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Register an ELSTER user account

Mein ELSTER · access to the online Finanzamt (tax office)

OnlineActivation by post

Mein ELSTER is the free online portal of the tax administrations of the Federation and the federal states. Without a user account, nothing works there – and for many returns, electronic submission is not optional but required by law: the provisional VAT return, the wages tax return and the Grundsteuer change notification must be submitted with authentication.

Most guides online only know two routes into the account. In fact, ELSTER offers five login options, and the choice is not a minor one: it determines whether you will have to renew something again in three years, whether you can log in from several devices, and how well your access is protected against copying.

It is important to separate two steps that are constantly confused. First, the login option – what you will use to log in from now on. Second, identification – how ELSTER checks that you are who you say you are. There are two routes for identification: online with the identity card (Personalausweis), in which case the account can be used on the same day, or by post, in which case you wait for a letter. Almost every login option can be combined with either identification route.

Last updated27 August 2026
Legal basis§ 87a AO · § 87b · § 87d · § 150 Abs. 6
VerificationChecked against elster.de and gesetze-im-internet.de
Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta
Independent information website: we are not ELSTER or the tax administration, not an authority and not a paid advice service — we do not submit applications on your behalf. All information comes from official sources and is explained here in plain language; binding information always comes from the competent body. Mein ELSTER is a service of the tax administrations of the Federation and the federal states. All information is provided without guarantee. We are neither lawyers nor tax consultants: we document official procedures and check the information against the official source — this is information, not legal or tax advice.
CostsFree of chargeAlso permanent
With online IDOn the same dayNo waiting time
By postSeveral daysWait for a letter
Login optionsFiveNot just two
Required documents

What you need

Tax identification number (Steuer-ID, IdNr.)

The eleven-digit Steuer-ID (tax identification number), which every person registered in Germany keeps permanently. It appears on every tax notice, on the employment tax statement (Lohnsteuerbescheinigung) and in the notification letter (Zuteilungsschreiben) from the Federal Central Tax Office. Do not confuse it with the tax number (Steuernummer) issued by the Finanzamt, which can change when you move – for registration as a private individual you need the Steuer-ID.

Identity card with the online identity function activated

Only for the fast route. What you need are the activated eID function, the six-digit PIN and an NFC-capable smartphone or a card reader. The five-digit transport PIN from the authority's letter is not enough – it must first have been converted into your own six-digit PIN.

AusweisApp on the device

For identification with the identity card. It is installed on the device you use to register; an NFC-capable phone can serve as a card reader for a PC or a Mac.

An email address you check

All communication runs through it: the activation ID, reminders about expiring access data and – particularly important since 2026 – the notification that a tax notice is ready for retrieval. Use an address you keep permanently and read regularly.

A current registered address

By post, the activation code is sent to the address held in the population register (Melderegister). Anyone who has just moved and not yet completed the Ummeldung (change of address) waits for a letter to the old address – a common and unnecessary loss of a week.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    Choose a login option – a decision with consequences

    ELSTER offers five: the certificate file (a password-protected .pfx file on your computer), ElsterSecure (an app that stores the key in the device's secure area and releases it by fingerprint, Face ID or device PIN), the identity card as a direct login, the security stick and the signature card. ELSTER itself points out that a certificate file can be copied without anyone noticing – ElsterSecure, by contrast, ties access to the device.

  2. 2

    Choose an identification route

    With the online ID, the account can be used on the same day. By post, you receive the activation ID by email and the activation code by letter; the account is only activated once you have both together. This separation is deliberate – two channels, so that an intercepted letter alone is of no use.

  3. 3

    Fill in the registration form

    As a private individual, you register with the Steuer-ID, not with the tax number. Your name and date of birth must match your registration data exactly – discrepancies in umlauts, compound surnames (Doppelname) or name additions lead to the process being aborted, because the matching is done automatically.

  4. 4

    Activate

    By post, you enter the activation ID and the activation code and then download your certificate file, or set up ElsterSecure. For the certificate file, you set a password that protects the private key within the file.

  5. 5

    Back up your access file – before you need it

    For the certificate file, the rule is: the file and the password together are your access. Make a backup copy outside your computer. If the file is lost, or the password forgotten, no reset will help – what follows is a renewal of access with a fresh letter by post.

  6. 6

    Remember when your access expires

    The certificate file is valid for three years. ELSTER sends a reminder beforehand by email, but only to the address on file. Note the date yourself as well – anyone who misses the renewal has to renew access completely, again with a wait for a letter.

Fee information

Costs and payment

Costs and waiting timesThe waiting time depends on the identification route
RegistrationFree of charge
Use of Mein ELSTERFree of charge
With online IDOn the same day
By postSeveral days
Validity of the certificate fileThree years
Login optionsFive

Mein ELSTER is entirely free of charge – registration, use, filing returns and retrieving notices. There is no premium tier and no fee that becomes due later. Commercial tax software is an alternative, not a requirement; in the end it also submits via the same interface. What costs time is not the money, but the identification route: with the online ID, the account can be used on the same day; by post, you wait for a letter with the activation code. Anyone with a deadline ahead should factor that in and not start in the week before the filing date. One note on validity: the certificate file expires after three years. Renewing it is straightforward, as long as it is still valid – after that, the postal route starts again from scratch. This deadline is the most common reason why someone cannot get into their own account shortly before a filing date.

Good to know

Important notes

There are five login options, not two. The certificate file, ElsterSecure, the identity card, the security stick and the signature card. Anyone who only knows the certificate file usually chooses it out of unfamiliarity, not because it is the best fit.

ElsterSecure is the more secure route. ELSTER itself points out that a certificate file can be copied without anyone noticing. ElsterSecure stores the key in the device's secure area and releases it by fingerprint, Face ID or device PIN.

The login option and identification are two separate things. The login option is what you use to log in from now on; identification is the one-off check of your identity. Almost every option can be combined with the online ID or with the postal route.

As a private individual, the Steuer-ID is what counts. Not the tax number. The Steuer-ID is eleven digits and valid for life; the tax number belongs to the Finanzamt and can change when you move.

The certificate file expires after three years. It can only be renewed while it is still valid. After that comes a renewal of access with another letter by post – at the worst possible moment, namely shortly before a deadline.

The file plus the password are your access. There is no reset as with a web service. A backup copy outside your computer is therefore not a luxury.

For some returns, ELSTER is mandatory, not a convenience. The provisional VAT return, the wages tax return and the Grundsteuer change notification must be submitted electronically with authentication.

One account per person. Married couples who are assessed jointly do not need a joint account: the return is filed via one account. For separate matters – for example, your own status as a business owner – your own account nonetheless makes sense.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Registering only shortly before the deadline. The classic mistake. Without the online ID, several days pass before activation, because a letter is on its way. The filing deadline is not extended because of this.

Entering the tax number instead of the Steuer-ID. Leads immediately to the process being aborted. The Steuer-ID is eleven digits and appears on every tax notice and every employment tax statement.

Trying to use the transport PIN for your identity card. The five-digit PIN from the authority's letter is only meant for conversion. For the online ID you need the six-digit PIN you set yourself.

Keeping the certificate file on only one computer. If the hard drive fails, you reinstall, or you change devices, access is gone, and the postal route starts again from scratch.

Missing the expiry warning. The reminder goes to the email address on file. Anyone who no longer reads it only finds out about the expiry when the login fails.

Registering after a move without having completed the Ummeldung. The activation code goes to the registered address. If it is out of date, you wait for a letter that arrives somewhere else.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

What does an ELSTER account cost?

Nothing. Registration, use, filing returns and retrieving notices are permanently free of charge, because Mein ELSTER is a service of the tax administrations of the Federation and the federal states. There is no paid tier. Commercial tax software is an alternative, not a requirement – it also submits via the same interface in the end.

How long does registration take?

That depends solely on the identification route. With the online ID, the account can be used on the same day. By post, the activation ID arrives by email and the activation code by letter; activation only happens once you have both together, and you should allow several days for postal transit. Anyone with a filing deadline ahead should not start this in the last week – the deadline is not extended because of it.

What login options are there?

Five: the certificate file (a password-protected .pfx file on your computer), ElsterSecure (an app with a device-bound key, released by fingerprint, Face ID or device PIN), the identity card as a direct login using AusweisApp and NFC, the security stick and the signature card. Most guides know only the certificate file, even though ELSTER itself points out that a file can be copied without anyone noticing.

Do I need the tax number or the Steuer-ID?

As a private individual, the Steuer-ID. It is eleven digits, valid for life, and appears on every tax notice, on the employment tax statement and in the notification letter from the Federal Central Tax Office. The tax number, by contrast, belongs to the competent Finanzamt and can change when you move – it is asked for later on individual forms, not at registration.

How long is access valid?

The certificate file is valid for three years. ELSTER sends a reminder beforehand by email to the address on file. What matters is this: you can only renew it while the file is still valid. If it has expired, you can no longer get into your account and need a renewal of access, with another letter by post. For that reason, note the expiry date in your own calendar as well.

What happens if I lose my certificate file?

Then there is no reset as with an ordinary web service. The file and the password together are your access; if either is missing, only a renewal of access is left, with new activation data sent to you by email and post. For that reason, make a backup copy outside your computer from the start – and keep the password separately from it.

Must I use ELSTER, or can I also do it on paper?

That depends on the return. Private individuals may still file the income tax return on paper. For the provisional VAT return, the wages tax return and the Grundsteuer change notification, however, authenticated electronic submission is required by law. Anyone who runs a business or owns property can, in practice, hardly avoid having an account.

Can married couples use a joint account?

For a joint income tax return, one account is enough – the return is submitted from there. A separate account for each spouse is nonetheless often sensible: it becomes necessary as soon as one of you has your own business matters, and it saves problems if your circumstances change. What matters is only that each account is registered against the correct Steuer-ID.

Related official procedures

Renew the certificate
Before the three years expire
Free of charge
File a tax return
The most common reason for an account
Free of charge
Retrieve the tax notice
Digital as standard since 2026
Free of charge

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