How Geldback works

Step 1: Check what you can get

Start with the calculator. It asks a few short questions: how long you worked in Germany, your pay, your family and where your children live. It takes a few minutes.

You then see an estimate of what you can get back: a German tax refund, Kindergeld, or both. The estimate is free. You only pay if you want to continue.

Step 2: Answer questions on your phone, in your language

Geldback works on your phone. You can choose Romanian, Bulgarian, Polish or English. The questions are short and use everyday words, not tax words.

For some questions you need a document, for example your Lohnsteuerbescheinigung or your children's birth certificates. Geldback tells you which document you need and where to find the number it asks for.

• For the tax return: your work, your pay, your family, your home and your trips home.
• For Kindergeld: your children, where they live, who they live with and whether the other parent works.
• Your Steuer-ID and your bank account, so the money can be paid to you.

Step 3: Get your filled forms

When your answers are complete, Geldback fills in the official German forms for you. It checks for missing details and common mistakes before you print.

You get one file with everything you need:

• The filled forms, ready to print.
• A cover page that shows who signs which page.
• A list of the documents to add, like copies of birth certificates.
• The full postal address of your Finanzamt or Familienkasse.

Step 4: Sign and send them yourself

Print the forms on paper. Sign them by hand. If your spouse or the other parent must sign too, they sign as well. This can mean sending the pages home or signing during a visit.

Then post the forms to the address Geldback gives you. Kindergeld forms can also be sent by fax. A scan or a photo sent by email is not accepted by the German authorities.

Geldback does not send anything for you and does not act in your name. You stay in control of your own papers. Keep a copy of everything you send.

What happens after you send the forms

The Finanzamt or the Familienkasse checks your papers. Sometimes they send a letter asking for more information or another document. Read it carefully and answer before the date in the letter.

At the end, you get a written decision by post. It is called a Bescheid. For the tax return it is the Steuerbescheid. It shows how much tax you paid, how much you should have paid, and the amount you get back. For Kindergeld it shows the amount per month and from when it is paid.

How long it takes

Filling in the forms with Geldback often takes less than an hour, once you have your documents ready.

The authorities take longer. A tax return can take several months. Kindergeld for children living abroad often takes 4 to 6 months, because the Familienkasse checks with your home country. Geldback cannot speed this up.

The money goes straight to your bank account. Geldback never receives it.

How Geldback works, and what it does not do

Geldback is self-service software. It fills in forms from your own answers and gives general information. It is not a tax adviser and does not give advice for your personal case. It is not part of, or connected to, the Finanzamt, the Familienkasse or any other authority.