You may also find the following information useful:

As of 1 January 2025, real property tax will be levied on the basis of the new rules and new multipliers set by the local authorities. What are the next steps? You can find answers to the most important questions on the new property tax (in German) in our FAQs and at www.grundsteuerreform.de. Please note that the Federal Ministry of Finance is unable to provide information concerning individual tax cases as different rules apply in the individual Länder.

• Fake emails and text messages promising an income tax refund claiming to be from the Federal Ministry of Finance.
  Fake emails and text messages claiming to be from the Federal Ministry of Finance are reported to be in circulation. The email or text message asks you to verify your bank account details in order to receive an income tax refund.
• General warning from the police: There are repeated reports of fraudsters trying to request fees or taxes (for example, for a supposed inheritance) using the name of the Federal Ministry of Finance . Please pay close attention to the following information if you appear to have received a communication from the Federal Ministry of Finance:
  • The Federal Ministry of Finance itself never requests fees from members of the public or carries out tax assessments. Taxes are assessed only by tax offices.
  • The Federal Ministry of Finance does not send text messages or WhatsApp messages. Nor does it approach members of the public proactively via email.
  • If you are unsure, please contact us or your local police station.
  • The Federal Office for Information Security also provides information (in German) on the subject of “smishing” (text message phishing)and the latest scams and how to recognise phishing emails. You can find current warnings and news for consumers regarding banks, financial services providers and insurance companies on this webpage provided by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin).