Tax experts warn ELSTER app could bring smaller refunds

The MeinElster+ app is designed to make filing taxes easier in Germany, but some experts warn that the simplified process might lead to smaller tax refunds.

MeinElster+ app launches in 2026

On March 31, 2026, people in Germany will be able to download the MeinElster+ app, and from July 1, 2026, pensioners and people who are working, are not married and don't have children will all be able to use the app to complete their annual tax return (Steuererklärung).

Albert Füracker (CSU), State Finance Minister for Bavaria, the federal state that developed MeinElster+, has dubbed the app “a further milestone for digitisation and user-friendliness in Germany”. 

But tax advisors and experts are warning the 11,5 million people who will soon be able to use MeinElster+ that the app’s simplified tax return process comes at a price: a smaller tax refund.

Pre-filled ELSTER forms mean lower refunds

In the app, pensioners and unmarried employees without children will be able to submit their tax returns “at the click of a button”. 

To make this possible, MeinElster+ gathers information automatically available to the tax office, such as income, pension payments, and contributions to the social security system.

Using this information, the app creates a pre-filled tax return and offers users an instant preview of their tax assessment (Steuerbescheid).

However, according to the consumer magazine Finanztip, these pre-filled forms do not log many important expenses, such as work equipment, travel, donations, prescription medicines, or household repairs.

The more details that filers add about their expenses, the larger their tax refund is likely to be, so it can pay off to put in the extra time rather than submit the pre-filled form. Generally, Finanztip estimates that the average person required to file a tax return in Germany is owed a refund of around 1.000 euros.