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Author: CUCO Team14. Juni 2026

What Can a Tax Assistance Association Do? Our All-Round Carefree Service

Every year, many employees, pensioners, and civil servants face the same challenge: their income tax return. What costs can I deduct? What deadlines do I have to meet? And is it even worth the effort? As a tax assistance association (Lohnsteuerhilfeverein), we take this burden off your shoulders. But what exactly does a tax assistance association like CUCO do?

In this article, we will show you how we support you within the scope of our statutory advisory authority and how our all-round carefree service works.

Core Services: The All-Round Carefree Package

As a member of CUCO Lohnsteuerhilfeverein e.V., you benefit from a comprehensive service that goes far beyond simply filling out forms:

  1. Preparation of your Income Tax Return: We check your receipts, determine all deductible income-related expenses, special expenses, and extraordinary burdens, and prepare your tax return professionally and legally. We then submit the data electronically to your responsible tax office via the official ELSTER interface.
  2. Year-Round Individual Advice: The tax world is constantly evolving. That is why we advise you all year round on all payroll and income tax matters. Whether it's a change of tax class after marriage, questions about allowances, child benefits, or the optimal deduction of home office lump sums – we are here for you.
  3. Review of the Tax Assessment: As soon as the tax office issues your tax assessment, it is usually sent directly to us (provided you have authorized us). We check the assessment in detail and compare the tax office's determinations with our calculations.
  4. Legal Protection & Objection Procedures: If the tax office deviates from our declaration without justification or makes mistakes, we lodge an objection on your behalf. If necessary, we even represent you before the fiscal court as part of your membership – without any additional fee for our services (excluding any court costs that may arise).
  5. Applications and Subsidies: We support you in applying for wage tax reductions, child benefits, housing premiums, or other tax benefits.

Learn more about how we work on our detailed services page.

Tax Advantages in Everyday Life: What We Optimize for You

Our goal is to get the best out of your tax refund. In doing so, we consider your individual life situation:

  • Work & Commuting: Whether commuting allowance, work equipment, home office, or job-related relocation – we make sure that all job-related expenses are claimed as income-related expenses (Werbungskosten).
  • Family & Life: Childcare costs, school fees, maintenance payments, extraordinary burdens due to care or disability – we know the relief you are legally entitled to.
  • Pension & Provision: The taxation of pensions is becoming increasingly complex. We calculate your taxable pension shares and optimize your retirement provision expenses.
  • Capital & Assets: Within the scope of our advisory authority, we also advise you, for example, on the subject of withholding tax (Abgeltungsteuer) on investment income.

Statutory Limits: Who Can Use Our Help?

As a tax assistance association, we are permitted to act within the scope of the statutory advisory authority according to § 4 No. 11 German Tax Advisory Act (StBerG). This means:

  • We advise: employees, civil servants, pensioners, trainees, and students.
  • Income from renting or capital assets: We can advise you here as long as your total income from these sources does not exceed €18,000 (for singles) or €36,000 (for joint assessment).
  • No advice: By law, we are unfortunately not allowed to advise on self-employed, commercial, or agricultural and forestry income (e.g., freelancers, tradespeople) and we do not prepare VAT returns.

You can find more details on our membership information page.

The CUCO Principle: Digital, Personal, and Fair

We believe that tax advice should be uncomplicated. That's why we combine the best of both worlds:

  • Digital & Efficient: Use our online portal for easy document upload and digital signature. A video consultation saves you valuable time.
  • Personalized on site: If you prefer a personal consultation, you are welcome to visit us at our advice center in Darmstadt.
  • Fair Contributions: Instead of expensive hourly rates, you pay a socially graded annual membership fee based on your income. This covers all services all year round.

Are you ready for a relaxed tax return? Become a member today or contact us!