I was about to fill out the paperwork as in my case B Bewilligung - Quellesteuer but over 120’000 in Zurich canton but to my surprise, I am not able to do so even though it’s obligatory.
To be precise, I tried to log in the system ZHprivateTax and open the “case” for 2023 and to my surprise I cannot do it without a “passcode” (I know my AHV of course).
I reached my commune and I got some strange response that I need to wait for them out until they mail me declaration to fill it out. This process is as they said on their own, longer and longer over the recent years - “google translated” response from German:
If your gross salary is over 120,000, you must fill out a tax return. As a rule, the cantonal tax office tells us if we should send someone a tax return to fill out. However, it takes longer and longer for us to receive this information. In order to check this more quickly, please send us your wage statements for 2022 and 2023 by email.
Is it really true that without “allowing me” by the taxmen from my commune, I cannot file the MANDATORY declaration.
I am really afraid I won’t manage to do so until the 31 March which is bizarre to me as coming from the country where the only thing you need (if you work for single employer is “to accept” lohnausweis from your employer and pay / collect the difference from “quellesteuer”).
Any suggestions or advice? Do I need to hire some “tax advisors” ?
Who told you that you have to do it? Is this the first year where you are above 120? Maybe you are not yet registered correctly with your tax office. And it only becomes MANDATORY when they ask you to file it.
The code for doing the online filing is normally on the tax forms you get sent by the tax office together with your PID number.
In many places in the internet I found it needs to be filled out over > 120’000 CHF even with B Bewilligung. The taxman from commune confirmed that I need to file steuererklarung
Original reply from taxman in DE (via e-mail):
Wenn Ihr Bruttolohn über 120’000 ist, dann müssen Sie eine Steuererklärung ausfüllen. In der Regel teilt uns das Kantonale Steueramt mit, wenn wir jemanden eine Steuererklärung zum Ausfüllen schicken sollen. Allerdings braucht dies immer länger bis wir diese Informationen erhalten. Um dies schneller prüfen zu können, schicken Sie uns bitte Ihre Lohnausweise 2022 und 2023 per Mail.
Is this the first year where you are above 120?
Yes, the first one.
Maybe you are not yet registered correctly with your tax office
It could be so. In 2023 I lived only in my current commune but in 2022, I had 2 employers (2 lohnausweise), 4 addresses (in all registered) in 2 cantons (BE and ZH).
Honestly, for me it’s very strange that this process to file or not to file a declaration would be completely based on opinion (which can be true nonetheless) of the taxman of my commune and not crystal clear regulation.
In my origin country, even if you get incorrect information directly from the tax office (or they change their mind), it’s your problem not their. That’s why it boggles my mind how it looks like to me.
Don’t worry. It seems that you have informed them, they understood, but have not yet send you the necessary access. I suggest you prepare your documents and then are good to go when you get the documents.
Send them your wage statements as they asked and they will send you the codes. Then immediately ask for extension to file until Sept 30th (most people do).
Unless you have a very complex situation you can fill out your tax declaration on your own - it’s pretty straightforward and can use Deepl as needed.
It’s one of those "just go with the flow and all will work out " things.
Basically, they send you a letter or email that contains what you need to access the online tax form.
I delay my tax return every year until September, now the tax office is so used to this that they automatically delay my due date to September every year.
I would leave it all alone. You are likely to spend days filling in a tax form for the first time and are most likely to asked to pay more tax than on Quellensteuer…
Days? If you are reasonably prepared, this should take about an hour. And it is not like you have a choice.
Whether ordinary taxation results in more or less tax largely depends on municipality. I have always found the Quellensteuer tables quite accurate assuming most of your income is normal salary.
I don’t know what an extensive investor is, but I own three proporties in three different countries. In any event, if the tax office asks the OP to file an ordinary tax return, they will have to do so. So your advise really is moot.
Whether ordinary taxation results in more or less tax largely depends on municipality
Yes, that’s what I am worried too. I kept changing 4 times cantons and communes in 2022, too. We shall see. Any other documents than lohnausweis, health insurance may be required? I hope not thr monthly statements because I have not all of them foe 2022. The company still exists and for sure have them but it wouldn’t be the quickest thing to get them
You should have received an annual salary statement for 2023 in Jan or Feb this year. This is what you need for the tax filing.
For local tax, you can look up the “Steuerfuss” of your commune vs average of canton. This will roughly tell you what to expect. QSt is average of canton. For example, Zurich City is on the high side, so there an ordinary filing is likely to result in higher tax.
You should have received an annual salary statement for 2023 in Jan or Feb this year.
Ah, so this should be lohnausweis “annual salary statement”. I have them all for each company.
And you moved 4 times in one year?
Yes, 2 employers, 2 addresses in Bern city, one address in Zurich oerlikon, 1 in very suburbs in Zurich canton ( 16.12 )
I know it’s very unswiss but well I had even bigger oddities in my home country like 10 years living 400km from registration place, missing military assessment appointment notice ( not draft ) - they sent Police to forcefully to get me there but they only harassed the current tenants who were renting from my father and notified me about this ( I had no issues after all after I reached them out ). In there even tax men dont care where you live in country.
Very good. You will pay tax for the entire year in the canton where you were registered on 31 Dec. If you moved from BE to ZH, you can reasonably expect to get quite a bit of money back.
I think it would be a good idea to request them. It’s always best to have complete records. You never know which authority is going to ask for which document. Also, your statement of “the company still exists” sounds as if they might not exist at some point? Request documentation now, while it’s fresh in your mind and their system, and while they still exist.
You’ve send the commune an email and got reply, that’s good.
In Switzerland the law is applied in a bit strange way. If you’re taxed at source, you don’t have to worry, but indeed there are conditions which triggers full declaration. You’ll get a letter form the commune one day, with the code, and with a reasonable deadline. You won’t pay any fine nor interests as it wasn’t your fault. It could be 1 or 2 years from now. I received mine with 2 years delay.
What bothers me, thinking about it, this will be send by a letter without signature. What if the letter will get lost or miss-delivered by the post? (In my current place of living I’m the “shadow postman” as the post guys don’t bother reading foreign names except first and last letter so I’m frequently getting letters for 3 other neighbors, it just happens that my letter box is the closest to the entrance.)
In your shoes, First I would collect all the tax documents for 2023, as it’ll be a pain in the a* to do it in the future, second I would repeat the email to the commune every quarter
OK, I’ve just read a post above mine, since you were moving cantons, this will take at least 3 years in ZH. I changed canton holding C permit, but the definite tax assessment is deep in a rabbit hole at this moment. Asking around, everyone told me it’ll take 3 to 5 years for the year when I’ve moved in ZH.
?
If you are reasonably prepared, this should take about an hour. And it is not like you have a choice.
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