Once again I am busy with paperwork – will this ever end?
Yesterday, my accountant has finished the taxes my company has to pay for its employees – meaning: him and me. As I was only working part of the year, the end result turned out to be much, much less than I had anticipated, so we’re good. I will have to pay those taxes by January 20th.
And I myself am working on a private income tax return – for the year 2011 when I started working in Germany. Unfortunately, I have only recently unearthed the (physical) form for that, and I have time only until the end of the year to file it, so you can see that I’m busy.
Yesterday and today, I spent some time on the phone with a friend in Germany who has experience with filing taxes. And even so, when I told her what I’d need help with, her reaction was “O holy sh…” Together, we have since unearthed my tax number (or, rather the fact that I don’t have one yet) and we have found out that the expenses for my move from Asia to Germany – because that move was job related – are fully deductible! As well as doctor’s visits, payments for private pension and health insurance,… Of course there is a caveat: You must produce all the receipts – in the original…
I have no idea how much of that stuff I can still find, after all I threw away a lot of paper just before I moved. And besides, who on earth is keeping the receipt for “the dinner you paid your friends after they helped you move in”…? Well, it will be obvious as to what I’ll be doing in the weekend. At least, today’s advent calendar treat has proved the right preparation: “Buy chocolates”…