January 31 is the deadline for submitting property tax. Most property owners have to use the digital Elster system for this. But that requires activation – and it takes time. But there is salvation for those who only take action at the last minute.

To submit the property tax return via Elster, taxpayers must apply for authentication. It comes in the mail. That takes time, especially in times of postal strikes.

But there are alternatives that also allow timely submission of the information digitally. One provider is Smartsteuer. Another lures customers with his company name: “Property tax made easy”. That’s what the Wiesbaden company Whakapai came up with.

What both providers have in common is that they do not need to be authenticated by the tax office. And with it the waiting time. This makes it possible to submit the property tax documents even on January 31st – i.e. within the deadline.

It can be said that even those who miss the deadline do not have to fear expensive sanctions immediately. Most federal states made this clear in January.

Deadline ends on January 31 – This is what happens if you submit the property tax return too late

But if you have all the data together and still don’t have Elster access, you can use the two express services mentioned.

The reform for the new property tax is complex – and this year it will require owners. You have to submit some data to the tax office. You have to be very precise and observe special deadlines. In our large guide you will find all the information you need to know in a compact form.

With Smartsteuer, users can access their real estate data via a website and transfer it to a form. Once all the information has been provided, customers send the declaration to the tax office. Filing a property tax return costs EUR 34.95. The provider grants a kind of volume discount: From the second property tax return, each additional fee costs 29.95 euros.

“Property tax made easy” reports that customers need “on average 25 minutes (for) completing and submitting their digital property tax return”. The service costs 24.99 euros.

With the WISO tax program, the property tax declaration can now be made in no time at all. Via FOCUS online you can get the tax software at an exclusive special price of only 26.99 euros. Normal price is 29.99 euros.