Tax ID, Lohnsteuer and the refund students never claim

1. 1

   Register your address (Anmeldung) at the local Bürgeramt

   Do this within 14 days of moving into your first fixed address — you'll need this Anmeldebestätigung for almost everything else, including opening a bank account and getting your residence permit.

2. 2

   Wait for your Steuer-ID (Steueridentifikationsnummer) by post

   The Bundeszentralamt für Steuern automatically issues and mails you an 11-digit Steuer-ID within a few weeks of your Anmeldung — you do not apply for this yourself.

3. 3

   Give your Steuer-ID to any employer before your first payday

   Without it, your employer may be forced to tax you under the least favourable tax class by default.

Almost every single Bangladeshi student on one job sits in Steuerklasse I automatically. The class mostly matters for how much is withheld month to month — for most students working part-time under the Grundfreibetrag, the class barely matters in practice because little or no tax is withheld at all.

The Grundfreibetrag is the amount of annual income every taxpayer can earn completely tax-free — roughly €12,096 for 2025 (verify the current figure, as it rises most years). A typical Bangladeshi student working a Minijob (capped around €556/month, or ≈ €6,672/year) sits comfortably under this threshold and owes no income tax at all on that income. A Werkstudent earning more — say €700–900/month across a full year — can approach or cross the threshold, at which point Lohnsteuer (wage tax) starts being withheld from pay above that line. Importantly, even if tax is withheld during the year because your monthly pay looks high in a given month, if your total annual income still falls under the Grundfreibetrag, you're entitled to claim all of it back by filing a Steuererklärung.

The Werkstudentenprivileg (student employee privilege) is the reason Werkstudent jobs are so financially attractive: as long as you work no more than 20 hours per week during term time (full-time allowed during semester breaks) and remain enrolled as a student, you're exempt from the employee share of unemployment, health, care and pension insurance contributions tied to that job — meaning a much bigger share of your gross pay reaches your bank account compared to a normal German employee.

1. 1

   Check whether tax was withheld from any payslip

   If your Lohnsteuer field shows any deduction across the year, you likely have money to reclaim, especially if your total annual income was near or under the Grundfreibetrag.

2. 2

   Use ELSTER (the official free portal) or a service like Taxfix/WISO

   ELSTER (elster.de) is the Finanzamt's own free online filing system, in German; Taxfix and WISO Steuer offer simpler, English-friendlier guided interfaces for a fee, often worth it for a first-time filer.

3. 3

   File within the deadline — usually by 31 July of the following year

   If a tax advisor or software service files for you, the deadline is typically extended — always confirm your specific deadline on elster.de.

4. 4

   Keep your payslips (Lohnabrechnung) and annual tax certificate (Lohnsteuerbescheinigung)

   Your employer issues this automatically at year end or when you leave a job — you'll need it to file.