New ELSTER app with scan function for receipts

The tax authorities are providing taxpayers with a new tool for recording, collecting and sorting receipts in preparation for their tax return.

The tax authorities have developed a new app called MeinELSTER+, which will be available for iOS and Android from the end of February. The app is primarily intended to simplify the collection of receipts for tax returns and therefore allows invoices to be photographed upon receipt. The receipts can then be sorted into categories so that only the relevant receipts are displayed when preparing the tax return. Text recognition should also extract relevant values directly from the receipt.

The app can be linked to an existing ELSTER user account via a QR code. This means that receipts can also be managed via the ELSTER online portal. Data protection is guaranteed, as the tax office cannot access the filed receipts. However, if receipts are requested to check the tax return, they can simply be transmitted digitally. Further improvements to the app are already planned.