CHECK24 Steuer
CHECK24 Steuer is a free web and mobile service for preparing income tax returns and sending them digitally to the Finanzamt.
What CHECK24 Steuer is
CHECK24 Steuer is a free web and mobile service for preparing income tax returns and sending them digitally to the Finanzamt. It guides users with questions and personalized tax tips, and includes an AI adviser in chat, AI tips and risk analysis for anomalies or likely tax-office questions. Users can photograph documents and receipts for automatic recognition and sorting, or retrieve tax data directly from the Finanzamt. A live refund estimate and more than 7,000 plausibility and tax-advantage checks help review the return. Submission uses the official ELSTER interface and shows processing status; the service also checks the tax assessment notice automatically. Data can be imported from a previous year or another tax program. It supports employees, students, apprentices, pensioners, investors, landlords and self-employed people, including investment, rental and self-employment income. The service runs on Android, iOS and the web. Tax data is AES-256 encrypted, GDPR-compliant and stored in German data centers.
Good
- Free preparation and submission
- Official ELSTER transmission
- AI adviser and tax tips
- Document photo recognition
- More than 7,000 checks
Watch out
- Some 2025 tax cases are unsupported
- No free trial is offered
- Service is specific to German tax filing
Who it suits
It suits German filers who want guided online preparation and digital ELSTER submission. Its stated user groups include employees, students, pensioners, investors, landlords and self-employed people.
Verdict
CHECK24 Steuer combines guided filing, document capture, automated checks and direct Finanzamt submission at no listed cost. Review the stated scope limits before using it for specialized 2025 tax situations.
Plans and prices
From CHECK24 Steuer's own pricing page, checked 22 Sep 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Online tax-return preparation · Digital submission to the Finanzamt · Official ELSTER interface |
| CHECK24 Steuer | Free | Steuererklärung vorbereiten und kostenlos ans Finanzamt übermitteln; keine versteckten Kosten |
The facts
Each one read from CHECK24 Steuer's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- AI tools
- The service offers an AI tax adviser in chat, personalized AI tax tips, and an AI risk analysis for anomalies and likely tax-office questions.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Assessment review
- CHECK24 Steuer says it automatically checks the tax assessment notice.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Checks and estimate
- It provides a live refund estimate and more than 7,000 plausibility and tax-advantage checks.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Data import
- Users can transfer data from a prior year or from their previous tax program.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Document capture
- Users can photograph tax documents and receipts for automatic recognition and sorting of values.checked 12 Oct 2026
- ELSTER submission
- Tax returns are transmitted digitally to the Finanzamt through the official ELSTER interface, with a live processing status.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Guided filing
- It guides users through the return with questions and personalized tax tips, and says no tax knowledge is needed.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Investment income
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
- Mobile access
- web_and_mobilechecked 22 Sep 2026
- Privacy and security
- The service says tax data is AES-256 encrypted, GDPR-compliant, stored in its own German data centers, and used only for the tax return, not advertising or other CHECK24 products.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- CHECK24 Steuer is an online service for preparing and submitting income tax returns to the tax office.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Rental income
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
- Scope limits
- For tax year 2025, the program-scope page lists unsupported cases including VAT-liable income, some foreign-income situations, and inheritance-tax relief.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Self-employment support
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
- Supported users
- The service describes itself as suitable for employees, students, apprentices, pensioners, investors, landlords, and self-employed people.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Tax data retrieval
- The service can retrieve tax data directly from the Finanzamt and transfer it automatically.checked 12 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- App availability
- The CHECK24 app is available for iPhone and iPad, and its listing includes free tax returns with CHECK24 Steuer.checked 12 Oct 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
The company
- Headquarters
- Dortmund, Germanychecked 28 Sep 2026
- Provider and headquarters
- CHECK24 Steuer is offered by Verbraucherportal Deutschland GmbH, whose listed registered office is Dortmund.checked 12 Oct 2026
Alternatives to CHECK24 Steuer
- 1
WISO Steuer
Free planAndroidiOSWebLinux9.0From €35.99 a year - 2
TurboTax Canada
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI9.0C$27 one-time - 3
EZTax
Free planAndroidiOSWebWindows8.9Free plan - 4
TaxDown
Free planAndroidiOSWeb8.8From €35 a year - 5
Taxfix
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI8.7Free plan - 6
Quicko
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI8.7From ₹4,999 a year