Clearing snow is a tedious business.
Just don't do it: if you pay others to do this task, you'll even get money back.
The entrance to your own house, but often also the sidewalk in front of it: when there is snow, you have to make sure that the paths are clear.
However, you may not be able to do this work yourself, the caretaker of your residential complex will take care of it, or you may simply not feel like doing it - in short: in many cases someone is hired to do the work for you.
Did you know that you can deduct this from your taxes?
Winter service is a household-related service
Cleaning, gardening or even clearing snow: Activities in and around the household that you could also do yourself are called "household-related services".
If you order this for money, you can deduct it from your taxes.
In the past, this only applied to your own property – but this rule was declared illegal in 2014.
Now you can also get money back if the winter service clears the sidewalk for you.
Of course, this not only applies to landowners, but also to tenants: if you include the ancillary costs in your tax return, you should also include household-related services such as stair cleaning and winter service.
Ten tax tricks: How to save money on your tax return
Ten tax tricks: How to save money on your tax return
Deduct winter service from your taxes: That's how it works
Winter service is tax deductible.
This can even be done very easily and free of charge if you use the Elster control program for it.
It is important that you get a detailed invoice that lists all costs and transfer the amount and not pay in cash.
You do not have to submit this invoice directly to the tax office, but you should keep it.
The document retention obligation applies to this.
You can deduct wages, travel and machine costs as well as materials such as grit from your taxes.
For entrepreneurs, this falls under operating expenses.
The material counts as income-related expenses for landlords.
In principle, up to 20 percent of the costs are deductible.
If you spend 1,000 euros, you will get 200 euros back on your tax return.
However, the upper limit for winter service is 4,000 euros.
A maximum of EUR 20,000 per year can be deducted for household-related services.
Don't waste money on your tax return
For many people, the tax return is a closed book.
Experts explain what you need to pay attention to in order to be optimally relieved.
By the way, not everyone has to file a tax return.
For some people, filing a tax return is optional, but in most cases it is financially worthwhile and you get a lot of money back.