New property tax 2022 what is coming to us

I used the page "Grundsteuer für Privateigentüm" from the Federal Ministry of Finance.

The declaration was easy to complete, as almost every field also had an example image showing where the required information (e.g. from the land register) can be found.

Now I just have to wait for an activation code to submit the declaration, which is supposed to arrive by mail in a few days.

As long as you access the page with the same browser and the same device, you can always return to your declaration; using a different browser/device you would have to start over.

As soon as I have sent the first declaration, I will then do the whole thing for the previous property.

Someone once told me that they would ask about the enclosed space and window areas.
I did not encounter such questions. Only the living area was asked for.

It may of course be different if you select "Yes" for questions about major renovations, etc.

Maybe some of you can report whether there are such questions; I know some people who are really anxious about it because they fear they won’t be able to gather the necessary documents.

Unfortunately, the site can only be used in certain federal states :( because

„Grundsteuererklärung für Privateigentum“ is usable for owners of properties in federal states that have chosen the so-called „Bundesmodell“ for property tax. These are the following eleven federal states: Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia.
For properties in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hamburg, Hesse, and Lower Saxony, „Grundsteuererklärung für Privateigentum“ unfortunately cannot be used.

Elster is not so much fun, we already had access for the tax return and still struggled with the electronic form because error messages kept appearing. The examples for clarification are formulated very bureaucratically, you have to read several times to understand (but we are also more the type „I’ll just give it a try and see if it works. We don’t need instructions“).

In the declaration, there is a categorization according to developed and undeveloped (A, B, and C). Especially undeveloped but building-ready plots of land are intended to be properly taxed in the future, which is basically good. But the cut-off date for the declaration is January 1, 2022, and the whole thing only takes effect in 2025. We are currently in the middle of construction, but on January 1 we still had a meadow. The move-in date is next summer. If I now indicate C there, I will be penalized for the next 7 years until the next assessment. Can I just declare it as inhabited right away? What do you think?

Can probably be interpreted as tax fraud, but I know how to do it the same way.

I thought BW only takes the standard land value and nothing else? Otherwise, when moving in, I would send an update to the tax office and insist that it be classified correctly.

Isn't that reported by the land registry / cadastral office or the tax office itself when you register your new address? I wouldn't declare it, then you would also have to provide the year of construction 2021 for the house, which I consider dangerous.