When you are not a German native speaker, the tax office letters from the german tax office can be hard to understand. In this guide you will find explanations about the tax number letter you will receive from the tax office after registering as a freelancer.

In this paragraph the tax office informs you about your freelance tax number and your profession.

This tax number applies for the three main tax reports freelancers need to submit yearly to the tax office:

When you are married, you will receive two letters with two different tax numbers. The two letters will point out which tax number to use for which report.

You can decide if you want to submit a joint income tax declaration when submitting your tax reports at the end of the year.

Your freelance job title is also communicated by the tax office in this letter. This will be needed when you submit your tax reports to the tax office.

Your personal tax ID (Steueridentifikationsnummer) won’t change. In the future you should always use your freelance tax number and your personal tax ID when contacting the tax office.

This part is not applicable for freelancers registered as Kleinunternehmer.

In this paragraph the tax office informs you about the reporting rhythm for the advance VAT declaration. In this case the tax office informed the freelancer that the advance VAT declaration should be submitted monthly, but depending on your estimated income the reporting rhythm can also be quarterly.

Learn more about VAT and who has to submit advance declarations in our guide “Value Added Tax (VAT)” and how to change your reporting period on Sorted in our guide “Changing the reporting period of your advance VAT declaration”.

In the last paragraph the tax office explains how to submit payments to the tax office.

For future payments to the tax office always use the reference:

You can also apply for a direct debit mandate at your local tax office. You can find this form in the download section of your local tax office.

Your letter looks different? Contact us via help@getsorted.de

Did you know that you can submit all your tax reports with Sorted? Add your tax number to Sorted to unlock your tax reports.

Sorted tax guides are provided without liability and do not replace a tax advisor.

To get an accurate answer for your specific case, please consult a tax advisor.

You can always ask one of tax advisors on the Sorted platform.