Austrian tax returns—what are the deadlines in 2023?
Not sure whether you need to submit a tax return—or when to do it by? No problem: we’ve put together the key info for you on your tax return in Austria.
5 min read
Like it or not, tax return season is upon us. And we get it—it’s not always easy to keep an overview of all things tax-related. But don’t fret—we’ve put together a helpful guide with everything you need to know about the submission deadlines for your tax return in Austria. Tip: If you live or work in Germany, then check out our guide to deadlines for tax returns there!
Do I need to submit a tax return?
If you’re an employee, you generally don’t need to submit a tax return because your employer sends your income tax contribution directly to the tax authorities when they pay your monthly salary. If you’re freelance, you’ll need to submit a tax return, provided you earned more than €11,693 in 2023. If you’re an employee and work freelance as a side hustle, the exemption limit for 2023 is €12,756, as long as your additional income is more than €730. And if you have several jobs subject to income tax with a combined income of at least €12,756, you’ll also have to file a tax return for 2023.
Filing a voluntary tax return with an employee assessment
Even if you aren’t required to file, you can submit a return on a voluntary basis. This might be a good idea if you want to deduct expenses and get an income tax refund. However, your refund will be calculated as though you’d earned the same amount over the entire year. In other words, if your income fluctuates—because you’ve changed jobs, for example—it’s worth doing what’s called an “employee assessment.”In this assessment, your tax payments are recalculated and distributed evenly across the year. You’ll generally find that you’ve paid too much, in which case you’ll receive a refund for the income tax you’ve overpaid. But what if you need to top up your tax payment? In this case—provided you aren’t required to do the assessment—you can simply revoke your application, and you won’t have to pay an extra cent.
Do you have stocks or interest from a savings account? Capital gains are taxed automatically, so you don’t need to file a tax return — unless you had a loss. In this case, you might want to file a tax return to get some money back.
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Can you file a voluntary tax return retroactively?
You’ve got five years to deal with your voluntary employee assessment retroactively. In other words, you can submit a retroactive tax return for 2019 up through the end of this year. And, if you’ve got some free evenings or weekends, you can get cracking on your tax returns for 2020, 2021, and 2022, too. For your 2023 return, you’ve got until the end of December 2028.
Mandatory assessments—clarifications and deadlines
If it’s mandatory for you to submit a tax return, you’ll have less time than you would for a voluntary submission. In addition, different deadlines apply, depending on the reason for the mandatory assessment.For example, you’re obliged to submit a return if you’re freelance and your total annual income was more than €11,693 and if one of the following situations applies:
your additional income from freelance work exceeds the mandatory assessment limit of €730
you’ve received at least two additional income sources subject to income tax over the course of the calendar year
a personal allowance notice was taken into account during payroll accounting
If you submit your tax declaration for 2023 in paper form, the submission deadline is April 30, 2024. You’ve got more time if you submit your tax return electronically via FinanzOnline. In this case, the deadline is June 30, 2024.In some cases, the submission deadline is extended to September 30, regardless of whether you’re using the paper form or FinanzOnline for your tax return. The September 30 deadline applies if you’ve had two or more sources of income that were subject to income tax, or if the sole-earner or single-parent tax credit was taken into account.
Missed the filing deadline? Don’t worry.
In principle, Austria has a grace period of three days for all taxes. That means there is no legal impact for delays of up to three days. Bear in mind that public holidays, Saturdays, and Sundays don’t count towards the deadline.If you think you’re still going to miss the above deadline, you can request an extension from the tax authorities. However, you need to do this as soon as possible—otherwise you run the risk of a late penalty (two percent of the owed amount). Plus, you need to have a good reason for the deadline extension, such as a lengthy illness or absence. Working with an accountant will also give you more time for your tax return. However, you need to make sure it’s really worth it—tax advisors don’t come cheap!
What should I do if I receive a request from the tax authorities?
Even if you don’t actually need to submit a tax return, the tax authorities may request that you do so. This usually happens if they’re aware that you’ve earned an extra source of income—or perhaps because you submitted a declaration in the year prior. It’s important to note that you will definitely need to submit a tax return if the tax authorities ask you to.
Submitting an employee assessment without an application
If you’re an employee who only receives income subject to income tax, you’ll even get automatic tax credits in certain circumstances. That’s because, since July 2017, unrequested employee assessments mean that tax assessments are carried out automatically—even if you’ve never submitted a tax return. Any excess income tax that was collected from you is automatically refunded—and your tax credit is automatically paid into your account.
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It’s not just your tax return deadline that you need to meet—your rent, electricity and internet need to be paid on time, too. To make sure you have an overview of your finances, N26 Rules is the super simple way to automatically move your money between your main account and your N26 Spaces. This means you can put money to the side for bills to ensure you’ve got enough to cover them when they come in. Additionally you can get a better overview with our handy 50 30 20 Budget Calculator and our monthly budget calculator. Still don’t have an N26 account? Check out our page on how to open a bank account online to find the best account for you!
Are you employed in Austria? Then we have good news — you’re likely eligible to claim a tax refund! Find out which deductions you can claim with this easy-to-follow guide.
Are you employed in Austria? Then we have good news — you’re likely eligible to claim a tax refund! Find out which deductions you can claim with this easy-to-follow guide.
