Month 1
Time
5 min · arrives 1 to 3 weeks after Anmeldung
Cost
Free
Difficulty
Easy
What to bring
A completed Anmeldung
A reliable mailbox with your name on it
Not needed: A separate application, it generates automatically after registration
Your options
Automatic by post
Generated from your Anmeldung
Free
Once you register, the Finanzamt posts your Steuer-ID within 1 to 3 weeks. Watch for an official letter that looks like junk mail.
Request at the Finanzamt
If the letter is lost or slow
Free
You can ask your local Finanzamt to re-issue or tell you the number in person if it hasn't arrived after a few weeks.
BZSt online form
Re-request by post
Free
The Federal Central Tax Office can resend your existing ID to your registered address via an online form.
Prices checked June 2026
Do it
- 1
Finish the Anmeldung
The Steuer-ID is triggered by your address registration, there's nothing else to apply for.
- 2
Watch the post
A plain letter from the Finanzamt arrives within 1 to 3 weeks. Make sure your name is on the mailbox or it gets returned.
- 3
Give it to your employer
Hand the number to HR immediately so you're taxed in the right class rather than the punishing default rate.
- 4
Store it safely
It's yours for life and never changes. Save a photo, you'll need it for tax returns, banks and freelance registration.
Words you'll hear
Steuer-ID
Your 11-digit tax identification number. Arrives by post a couple of weeks after the Anmeldung; your employer can't pay you properly without it.
AnmeldungAN-mel-doong
Registering your home address at the Bürgeramt. The keystone document, bank, tax ID, residence permit and phone contracts all want it first.
Common questions
What's the difference between Steuer-ID and Steuernummer?
The Steuer-ID is your permanent personal tax number. The Steuernummer is a separate, changeable number freelancers get from the Finanzamt for invoicing.
I started work before it arrived, what now?
You're taxed at the highest class temporarily. Once you give your employer the ID, the overpaid tax is refunded in a later payslip or your return.
Full checklist tracking and task completion live in the Settli app for Berlin.