouse gas-friendly mobility can be between 250 and 470 euros, according to LOHI.

The money is tax-free for private individuals.

Merkur.de explains how e-car owners can sell the emissions they save.

Consumer tip number 7: Retrospectively optimize the company car taxation method

Anyone who is provided with a company car by their employer and is also allowed to use it privately or for trips to work must pay tax on the benefit in kind.

There are various options for this: flat-rate taxation and daily billing, which

requires a

Those who use their car little privately often drive better with the latter taxation.

Flat-rate taxation can be worthwhile for private frequent drivers.

What has been new since 2022 is that the employer can change the calculation method retrospectively for the entire year.

This can be worthwhile if the employee subsequently travels more cheaply with the other method.

For example, if the company car was driven much less frequently for private or work purposes than assumed at the beginning of the year.

For example, if you have been ill for a long time or have worked a lot in the home office.

Merkur readers can find out here which new tax rules apply to the office.

Consumer tip number 8: Spouse splitting through last-minute marriage

Is the wedding already planned?

Then it can be worthwhile to dare in December and take the

retrospectively for the entire year, reports the Bavarian wage tax aid.

If only one of the two spouses earns, one can use the basic allowance of the other and thus save taxes.

If the income situation is appropriate, there could be a tax advantage of more than 10,000 euros.

Even if the salary difference between the spouses is large, it can be profitable for both.

Consumer tip number 9: crack the flat-rate advertising fee

Since this year, the

.

In order to get more out of his income-related expenses in the tax return, the citizen must exceed this amount.

So anyone who is already close to this limit in 2022 for job-related expenses - such as costs for applications, work materials, further training, work clothes and office equipment - should consider whether necessary investments can be brought forward.

According to LOHI, this saves taxes.

This could be a larger monitor, a color printer, an ergonomic office chair, work glasses, reference books or PC accessories.

Anyone who postpones the purchase to the following year and then stays below the flat rate gives away the tax savings.

On the other hand, if you want to use the advantage for an attractive purchase, you could strike next Black Friday and secure a coveted bargain.

Consumer tip number 10: Catch up on your 2018 tax return

You are not obliged to file a tax return?

Then it can still be worth submitting one.

On average, taxpayers get back more than 1000 euros every year.

Taxpayers who are not obliged to pay the tax can submit their return up to four years retrospectively.

But then it's over, any refund is given away.

"The declaration for 2018 must therefore be received by the tax office by December 31, 2022 at the latest," says Erich Nöll.

dpa/sth

Tax tricks: How to save money on your tax return

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