AmtsDeutschland
0%
Skip to main content
Authorities Most popular Guides
FAQ Contact
Find an official procedure

Renew ELSTER certificate

Mein ELSTER · Valid for three years

OnlineOnly before expiry

The certificate file is valid for three years. That sounds like a lot of time, and that is exactly what makes it dangerous: three years is long enough that you forget the expiry date, give up the email address you registered with, or change the computer the file is stored on.

The key rule in one sentence: you can only renew while the certificate is still valid. Once it has expired, you can no longer log in to your account – and without a login there is no renewal either. All that is left then is access renewal, in which new activation data is sent by email and by letter. That is not a disaster, but it takes days, and it tends to happen exactly when a deadline is pressing.

Expiry has no tax consequences – no regulatory fine, no loss of data, and your user account remains intact. The only thing that is lost is time, and that happens at the very moment you have the least of it.

Last updated27 August 2026
Legal basis§ 87a AO · § 87d · § 150 Abs. 6
VerificationChecked against elster.de
Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta
Independent information page: 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 terms; binding information always comes from the competent body. Renewal takes place exclusively via Mein ELSTER. All information without guarantee. We are neither lawyers nor tax consultants: we document administrative procedures and check the information against the official source — this is information, not legal or tax advice.
ValidityThree yearsFrom issue
ExtensionOnly before expiryImpossible afterwards
CostsFree of chargeBoth routes
After expiryAccess renewalAgain by post
Required documents

What you need

A certificate file that is still valid

The most important point. Renewal requires a successful login – without a valid file there is no login, and therefore no renewal. If in doubt, check now when yours expires, rather than finding out at the next filing deadline.

The password to the file

The file and the password belong together; either one on its own is useless. There is no reset as with an ordinary web service, because the private key sits within the file itself.

Access to the registered email address

ELSTER sends a reminder by email before expiry – but only to the address registered in the account. Anyone who has changed it since registration never sees the warning. Update the address in the account as soon as it changes, not only once something goes wrong.

Only for access renewal: current registered address

If the certificate has already expired, the activation code is again sent by letter to the registered address. An outdated address then costs you a further week.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    Check now when it expires

    The expiry date is shown in Mein ELSTER under the user account information. The best time to look is when nothing is due – not the evening before filing. Note the date in your own calendar, with a reminder a few weeks beforehand.

  2. 2

    Keep the email address in your account current

    The expiry reminders go exclusively to the registered address. An old work or provider email address is the most common reason the warning never arrives. This can be changed in two minutes and prevents the main problem on this page.

  3. 3

    Log in and renew in good time

    Log in to Mein ELSTER while the certificate is still valid. During the login, ELSTER guides you through the renewal; afterwards you download a new certificate file. Do not wait until the last day – if something goes wrong on that day, the route is closed.

  4. 4

    Back up the new file and replace the old one

    The new file is again valid for three years. Make a backup copy outside the computer straight away, and replace the old file everywhere it is stored – including in any tax software that logs in via the same interface.

  5. 5

    If already expired: start access renewal

    If login is no longer possible, the route is via access renewal. ELSTER sends new activation data by email and by letter; once you have entered both, you receive a new certificate. Your user account and the data stored in it are retained – it is not a new registration from scratch.

  6. 6

    For the future: consider the login option

    Anyone who wants to get rid of the expiry problem altogether can switch to ElsterSecure or to logging in with the identity card (Personalausweis). The login option can only be changed from within the logged-in account – so again only while the current access still works.

Fee information

Costs and payment

Free — but not without consequencesWhat expiry really costs is time
ExtensionFree of charge
Access renewalFree of charge
ValidityThree years
New file after renewalThree years again
Can be renewed after expiryNo
Regulatory fine on expiryNone

Both routes cost nothing: neither the renewal nor the access renewal after an expiry. For tax purposes too, an expired certificate has no immediate consequence – there is no regulatory fine, your user account remains intact and the data stored in it is not lost. The price is exclusively time: after expiry, login is no longer possible, and the new activation data arrives partly by letter. It only becomes costly indirectly, namely if a filing deadline is missed as a result. Delayed access does not extend a statutory deadline, and a late-filing penalty (Verspätungszuschlag, § 152 AO) is in many cases not a matter of discretion but mandatory. That is exactly why it is worth checking your account now rather than in July: check the expiry date, update the registered email address and set your own reminder.

Good to know

Important notes

Renewal is only possible before expiry. Renewal requires a login, and the login requires a valid certificate. Once it has expired, this route is closed.

The reminder goes to the registered email address. If this address is no longer read, no warning arrives. Updating it in the account takes two minutes and solves the main problem.

Expiry costs no money and no data. Neither a regulatory fine nor the loss of the user account. What is lost is time – and that can become costly indirectly if a filing deadline depends on it.

Access renewal is not a fresh registration. Your account and the data stored in it are retained; you simply receive new activation data by email and post.

The new file must be replaced everywhere. Including in any tax software that transmits via the same interface. Otherwise transmission fails at exactly the moment you need it.

Anyone who wants to get rid of the expiry problem altogether switches the login option. ElsterSecure or the identity card login replace the expiring file. The switch is only possible from within a working account.

Keep the backup copy separate from the password. The file and the password together are the access. Keeping both in the same place cancels out the protection; losing both ends it.

Check the date outside the filing season. The worst time to discover an expired certificate is the evening before the filing deadline.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Waiting until after expiry. The most costly mistake, because it irrevocably closes the simple route. Up to the last valid day, renewal is a matter of minutes.

Leaving an old email address in the account. Then the expiry warning never arrives, and the expiry only comes to light when the login fails.

Keeping the file in only one place. A hard drive failure, a reinstallation or a change of device destroys access, even though the certificate would still be valid.

Storing the password and the file together. Anyone who saves both in the same folder makes the password protection pointless – and loses both anyway in the event of data loss.

Continuing to use the old file after renewal. Especially in tax software, where the path was once stored. Transmission then fails for no apparent reason.

Trying to cure the expiry with an extension of the time limit. A technical access problem does not extend a statutory filing deadline. Under § 109 AO, an extension is a decision of the Finanzamt (tax office), not something that happens automatically.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

How long is the ELSTER certificate valid for?

Three years from issue. You can find the expiry date in Mein ELSTER under the user account information. ELSTER also sends a reminder by email before expiry – but only to the address registered in the account, which is the most common reason the warning does not reach anyone.

What happens if the certificate has expired?

Then login to Mein ELSTER is no longer possible, and because renewal requires a login, this route is closed for good. What remains is access renewal: ELSTER sends new activation data by email and by letter, and once you have entered both, you receive a new certificate. Your user account and the data stored in it are retained – it is not a new registration from scratch, but it again takes several days.

Can I renew early?

Yes, and it is even advisable. There is no downside to completing the renewal a few weeks before expiry – the new file is again valid for three years. Do not wait until the last day: if something goes wrong at exactly that point, the simple route disappears.

Does the renewal cost anything?

No. Neither the renewal nor the access renewal after an expiry involves any fees. For tax purposes, too, an expired certificate initially remains without consequence: no regulatory fine, no loss of data. It only becomes costly indirectly, if a filing deadline is missed because of the lack of access – because a technical problem does not extend a statutory deadline.

Does expiry extend my filing deadline?

No. The filing deadlines under § 149 AO run regardless of whether you can access your account. An extension under § 109 AO is a decision of the Finanzamt and is not granted automatically; an access problem you caused yourself is not a strong argument here. Allow time for access renewal instead of hoping for leniency.

I have forgotten the password — what now?

There is no reset as with an ordinary web service, because the private key sits within the file itself and is protected only by your password. Without the password, the file is unusable, even if it would technically still be valid. The route then leads via access renewal with new activation data.

How do I get rid of the expiry problem permanently?

By switching the login option. ElsterSecure stores the key in the secure area of your device and is released by fingerprint, Face ID or device PIN; the login with the identity card (Personalausweis) uses the eID function of your identity document. Both replace the expiring file. Important: the switch is only possible from within the logged-in account – so again only while your current access still works.

Do I need to enter the new file anywhere?

Everywhere the old one was stored. This mainly concerns commercial tax software that saves the file path once and logs in via the same interface. If the old file is not replaced there, transmission fails for no apparent reason – usually on the day of filing.

Related official procedures

Register an ELSTER account
The five login options
Free of charge
Deadline extension
What § 109 AO really says
Free of charge
File a tax return
Deadlines for 2026 and 2027
Free of charge

Cannot find the official procedure you are looking for?

Tell us what information you need.

Send a request