Last Updated on 1. July 2026
From today, the ‘Tax return in a single click’ service enables citizens to automatically generate simple tax returns – with just one click. The service is accessible via the MeinELSTER+ app and is initially aimed at single, childless employees and recipients of retirement income. The ‘Tax Return in One Click’ service is built entirely on the A12 AI Low Code Platform from mgm technology partners, which has formed the technological foundation of ELSTER for many years.
The A12 platform was developed for highly complex, rule-intensive specialist applications in public administration that must adapt to annually changing legal requirements without compromising on stability or security. It focuses on model-based software development and has been available as open source since the end of May 2026.
The ‘tax return in one click’ feature is the logical next step in the development of the ELSTER ecosystem based on A12. Via the app, the new feature automatically retrieves a wide range of tax-relevant data – such as payslip certificates, pension payments, church tax and health insurance contributions – from the tax office and prepares a draft tax return. Any missing or incorrect data can be amended or added directly within the app. Once checked, the tax return can be confirmed with just one click and submitted digitally to the tax office. Data protection and security are the top priorities. All data is processed exclusively on servers belonging to the German tax administration, which are subject to the GDPR.
“The digitalisation of public administration is measured not by projects, but by results. The ‘one-click tax return’ is one such result: a task that used to take citizens hours year after year has now been reduced to just one click,” explains Sergio Lerena, a member of mgm’s management board who oversees the KONSENS ELSTER system, one of Germany’s largest e-government systems.
“Filing your tax return stress-free with just one click? – For around 11.5 million citizens, this is now possible! From 1 July, our new ‘One-click tax return via app’ feature will be launched across Germany. We’re bringing tax returns to where people want to file them: straightforward, fast, secure and fully digital via the ‘MeinELSTER+’ app. We intend to continue optimising and expanding our ‘ELSTER’ service – new services and further user groups are already in the pipeline and will be rolled out as soon as possible,” says Albert Füracker, Minister for Finance and Home Affairs.
The ‘Tax Return in One Click’ feature will be further developed in stages and extended to additional user groups. The next step, planned for 2027, is to support joint tax assessment. The ‘One-Click Tax Return’ is now available free of charge for iOS and Android in the MeinELSTER+ app.
Further information is available at:
- A12 AI Low Code Platform: www.a12.ai
- MeinELSTER+: www.steuererklaerung-mit-einem-klick.elster.de
