Finanzamt letter

Letter from the Finanzamt (tax office): what it means and what to do, in English

The word in the title line of a Finanzamt letter tells you what the tax office wants and how long you have. A Bescheid (official notice) normally gives you one month to object and a separate date to pay. A question or reminder has its own date printed in the letter. You may reply in English, but German is the official language and the office can ask for a translation (§ 87 AO).

Last reviewed: 2026-11-02

Step 1: who really sent it?

Many letters that look like tax letters come from someone else. The sender decides who you answer and which rules apply.

Finanzamt

The tax office. A real notice shows the office name, your Steuernummer, a date and, on a notice with a payment, the bank details headed "Konten der Finanzkasse". To check a letter you doubt, phone the office using a number from its official website, not from the letter.

Stadt or Gemeinde

Your city or municipality. It sends the Gewerbesteuerbescheid (trade tax notice) and collects the money, except in Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg, where the Finanzamt does this. Answer the municipality, not the tax office.

Bundesamt für Justiz

The Federal Office of Justice in Bonn. If the letter says Ordnungsgeld, it concerns annual accounts that were not filed. It is not a tax letter, and six weeks are running. See the guide on the Ordnungsgeld threat.

Bundeszentralamt für Steuern (BZSt)

The Federal Central Tax Office. It handles matters such as VAT IDs. It is not your local Finanzamt, so a reply to your local office may not reach the right desk.

Inkasso or an IHK

A private debt collector, or your chamber of commerce. Neither is the tax office. The word list explains both.

Step 2: match the word at the top of your letter

Wording differs a little between the 16 state tax administrations. Look for these words in the title or the first lines.

"Bescheid für 2024 über ..."

A tax assessment notice. Deadline: one month to object, plus the payment date after "Bitte zahlen Sie". Next: compare it with your return. Read the Steuerbescheid guide.

"Erläuterungen zur Schätzung" or "geschätzt"

The office estimated your income, usually because no return arrived. Deadline: one month, and the duty to file remains. Next: file the real return and object. Read the Schätzungsbescheid guide.

"Vorauszahlungsbescheid" or "Vorauszahlungen"

Advance tax payments. Corporate income tax and income tax are due on 10 March, June, September and December, and trade tax on 15 February, May, August and November. Next: pay, or ask for a change if your profit is much lower.

"Erinnerung" or "Aufforderung zur Abgabe"

A return is missing. Deadline: the date in the letter. Next: file, or ask for an extension before that date (§ 109 AO). If you do nothing, an estimate or a coercive fine can follow.

"Androhung eines Zwangsgeldes"

A threat of a coercive fine, with an exact amount. Deadline: the date in the letter. Next: do what it asks, for example file the return. Read the reminder guide.

"Mahnung", "Vollstreckung", "Pfändung"

Overdue tax and collection steps. Mahnung normally gives one week. Pfändung means seizure has started. Next: pay or apply for a deferral, and get help the same day if your account is blocked.

"Bitte reichen Sie bis zum ... ein"

A question or request for documents. Deadline: the date printed. You have a legal duty to cooperate (§ 90 AO), and if you give too little, the office may estimate (§ 162 AO). Need more time? Ask before the date.

"Prüfungsanordnung"

An audit order, the announcement of a Betriebsprüfung (tax audit). It must come a reasonable time before the audit starts (§ 197 AO). The administration's audit rules (Betriebsprüfungsordnung) treat two weeks as normal, and four weeks for large businesses. Next: call your tax advisor. You can ask to move the start date for important reasons.

"Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung"

The tax registration questionnaire for a new business. Deadline: the date in the letter. Next: complete it online. Read the questionnaire guide.

"Ihre Steuernummer lautet"

Your tax number has been issued. No deadline. Next: keep the letter, because you need the number on invoices and on every reply.

Step 3: find these three things on the letter

The number. The Steuernummer is usually in the top right corner, for example 5123/4567/8910 on the sample notice from North Rhine-Westphalia. The format differs by state. IdNr. is a personal ID, which a company letter may not show. Quote the Steuernummer in every reply.
The date. "Datum" is the date the letter was written. For a notice sent by post inside Germany, delivery counts as the fourth day after posting, unless the letter arrived later (§ 122 AO). Posted abroad, it counts as one month after posting. Older sample texts still say the third day, because the rule changed on 1 January 2025.
The contact. The office name, the "Veranlagungsbezirk" (assessment district) and a phone number or e-mail address stand in the letter head. If you phone, give the Steuernummer first. Phone calls do not stop a deadline, and an objection by phone is not possible.

Can I write to the Finanzamt in English?

You can, but there is a risk. § 87 AO says the official language is German. If you write in another language, the office can ask you to send a translation without delay, in some cases a certified one, or it can get one at your cost. If your message must meet a deadline, it counts as received in time only if you send the translation within the period the office sets. Otherwise the date of the translation counts.

So for anything with a deadline, write a short message in German, even simple German. Staff may answer English questions by phone or letter, but you have no right to that. This short German text asks for more time: "Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, zu Ihrem Schreiben vom [Datum], Steuernummer [Nummer]: Ich bitte um Fristverlängerung bis zum [Datum], weil [Grund]. Mit freundlichen Grüßen". In English: "Regarding your letter of [date], tax number [number], I request an extension until [date] because [reason]."

Which Finanzamt is mine?

If you already have a letter, the correct answer is usually the office named at the top. For a company it is the office where the business is managed (§ 20 AO). If management is abroad, it is the office of the registered seat. For a person, it is the office where the person lives (§ 19 AO). So if the management moves abroad, the competent office can change, and you should tell the office.

A foreign company without a German base that owes German VAT has a fixed office by country of residence. For example, Hannover-Nord handles the United Kingdom, Kleve the Netherlands, Hamburg-Nord Ireland, Offenburg France and München Italy (§ 1 UStZustV). These are the addresses for VAT only. A GmbH owned by a foreign parent is a German company and uses its local office.

Ways to answer

Through our tax module (free)

The tax office module sends messages and requests as signed ELSTER messages, with a transfer ticket as proof. It has a free message form, a form to submit documents, and forms for extension, objection, prepayment change, deferral, address and bank change. You need the company's own ELSTER certificate and PIN. There is no fee per request.

What the free message form checks

It offers German templates, including "Antwort auf ein Schreiben des Finanzamts" (reply to a letter). ELSTER accepts a subject of up to 99 characters, and the form counts them. Text left in square brackets blocks sending, so a half-finished letter cannot go out. PDF attachments can total 8 MB.

ELSTER contact form or post

According to the tax administration of North Rhine-Westphalia, an objection can also go through the ELSTER contact form without prior registration, or by post or fax. The contact form is useful if you do not have a certificate yet.

Your tax advisor

If you have a Steuerberater with authority to receive your post, notices normally go to the advisor (§ 122 AO). Ask whether the advisor already has the letter. Then agree who replies.

What our software does not do

There is no letter reader or translator. You cannot upload a letter and get an explanation, and the software gives no individual tax or legal advice (StBerG). The interface is in English, but you write the message itself, and it should be in German.

If reading the letter is your problem today, here are other routes. Accountable's help page, as of 2 November 2026, describes a free reader called Finanzamt-Brief that gives a translated summary. On that date the address returned an error for us, so check whether it is available. A machine translation can give you a first idea, but check dates and amounts against the original. A tax advisor reads the letter in context, which a translation cannot do.

When to get a person involved today

The letter says Strafsache, Steuerstrafverfahren, Bußgeld or Einleitung eines Verfahrens. Do not answer alone. A tax advisor or a lawyer in tax criminal law should reply.
Your bank says an account is blocked, or you received a Pfändungsverfügung (seizure order).
A Prüfungsanordnung (audit order) arrived, or the audit is in preparation.
The amount is more than the company can pay, and it could become insolvent. As managing director you have your own legal duties and short deadlines in that case.
You have several years of missing returns. A tax advisor can check your options before you file.

Frequently asked questions

I got this letter from the Finanzamt and I can't read it. What do I do first?

Find the title line, the Steuernummer and the date. Look up the title word in the list above. Most letters have a date to act by. If you find no word you recognise, send a scan to a tax advisor or use a translation, then come back to the deadline.

How long do I have to answer a Finanzamt letter?

It depends on the letter. A Bescheid gives one month to object, counted from delivery. A request or reminder has a date printed in it. If you need more time for a printed date, ask before it passes, in writing.

Can I reply to the Finanzamt by e-mail?

Many letters show an e-mail address, and it is fine for simple questions. Tax data in normal e-mail is not encrypted, and if there is a dispute you must prove that your e-mail arrived. For deadlines, use ELSTER, a signed message from software, or a letter with proof of delivery.

Where is the elster sonstige nachricht to the Finanzamt?

It is the ELSTER form for a free message, called "Sonstige Nachricht". Our tax module sends the same type of message from an English screen, and you can add PDF files. You need your own ELSTER certificate. The text itself should be in German.

Can your software translate my letter?

No. We have no letter reader or translator today, and this page will say so until that changes. The software helps with the reply and the deadline, not with reading the original letter.

My UG got a letter but I live abroad. Does the deadline change?

Usually not, if the letter went to the German company address. The longer one-month delivery rule is for letters posted to an address abroad. The objection guide explains this with dates.

Primary sources and scope

Authoritative references for the key claims on this page. Check the current text before making a filing or accounting decision.