Your tax ID assignment
Mitteilung der steuerlichen Identifikationsnummer · sent by Bundeszentralamt für Steuern
Respond soon — routine but not ignorable
What this letter is
A plain, easily-overlooked letter arriving ~2 weeks after your first Anmeldung, containing your lifelong 11-digit tax ID (Steuer-ID). No payment, no deadline — but this unremarkable paper is one of the most-requested numbers of your German life.
What to do
- Keep the letter — file it in your documents folder; photograph it as backup.
- Working? Send the number to HR immediately (it fixes your tax class and prevents emergency-rate withholding).
- Students: you'll need it for any job, some scholarships and bank forms.
- Nothing else to do — there is no response required. Just never lose it (and if you do: our Problems section covers recovery).
General information, not legal advice. Always verify payment details on the sender's official website before transferring money.