# Germany - Wrong Tax Bracket & Unregistered Wife



## gaz_0001 (May 27, 2013)

Hello,

I wonder if anyone else knows the procedure for fixing this issue.

Ive been getting underpaid and i "Believe", but have not been able to confirm yet....that.

I am getting underpaid due to being in Tax Category 1. 

Since i am living in Germany with my Wife, and my wife does not work and has no income at all, i should perhaps be in Tax Category 3.

I still need to confirm this.
But, if this is the case, what is the procedure for changing it?
How and when would i get my money back?
And do i have to send my wife to registration? (To date, i never sent her. Shes been here for 7 months)

Any advice appreciated.
Thanks


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

You definitely need to send your wife (or better, take her) to the Rathaus to register her residence. That should put things in motion to correct your marital status for your tax card.
Cheers,
Bev


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

gaz_0001 said:


> Hello,
> 
> I wonder if anyone else knows the procedure for fixing this issue.
> 
> ...


You need to contact (often this means: go to) your local tax office and ask for the tax class to be changed. This is not done automatically and it's your responsibility to do this.

You should be able to get any overpayments back when you file your tax returns.

How has your wife lived in Germany without registering her residence?


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## gaz_0001 (May 27, 2013)

ALKB said:


> You need to contact (often this means: go to) your local tax office and ask for the tax class to be changed. This is not done automatically and it's your responsibility to do this.
> 
> You should be able to get any overpayments back when you file your tax returns.
> 
> How has your wife lived in Germany without registering her residence?


Hello,

My Wife came here with me in January. But she has not been able to find any work here. So I have been working only. 
We never registered her. I thought registration was for Tax purposes only.


So, do I need to register her now?

And with regards to the Tax. Presently I beleive I am tax code 1. Which tax code should i be? 
And does anyone know what evidence i need to take to the Tax office?
And what is the word for the tax office? So i can google it 

Thanks
Gareth


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

gaz_0001 said:


> Hello,
> 
> My Wife came here with me in January. But she has not been able to find any work here. So I have been working only.
> We never registered her. I thought registration was for Tax purposes only.
> ...


Registration is mandatory for everyone residing in Germany, including German nationals. If you move you have to register your new address within a certain time limit, usually 7 or 14 days. This has nothing to do with working or not working.

If your wife is an EEA national, then she had to register within 90 days of arrival, the amount of time she can spend 'visiting'.

Have you added her to your health insurance? That's another thing that's mandatory for all German residents.

You need to go to your local Finanzamt. I am not sure what kind of documents you will need to show but at the very least your passports, marriage certificate and your (joint) registration.

Which tax class/classes you choose/are available to you depend on your personal cicumstances.


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

The first priority is registration for your wife. Depending on her citizenship, you might be in for a bit of a slapping, as she's not legally in the country after 90 days. You'll need to add her to the Anmeldung for wherever you're living, then sort it out with the Ausländerbehörde. After that you can look at changing your tax class. If she's not on your health insurance you could potentially be stuck with some retroactive premiums, as they can make you pay from the date she should have been covered. If it looks ugly you might want to have her leave the country for a bit then return and start fresh with a new passport stamp.


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