German Tax Return Translation
German tax return translation for US tax filings, mortgages, visas and court cases. We translate the Einkommensteuererklärung, the Einkommensteuerbescheid from the Finanzamt and the Lohnsteuerbescheinigung from an employer, plus Austrian and Swiss returns, with each amount kept in euros or francs and a signed certification.
- Up to 250 words per page
- $25 per page
- Standard turnaround
- From 24 hours
- Certificate of accuracy
- Signed & stamped
Rated "Excellent" by Trustpilot with 2,700+ reviews
Written for German tax return records
Erklärung, Bescheid or Lohnsteuerbescheinigung
In Germany the return you file and the assessment the Finanzamt sends back are two different documents, and US readers usually want the second.
Steuererklärung and Steuerbescheid
The Einkommensteuererklärung is what you or your Steuerberater filed, usually through ELSTER, as a main form with Anlagen such as Anlage N for wages, Anlage V for rental income and Anlage KAP for capital income. The Einkommensteuerbescheid is the Finanzamt's assessment: the taxable income it accepted, the tax set, Solidaritätszuschlag and Kirchensteuer, and the refund or balance due.
Lohnsteuerbescheinigung
Employers send the annual Lohnsteuerbescheinigung with gross wages, Lohnsteuer withheld and the employee share of pension, health, care and unemployment insurance, each on a numbered line. We keep the line numbers so a US preparer can find the gross wage and the tax for Form 1116 or Form 2555. Austria's equivalent is the Lohnzettel, form L 16; Switzerland's is the Lohnausweis.
Joint assessment, tax IDs and Swiss cantons
A married couple filing jointly gets one Bescheid marked Zusammenveranlagung, taxed under the splitting rate, and the translation names both spouses as the Bescheid does. The 11-digit Steuer-ID and the Steuernummer stay as printed. Swiss returns are cantonal, so a Zurich and a Bern return look different, and the assessment is the Veranlagungsverfügung.
Who is asking for your German tax return translation?
The translation is the same. What changes is whether the recipient wants anything added to it.
USCIS and the National Visa Center
Sponsors filing an affidavit of support, and applicants proving income, submit tax returns with a complete English translation and a signed certification. No notarization is needed.
IRCC
IRCC accepts a certified translation with the translator's affidavit. Order the certified translation and add notarization if your application guide asks for it.
Lenders and tax authorities
A mortgage lender or a tax office assessing foreign income accepts a certified translation of the return and its schedules. Ask whether they want a hard copy and add it at checkout.
Before you upload
Three things that save a day of back and forth on a German tax return.
Send the filed return, not the draft
The recipient wants the version the tax office accepted, with its filing stamp, receipt number or online confirmation. Include the confirmation page if your return was filed electronically.
Include every schedule and attachment
The income summary on the first page refers to schedules behind it. A consulate or a lender reading the total will look for the pages that support it.
Give us the taxpayer name as the passport spells it
Taxpayer numbers, amounts and the currency are copied exactly as printed. Tell us the English spelling of each name on the return so it matches the rest of your file.
Details and pricing
What is included in a German tax return translation
One price per page covers the translation and its certification. A page is up to 250 words, and the quote tells you the page count before you pay.
Everything on the tax return is translated, including stamps, seals and handwritten notes. Tell us the English spelling you use for each name when you order.
Certified Translation
Word-for-word translation with a certificate of accuracy for official use.
$25
USD / page
up to 250 words per page
Included
- Signed & stamped certification of translation accuracy
- Certified by a professional translator
- Digital delivery via PDF
- Review and approve final translation
- 100% Guaranteed Acceptance
- Standard turnaround starting at 24 hours
Optional services
- Expedited turnaround
- Priority handling when your deadline is shorter than the standard turnaround.
- By deadline
- Notarization
- A notary public signs and stamps the certification statement.
- $20 per order
- Physical copy
- A wet-ink original of your translation, mailed by express courier.
- $35 per order
- Apostille
- Authenticates the notary’s signature and seal for use in Hague Convention countries.
- $180 per document
What the certificate of accuracy states
Your translation arrives with a Certification of Translation Accuracy issued by ImmiTranslate. It is the page the receiving organization checks first.
- The translation is complete and accurate.
- The document title and the language pair.
- The translator is competent in both languages.
- A signature and the ImmiTranslate certification stamp.
- Our American Translators Association corporate membership.
Our translation process
Our goal is to make the translation process as simple as possible for you. Our service is streamlined specifically for documents of this nature.
German Tax Return FAQ
Most questions about pricing and turnaround can be answered faster by requesting a quote.
- My US tax preparer needs my German income. What should I send?
- For the foreign earned income exclusion or a foreign tax credit, the Lohnsteuerbescheinigung and the Einkommensteuerbescheid for the year usually cover it: one shows wages and tax withheld, the other the final German tax. We translate the amounts in euros as printed; your preparer converts them at the rate they use.
- Is the Bescheid enough without the full Erklärung?
- Often, yes. The Bescheid is a few pages, while the full Erklärung with all its Anlagen can run much longer, at $25 per page of up to 250 words. Ask whoever requested it. A court in a divorce or support case may want the full return to see deductions; a lender may only need the assessment.
- Do you translate US tax returns into German?
- Yes. A German Finanzamt can ask residents with US income for proof of it, for example to apply the Progressionsvorbehalt, and German banks ask self-employed borrowers for their returns. We translate Form 1040 and its schedules, W-2s and IRS transcripts into German. Some Finanzämter accept English, so ask before ordering.
- How much does a certified translation cost?
- Certified translation is $25 per page, with a page counted as up to 250 words. Notarization, a mailed physical copy and an apostille are optional and priced separately.
- How long does a certified translation take?
- Standard turnaround starts at 24 hours and depends on the length and language of your documents. If you have a deadline, include it in your quote request.
Other German documents we translate
Tax return translation in other languages
Each of these pages is written for that language's tax return records.
Sending it with an application? Read the Certified translations before you order.