The tax return is for most people a pain. Can you take the programs, Apps and the Internet, the load or the duty to exercise at least a little eträglicher make?

Berlin (dpa/tmn) - In the financial offices were test according to the Foundation each year 23 million tax returns electronically. 77 percent of which are created with the help of a Software.

The Good thing: "Digital tax returns, are now treated even preferred," explains Jörg Geiger from the magazine "Chip". Finally, the tax authorities provide you with Elster self is a kind of state-Free-Alternative-to-buying-programs.

"In principle, Elster, the paper form online," explains Geiger. Disadvantage: It is less service and more sober held. Tips to Save some one searches here in vain.

Elster for simple tax cases

Dorothee Wiegand from the "c't"magazine magpie would recommend only for single-bearing tax cases, that is, those without children, property or even care for money. Good for: Elster takes data from the previous year, and users can import their documents from pension paying authorities, health insurance companies, employers, and Co.

those Who prefer to have a tips and the tax Declaration led wants to be, you can use a Computer program, a Browser application or an App.

Just Apps all advertise with speed and suggest: only a matter of Minutes. But: "In 30 minutes it will be the least done," is a violinist for sure.

With Apps you have to the software from the front

start A disadvantage of the Apps is the relatively small screen of the smartphone. "The Basis is therefore a Chat that leads you step-by-step through the program," says Geiger. An error will not leave often, later, no longer correct, later additions are possible without starting from scratch.

For your magazine "financial test" has the Stiftung Warentest offers 14 different tax programs studied - from the Download to the App. Only 3 of the offers performed with the grade "good" (output 5/2019).

Almost no program expects one hundred percent correct

The testers, simplicity, and chat some Browser or Smartphone liked, although applications, but not the calculations. "The programs have made it part of blatant errors," says Stefan Fischer, project Manager at Stiftung Warentest. However, this is not only true for Apps. The result of the "financial test": "Even the winner of the test do not expect a hundred percent right."

Overall, would the differences between Desktop and browser version, getting smaller and smaller, says Wiegand. Even Desktop apps have a head start, the web services cover more and more cases.

Komlizierte cases are more likely to be something for the tax Advisor

Both offer similar to Elster, the data of the tax authorities to query and record. For this, users need to stay inside and users however, a provider, faithful. "This saves time, avoids numerical and a lot of Trouble," says Wiegand.

For all the help, the offer of the programs, difficult it's going to about in the case of Patchwork families with different constellations of maintenance, care and children's money, limits Wiegand. The more complicated the tax case is, the more likely it was a case for the accountant, the experts agree.

Stiftung Warentest to tax programs

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