Job Discussion Forums

hatter · Joined: 13 Jun 2003 Posts: 10

Ok, so we have all discussed the tax question to death, but I still have one more. I am leaving Germany in the next few months. I worked here as a freelance english teacher for almost 2 years and I have not paid any tax. Now I can either sort this out before I go or I can just go. Will the tax authorities find me and how much can I expect to pay (I probably earned an average of 1000 euros a month for 20 months). Any ideas as to what to expect would be helpfull. Likewise, will I get fined for trying to sneak away? Anyone had this experience?

Susan K · Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Posts: 19 Location: (East Germany)

If you mean 1000 euros gross (i.e. no travel etc. already taken into account) it is v. unlikely that you owe much to the FA - at least one of the years was not a complete one, reckoning from Jan - Dec, and I think that even without deductions for work expenses you wouldn't pay more than 50 euros a month on those earnings ... and your costs could easily come to that ... books, office and display materials etc etc. Did your work entail keeping a second home somewhere else? In that case you have a huge tax reduction and again nothing to pay. Likewise your arrival here at all - surely a necessary expense of your TEFL activities? And did you pay health insurance out of the 1000 euros?

An "honesty policy" will involve presenting accounts - if you haven't kept your books in order I can't see anything for it but hoping no-one asks any questions. It would be such a nightmare putting everything down on paper at this late stage that you might be forgiven for not doing it until required to!