Hello. Today I got this in the mail from Finanzamt and I’m a bit confused. As background; we (me and my wife) both work full time and we declare jointly.

I recently also registered an Einzelunternehmen for some of my side stuff. I got the tax id for that just 2 days ago. I’m guessing this change is related to that? Do we need to do anything other than using the new number when declaring next time? (Like notify our employers etc.)?

by neoberg

8 comments

  1. Don’t mistake the tax number (which can change) with your tax ID (which doesn’t change).

  2. Did you move? My Steuernummer changed when I switched to a different Finanzamt.

    Usually you only handover your Id Number (which did not change) to your employer, so I think you should be fine there.

  3. Possible reasons for getting a new tax number include, but are not limited to:

    * Moving to a new address
    * Changing your legal name
    * Getting married, your spouse becoming a tax resident of Germany, or filing jointly for the first time
    * conversely, getting divorced, widowed, your spouse no longer being a tax resident of Germany, or going back to filing separately
    * Internal reorganizations at the *Finanzamt*

  4. The Steuernummer (Tax-Number) is just the organisational number under which your files are processed at the local tax office. As soon as you move to another district or your main source of income changes, you will get a new tax number because your data is filed/processed at different offices/departments. If you registered a side-business, this is such an occasion.

    Please note that your “Steuer-Identifikationsnummer” (Tax-Identitification-ID) does not change. This is a number used for your unambiguous identification regarding to several instances of public finance. This number is assigned once and does never change.

  5. Is this letter written with a typewriter? Or does the finanzamt just likes the look and feel?

  6. That was, the Einzelunternehmen.
    You have to use the number when you do your next Steuererklärung

  7. Thank you all for the answers. So it seems like we don’t need to take any steps and it’s just how it is.

  8. You are correct in your guess. Your tax number changed because you registered your own company. Happened to me, too. When you write any bills for your side income, you should include your Steuernummer on that bill.

    You’re also supposed to ask your full-time employer if they’re ok with your “side hustle”. As long as it is not in competition with your employer you should be fine.

    The tax return might be to a different part of the Finanzamt (e.g. Finanzamt Köln instead of Finanzamt Köln – Arbeitnehmerbereich, which is for employees), but most online tax programs take care of that for you.

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