As a soldier, you can use our app without any problems. Here you’ll find an overview of which costs you can deduct.
Do soldiers have to pay taxes?
Yes, they do. People in the military in Germany also pay taxes to the state. As state employees, however, soldiers do not have to deduct social security contributions from their salaries, just like civil servants. This means that there are no costs for unemployment, pension and health insu rance and more is left over from the gross salary. Soldiers pay taxes anyway, and this also means that they can save on taxes.
Save taxes as a soldier: Deduct commuting expenses
With the commuter allowance, you can deduct the costs for the journey between your home and your workplace from your taxes at a rate of 0.30 euros per kilometer or 0.38 euros (from the 21st kilometer).
The distance considered is the distance by car, even if you do not commute by car at all. When calculating the costs, only the one-way route to the first place of work, i.e. your main place of work such as your barracks, is taken into account.
If you also worked at another location, such as an air base, for example to take part in an exercise, then you can also deduct the travel costs - but then for the entire route, i.e. the outward and return journeys.
If you do not travel by car on these journeys, for example to a barracks other than your home barracks, you can enter the actual travel costs incurred in your tax return. It is therefore best to keep all train, bus or plane tickets in a safe place. The tax office may come to you after you have completed your tax return and ask for the receipts.
Entering travel expenses in Taxfix is simple. Our app guides you through your tax return with easy-to-understand questions and automatically calculates the travel expenses for you.
Claiming the cost of uniforms and work equipment against tax
Like other professions, soldiers can deduct their work equipment and its repair from their taxes. This also applies to your uniform. Whether you purchase or clean it, it is worthwhile to keep every receipt and declare the costs. By the way, cleaning also includes your own washing costs. Our app automatically calculates the costs for this based on the information you provide and taking into account the applicable flat rates.
Of course, you can also claim other work equipment for tax purposes. These include stationery, computers, technical literature, software, tools and even telephones. All of these work supplies are part of the income-related expenses (Werbungskosten).
Moving in/out of barracks
If you are moving for work reasons, for example, because you are moving into barracks, moving out of barracks, or changing locations, then these costs can also reduce your tax burden. Even if you're simply moving to be closer to your duty station, you can claim the costs on your tax return. In this article, we'll explain which costs you can deduct and how to enter them in the Taxfix app.
Courses and training
You can also include the costs of courses and training in your tax return. You can find out which training courses this applies to and how to record the costs here.
As a general rule, you can only claim costs if they have not already been reimbursed to you completely tax-free. Therefore, you cannot deduct costs that your employer has paid.
Insurance
As a soldier, you can deduct some insurance policies from your taxes. Some of them can be claimed as income-related expenses, others as special expenses.
The deductible insurances include liability, occupational disability or health insurance. You can also deduct employment protection insurance or professional liability insurance from your taxes. In the Taxfix app, we query the relevant insurance in the "Income" and "Finance" categories.
Foreign deployment
Soldiers who are sent on a foreign assignment by decision of the federal government receive a foreign assignment bonus, depending on location and circumstance, which is regulated by the Federal Salary Act. This salary bonus is completely tax-free and therefore not relevant for your tax return.
In the context of foreign assignments, an additional expense for meals may be deductible under certain circumstances. For the first 3 months, you can deduct a certain amount if there was no free communal catering on site. You can find more information here.
Exception Navy Soldier
As a navy soldier, you can claim the additional food expenses for the entire time you spend on the ship, even if this deployment at sea lasts longer than 3 months. In addition, you can claim telephone expenses on your tax return if your tour of duty at sea lasts longer than 1 week.
Special case service dog handler
Service dog handlers receive additional tax breaks. They can deduct materials such as leash, transport box or food and do not have to pay dog tax. You can deduct costs for the service dog as income-related expenses. In the Taxfix app, you enter them as other costs in the "Work" section.