Frequently Asked Questions

Basically, our association is open to employees, civil servants, and pensioners. Since we are subject to legal restrictions as an income tax assistance association (§ 4 No. 11 StBerG), we are not allowed to advise if you:

• have income from commercial operations (are self-employed),
• have income from agriculture and forestry,
• carry out sales subject to VAT.

Yes, but only under certain conditions. We can advise you if, in addition to your wages/salary/pension, you also have income from

• renting and leasing,
• capital assets or
• private sales transactions (e.g. speculative gains)

and this income does not exceed a total of €18,000 (for singles) or €36,000 (for married couples/joint assessment).

We do not work with hourly fees, but on the principle of the solidarity community. You pay an annual membership fee. This fee is socially staggered and is based on the amount of your total gross annual income.

In addition, there is a one-off admission fee when you join.

An overview of the income levels and fees can be found in our Fee Schedule (PDF).

No. All services are covered by the annual fee. No matter how often you call us, whether we have to file an appeal or how complicated your tax return is within the scope of our authority to advise - there are no hidden costs.

Yes, the membership fee can be claimed partially as tax consulting costs in your tax return (as income-related expenses).

We offer an all-round carefree service:

• Preparation of your income tax return
• Calculation of the expected refund (or additional payment)
• Electronic transmission of the data to the tax office (ELSTER)
• Checking the tax assessment: We look closely to see whether the tax office has recognized everything
• Legal remedy: If the assessment is incorrect, we will file an appeal for you
• Year-round advice on tax issues (e.g. choice of tax class, child benefit)

For the initial consultation we usually need:

• Your tax identification number
• The last tax assessment (if available)
• Income tax certificates, pension notices
• Receipts for expenses (income-related expenses, craftsmen's services, donations, etc.)

You can receive a checklist with the usual documents from your advice center upon request.

On the contrary! As a member of the CUCO Lohnsteuerhilfeverein, you benefit from extended filing deadlines. While private individuals who do their own taxes often have until the end of July (or August, depending on the current tax year) to submit them, our members generally have until February of the year after next (subject to current statutory deadlines). This relieves you of the time pressure.

Membership generally runs for one calendar year and is automatically renewed unless cancelled within the notice period. The solidarity principle allows us to keep contributions stable.

You can cancel your membership in text form (e.g. by letter or e-mail) to the Board of Directors of the association.

The cancellation must be received by the association no later than September 30 of the current year in order to leave on December 31 of the same year. The decisive factor is the date of receipt of the notice of cancellation by the association.

Special case: If you joined the association after September 30, you can still cancel by December 31 in the year you joined.

Extraordinary cancellation: If a change in the fee schedule leads to an average fee increase of more than 20 %, you have the right to extraordinary termination at the end of the calendar year. The cancellation must contain a reference to the fee increase and must be received by the board within one month of the announcement of the increase.

For details, please refer to our Articles of Association (§ 7 Termination of Membership).