Tax software in Germany in English: what works

You can prepare a lot of your German taxes in English, but not everything. The ELSTER website can be switched to English; the tax forms inside it stay German. The tax office works in German. Tax software with an English interface exists; whether one fits you, you can check with five questions below. This page shows what works in English, what stays German and what online sellers run into.

Last updated: October 27, 2026

In brief

ELSTER in English: The website has a German/English switch. The English texts are machine-translated (DeepL); tax forms and filling aids are currently excluded from the translation.
Advance VAT return (Umsatzsteuer-Voranmeldung): The form is free in Mein ELSTER. You can also use other tax software that supports ELSTER.
The tax office writes in German: The official language is German (§ 87 (1) AO). Documents in a foreign language can lead to a request for a translation.
OSS return: It goes through the BZStOnline portal; you need a certificate to log in.
VAT GPT has a German and an English interface (see below, with references).

Is ELSTER available in English?

Partly. On elster.de there is a language switch at the top ("de Deutsch / en"); the English home page is titled "I do my taxes online!". ELSTER names two limits on its own English pages:

The texts are machine-translated with DeepL, and the translation "may not be accurate or reliable".
"Tax forms and filling aids are currently excluded from translation." So the form where you enter your figures stays German.

Mein ELSTER is free of charge. For sending data you register once; you receive a certificate with which you transmit tax data electronically without a signature. How it works: ELSTER certificate: registration step by step and ELSTER registration for businesses.

Which tax tasks does a seller meet?

If you sell in Germany and are not a small business owner, you will usually meet these tasks. The table gives deadlines from the law; whether and how they apply to you depends on your case.

Task	What it involves	Where
Advance VAT return (Umsatzsteuer-Voranmeldung)	Filing by the tenth day after the end of the return period (§ 18 (1) UStG); on application one month later (permanent extension, Dauerfristverlängerung, § 46 UStDV; monthly filers pay a special prepayment, § 47 UStDV). The period is generally the quarter; the month if the previous year's tax was more than 9,000 euros (§ 18 (2) UStG). If you are just starting, for 2021 to 2026 the expected tax of the current year decides (§ 18 (2) sentence 6 UStG).	Mein ELSTER or software with an ELSTER connection
OSS return (distance sales to private customers in other EU countries)	Tax return within one month after the end of each calendar quarter (§ 18j (4), § 16 (1d) UStG)	BZStOnline portal; login with a certificate
Tax number for a new business	Since January 1, 2021 applied for electronically with the tax registration questionnaire (Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung)	ELSTER

More: ELSTER VAT return: a step-by-step guide, OSS return in Germany, German tax number vs VAT ID for Amazon sellers and German VAT registration for Amazon sellers.

What stays in German?

The forms in ELSTER. See above: tax forms are currently excluded from the translation.
Letters and notices. "The official language is German" (§ 87 (1) AO). If you file applications or documents with a tax authority in a foreign language, it can require that you submit a translation without delay (§ 87 (2) AO). If your application is meant to start a period within which the tax office must act, that period only begins once the translation is there (§ 87 (3) AO). If you yourself must meet a deadline, your application counts as filed on the day it arrived, provided you submit the requested translation within the period the tax office sets you (§ 87 (4) AO).
Instructions at authorities. The BZSt has English pages, for example on ELSTER. They state that the further instructions at registration are available in German only. Check on each authority's site which page exists in English.

The practical route: prepare everything in an interface you understand, and check the figures yourself before anything is sent.

How do you spot tax software that works in English?

ELSTER keeps a list of commercial software products that support ELSTER on elster.de. Whether a product works in English is not in that list; it is on the maker's own page. Five questions help you check:

Interface: Is there a language switch, and does it cover every page you need (income, expenses, taxes), not just the start page?
Form names: Does the software give the official German names ("Umsatzsteuer-Voranmeldung") next to the English explanation? Then you will recognise them in letters and in ELSTER.
Your tasks: Does it cover the taxes you have: VAT, OSS, income tax?
Sending: Does it send to ELSTER or the BZSt itself, or only produce a file that you upload there?
Help and support: In which language are the help pages and support?

How ELSTER and software differ: ELSTER alternative: software that supports ELSTER. An overview for advance VAT returns: VAT return software in Germany compared.

How VAT GPT helps

VAT GPT is the tax software for Amazon and eBay sellers in Germany: your OSS return first, then VAT, EÜR, trade tax and income tax, calculated and filed in one place.

On language:

Language switch: The header shows "DE" and "EN". You can also choose the language in the settings. If you have not chosen a language yet and open a page under "/en/", you see English first.
English screens: The menus (Taxes, Income & OSS, Expenses, Income Tax), the tax summary, the income and expense pages, the questionnaire for your tax number, the bank connection and the subscription page are available in English.
Official names alongside: The English texts give the German form names as well, for example Umsatzsteuer-Voranmeldung and Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung, so you can match them with letters and ELSTER.

How it works:

You upload your Amazon and eBay reports under "Income & OSS" (in the German interface "Einnahmen & OSS").
VAT GPT sorts each sales row by tax scheme and country and calculates the advance return and OSS.
You check and confirm; with VAT GPT Pro you send the advance return and the OSS return onward.

Which plans does VAT GPT have?

There is Free, Go (30 days free with all Pro features) and Pro. Try for free now

Frequently asked questions

Can I use ELSTER in English? The website yes, with machine translation. The tax forms stay German.

Can I file the advance VAT return in English? You can prepare it in software with an English interface. It is transmitted in the officially prescribed data set (§ 18 (1) UStG).

Is the BZStOnline portal for the OSS return available in English? We have not checked that. The BZSt's information pages are partly available in English. The portal requires a certificate to log in.

Do I need German when the tax office writes to me? The official language is German (§ 87 AO). How to proceed when a letter is unclear is something advice can clear up.

Does software replace advice? No. The content does not replace individual advice.