Overview
- Finance ministries began offering automated income tax proposals to selected residents, with about 200,000 in Hessen and roughly half a million targeted across Hessen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg‑Western Pomerania, Schleswig‑Holstein and Thuringia.
- Tax offices build a draft assessment from data they already receive, such as wages, pensions and insurance contributions, and it takes effect only if no objection is filed after a set review window.
- Eligible cases are simple situations like employees and pensioners without self‑employed income, and some families with minor children, while those with rental or complex income must still file on their own.
- State pilots vary in scope, including 5,000 to 7,000 cases in Hamburg via the Hamburg‑Ost office and up to 78,000 in Mecklenburg‑Western Pomerania where data will be preprocessed with artificial intelligence.
- A one‑click filing feature in the MeinELSTER+ app is slated for July 2026 for single, childless workers and retirees with no extra income, as taxpayer advocates warn users to review drafts so they do not miss deductible costs like handyman bills or extra work expenses.