With a simple trick, employees can save taxes with the Deutschlandticket. An expert explains how the tax trick works.
Munich \u49 The Deutschlandticket at a price of 750 euros sells well. According to the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), around ten million people have now taken out a subscription for the nationwide ticket. According to the VDV, this includes around 000,25 new customers who have not previously used public transport (as of April 2023, 49). In addition to the lucrative price, there is another advantage. This is because the <>-euro ticket is particularly attractive from a tax point of view for employees.
Travel cheaply and save taxes: The trick lies in the fictitious commuter allowance
"The strong subsidization of the Deutschlandticket has not only created a tax-saving model, but even a money-generating model," Sascha Matussek, a tax consultant in Stuttgart, told Bild. "This is almost unique," says the expert. The basis for his calculation is the commuter allowance.
The 49-euro ticket can also save a lot of taxes. © Mounting: IPPEN. MEDIA/Sebastian Gollnow/Robert Günther/dpa
According to his model calculation, the expert's trick looks like this: "It's 55 kilometers from Schwäbisch Gmünd to Stuttgart," says Matussek. Many people commuted to work every day on this route, for example at Daimler. Commuters could therefore deduct 20 cents per kilometer for the first 30 kilometers. This makes a total of six euros in savings.
For the other 35 kilometers, the travel costs are 13.30 euros (35 km x 0.38 cents/km). This gives commuters a total daily amount of 19.30 euros and an annual amount of 4439 euros for 230 working days, explains the tax expert. This amount can then be deducted as income-related expenses for tax purposes and reduces the tax burden on the income tax return.
Save money with the Deutschlandticket: How commuters benefit
The expert's calculation will be interesting for employees with an income below the marginal tax rate. For incomes up to 60,000 euros, it is 42 percent. In this calculation example, this results in an annual tax saving of 1864.38 euros (4439 euros times 42 percent). This is significantly more than the costs incurred for the Deutschlandticket, Matussek told Bild. The subscription costs 588 euros per year. In the end, employees would have around 1276 euros more per year in their wallets (1864.38 euros minus 588 euros).
The model only goes exactly up to this borderline case at our 55 km. Even by further distances, it will no longer be.
Sascha Matussek
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However, if you drive more, you can no longer collect from the state. The limit is reached with 4500 euros per year, explains the expert. So if you continue to drive between your home and work, you can deduct income-related expenses from your taxes. But must prove that he travels the distance by car. Of course, this means that the advantage of the Deutschlandticket does not apply to the next tax return. "The model only goes exactly up to this limit case at our 55 km. Even with further distances, it will no longer be," says Matussek.
Subsidy and reimbursement by employers: This is how this affects the distance allowance
If an employer subsidizes the 49-euro ticket, this will be listed on the income tax card. However, this means that the subsidy is taxable and reduces the advantage of the distance allowance, explains the expert. However, if employees are reimbursed in full by the employer for the cost of the 49-euro ticket, they do not have to pay tax on this money.
In order for employees to have more net of their gross salary in the future, the tax authorities are planning to reorganize the tax brackets. It remains to be seen whether this will change anything for top earners, which include employees with an income of 70,000 euros or more, or for the very rich.
