According to the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Finance, registration for a new feature in the MeinELSTER+ app opened on 31 March 2026. From 1 July 2026, users will be able to receive a pre-filled tax return for the 2025 tax year and, if everything is correct, submit it via smartphone. The Ministry emphasises that the details can be checked, amended and supplemented before submission.
Only for straightforward tax cases
However, the feature is not initially intended for everyone. In the first phase, it is only available to single people without children who receive income from employment, as well as pensioners who have no other income alongside their state pensions, such as from letting property. This means the new service is primarily suitable for straightforward tax cases.
Not all costs are covered
However, there are also critical voices regarding the app. According to “Finanztip”, many expenses are not automatically taken into account in such a “one-click tax return”, even though they can reduce the tax burden. These include, for example, work-related expenses, the mileage allowance, donations, extraordinary expenses, tradesmen’s costs and domestic services. For many people, therefore, a single click is not necessarily the best solution.
Warning against hasty confirmation
Lohnsteuerhilfe Bayern (Lohi) takes a similar view of the new feature. It states that the app could be helpful for very simple cases, but is not suitable for more complex returns. Lohi warns against confirming a pre-prepared return too quickly. Anyone who only remembers deductible expenses after submitting their return can often only correct this later by lodging an appeal against the tax assessment within a one-month deadline.
No substitute for a full tax return
The new feature can therefore actually simplify the process of filing a tax return – particularly for people with no additional expenses and no complicated tax situation. For everyone else, it is more of a quick, basic step than a complete substitute for a carefully completed tax return. Both the Ministry of Finance and critical voices from the tax profession point this out.
Further information:
www.fm.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/service/presse-und-oeffentlichkeitsarbeit/pressemitteilung
www.finanztip.de/daily/neue-1-klick-steuererklaerung-mit-meinelster-app-gute-idee
www.lohi.de/steuertipps/aktuell/article/steuererklaerung
By Yana Rudenko
tun26040703