Overview
- Nationwide average waiting time fell to 50.2 days in 2025, about 0.6 days faster than the year before, according to Lohnsteuer-kompakt.de.
- Berlin led the state rankings at 46.3 days on average, while Bremen was slowest at 74.3 days, the analysis found.
- At the office level, Lohnsteuer-kompakt.de identified Finanzamt Zwiesel in Bavaria as fastest at 28.4 days and flagged Berlin International as a slow outlier at 90.4 days.
- A separate smartsteuer evaluation of its digital filers showed extremes from 22 days at Schwalm-Eder (Hesse) to 119 days at Korbach-Frankenberg’s Frankenberg office (median 126 days).
- Filing timing mattered: smartsteuer reported March–May submissions were processed in roughly 43–48 days on average versus about 80 days in August, with average refunds at €1,432 and a single €213,000 high.