When you move for private reasons, you can claim some of your moving costs on your tax return. Here we explain what they are and how you can enter them in the Taxfix app.

Private or business move?

Whether you moved for private or professional reasons plays a big role for tax purposes. If you moved for professional reasons, you can claim significantly more costs and deduct them in full as income-related expenses. In the case of a private move, the deductible costs are limited.

Therefore, you should carefully check whether your move was work-related. There are certain conditions, such as a noticeable saving in your travel time to the employer due to the move. You can find detailed information on the conditions and deductible costs of a work-related move here.

💡 Tip:

Have you moved from abroad to Germany or from Germany to abroad? Then you can find more information on deductible moving costs here.

Deductible costs

If you move for private reasons, you can only claim moving costs to a limited extent. These include expenses for a removal company, for household-related services and craftsmen in connection with the move.

You can claim these costs as tax deductions to a limited extent. They therefore directly reduce your tax burden. It is important to know that only labour costs are deductible, not material costs. You must also be able to prove your expenses by means of an invoice and payment by bank transfer or direct debit. You can find detailed information on this in our articles on craftsmen’s costs and household-related services.

You cannot claim any other costs for a private move - not even the lump sum for moving expenses, which is only granted in the case of a professional move.

How to enter your costs in the Taxfix app

You enter moving costs in the Taxfix app in the "Home" category. The app differentiates between work-related and private relocation and only shows you the relevant deductible items.

In the case of a private move, you can claim expenses for household-related services and craftsmen for tax purposes. How to record these costs in the Taxfix app is explained here for services and in this article for craftsmen.