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Tax return Austria 2024 – who needs to do it?

According to the tax legislation, the tax return is the responsibility of several groups of people who work in Austria. These are namely:

• persons registered in Austria,
• persons with unlimited tax liability,
• persons with an annual income of more than EUR 12,816,
• persons who had more than one employer in a given tax year,
• persons who have been summoned in writing by the Austrian tax authorities to file a return.

If you meet any of the above-mentioned conditions and, in addition, you have worked legally in Austria, it means that you absolutely have to settle accounts with the tax authorities there. Otherwise, you may face consequences in the form of a financial penalty.

Tax settlement from Austria – who is considered a resident?

Austrian regulations clearly indicate who can be considered a tax resident. These are persons who have worked in the country for a minimum of six months (without interruption) and paid income tax on their salary. A resident is also an employee whose total annual income from all contracts concluded in Austria accounted for 90% of the total income earned. So, as you can see, only six months of continuous work is enough for you to be able to apply for a refund of overpaid tax during your annual tax return. However, if you have worked in Austria for less than 183 days and, for example, earned more than €10,000 in Germany, you are not entitled to a refund. This is very important in terms of recovering any overpaid tax.

Tax return Austria 2024 – this you should know

If you are settling your Austrian tax in Poland, you should remember one very important thing. This is that 90% of your income earned in a given tax year must come from work in Austria. In case your work lasted less than six months, there is a chance to recover the entire amount of overpaid tax. All you need to do is contact us and present your case. We will be happy to help you get your refund.

Tax refunds from Austria 2024 – how long will I have to wait?

To be able to talk about any decision, you need to submit the relevant documents. However, if you complete all the formalities, you can expect a procedure that takes between 2 and 6 months. Usually, within this timeframe, a refund of your overpaid taxes is sent to your account. Importantly, tax in Austria is settled on the L1 form. If you do not know how to fill in the form or if you have problems with contacting the Austrian tax authorities, please contact us. We will relieve you of the burden and help you get things done.

How to settle tax in Austria?

As we have already mentioned, a tax return from Austria is mandatory for every employee. It is possible for those who have tax resident status, unlimited tax liability or more than one employer in a given tax year to file a return. The obligation also applies to employees who have earned more than EUR 12,000 in income in a given year or who have received a call to account to the Austrian tax authorities. By law, the cut-off time for filing the E1 return is 30 April of the current tax year. As a rule, it is not possible to extend this deadline.

Austria – tax return and lohnzettel

A tax refund from Austria requires the taxpayer to have a lohnzettel (print L16) issued by the employer. This certifies that you have earned a certain amount of income if you are or have been legally employed in Austria. You should receive the tax card by the end of January in electronic form or by the end of February in paper form. The document in most cases consists of two pages and contains a lot of information that is necessary for filing a tax return. It is in the tax card that you will find details of the total amount of advance tax payments collected and all other key information about your salary.

Tax return from Austria – what documents do you need?

As in any country, a tax return requires a number of documents to be provided to the tax office. Without them, it is impossible to determine how much a particular taxpayer has earned and whether they are entitled to any allowances provided for by the system. In the case of Austria, the most important documents are:

• a personal questionnaire – download it and fill it in in print,
• identity document – this is of course a copy,
• E1 declaration – you will need this if you have additional income from other sources; the requirement is an income of more than €730 from a rental agreement, contract for work, dividends etc,
• EU-EWR (E9) – to be completed by your national tax office

Tax return Austria 2024 – what can you deduct?

When settling your taxes in Austria you can claim various types of reliefs that will significantly increase the final amount of your refund. The most popular of these are primarily:

• double household relief (Doppelte Haushaltsführung – Familienheimfahrten)
• relief for travel between Austria and e.g. France (Familienfrahrten),
• relief for commuting to work (Pendlerpauschale),
• additional costs (purchase of work clothes, safety footwear, educational materials and tools necessary for the job),
• relief for persons bringing up children,
• one-off child allowance (Familienbonus Plus).

Parental allowance – who can benefit from it?

If you are applying for an income tax refund from Austria, know that you can write off the tax-free amount for the maintenance of your offspring. The allowance is intended for parents who have been receiving family allowance (Familienbeihilfe) in Austria for at least six months. It is also important that the child must be under ten years of age. The amount of the allowance can reach up to € 2,300 per year, which means that the refund of overpaid tax can be much higher, resulting in more money in your pocket.

Commuting tax credit – for whom?

You can also increase your tax refund if you commute more than 20 km to work. In such a case, the Austrian tax office provides for a tax allowance that allows you to reduce the cost of working in the country. Of course, when settling your tax return, you will be required to show certain documents proving the costs incurred and the number of kilometres driven in the tax year.

Double household allowance – who can benefit?

The Doppelte Haushaltsführung, or double-household allowance in Polish, is primarily aimed at married couples and applies when one spouse lives in Poland and the other in Austria. If this situation applies to you, you can claim reimbursement for:

• accommodation,
• travel between, for example, Germany and Austria.

If you want to be reimbursed for accommodation, you must provide the tax office with a document which confirms your address and that of your spouse. As for commuting, you will need a document certifying the costs incurred. These can be petrol invoices or travel tickets. How much relief you get depends largely on your income and other factors as a result of separation from your spouse.

Tax refund in Austria – the tax-free amount

Austrian tax law provides for a tax-free amount. It applies to all persons who work legally in the country and do not pay income tax on their annual salaries not exceeding EUR 12816. If the taxpayer in question exceeds the set amount, he or she moves to the next tax threshold and is required to pay the corresponding rates. The tax-free amount is of great importance in the context of the entire process of recovering overpaid tax from Austria and directly affects the amount of tax.

Get your money back

With our law firm, you will be able to recover the money you have earned and your account will receive a substantial cash injection. All you need to do is prepare the necessary documents and hand them over to us. We will take care of all the formalities and help you in case of any problems. We are familiar with Austrian tax law and have experience in applying for overpaid tax refunds from this country. Don’t wait and contact us today.