Tax tips for employees

1. Pay advertising expenses before 31.12.2023

Income-related expenses must be paid by 31.12.2023 so that they can still be deducted from tax in 2023. Think in particular of training costs (seminars, courses, training, etc., including all associated ancillary costs such as travel expenses and additional meals), family trips home, costs for a double household management, telephone expenses, specialist literature, professionally induced membership fees, etc. Advance payments made in 2023 for such costs can also still be deducted in 2023. Training costs, if they are related to the professional or a related activity, and retraining costs can also be claimed as income-related expenses.

TIP: Expenses for work equipment can be deducted as income-related expenses, whereby the limit for low-value assets must be observed. If you purchase a computer privately that you need for work purposes, it can be written off immediately in 2023 - provided the acquisition costs do not exceed € 1,000. Please bear in mind that the tax authorities assume that this computer can also be used privately and that a private share of 40% must be deducted without proof.

  

2. Apply for 2018 employee assessment and repayment of wrongly withheld wage tax for 2018

Anyone wishing to claim tax benefits, such as

• Tax refund for fluctuating salaries (annual equalization effect);
• Claiming income-related expenses, commuter allowance and commuter euro, special expenses, extraordinary expenses
• Losses from other income, e.g. rental income;
• Claiming the sole earner or single parent deduction or the multiple child supplement;
• Assertion of the maintenance deduction;
• Crediting of negative taxes

If you want to apply for an employee tax assessment, you have 5 years to do so.

Note: The deadline for applying for the 2018 employee assessment therefore ends on 31.12.2023.

If an employer wrongly withheld income tax from an employee's salary in 2018, the employee can submit an application for repayment to the tax office by 31.12.2023 at the latest.

   

Source: ÖGSW