Great app! The questions are clear and easy to understand, even for beginners. The value for money is excellent, especially compared to a Steuerberater. I received my tax refund almost exactly as it had been calculated. Excellent! 😊
Anna Makeup Artist
Do your taxes and secure your refund
Do your taxes and secure your refund
Steuererklärung – easy & fast
Just answer simple questions – we take care of the forms, ELSTER and the Finanzamt.
It only takes a few minutes – no complicated questions. We calculate your potential tax refund for free, and you only pay if we submit your tax return to the Finanzamt.
Calculate for freeSteuererklärung without stress – here’s how it works
Do your tax return super easily with our app. Through a simple question-and-answer flow you send us your tax data, and our software automatically fills in the right tax forms for you
Once you’ve answered all the questions, we calculate your potential tax refund (for free!) – and, if you wish, we send your tax return to your responsible Finanzamt via ELSTER. No stress, no paperwork, and no tax knowledge needed.
Why should you use DigitalForest?
Do it online
DigitalForest turns your tax return into a fully digital process. Share a photo or PDF of your annual payslip (Lohnsteuerbescheinigung) with us and we automatically read the data and take care of all important details for you.
Save time
The fastest way to get your tax refund done. Our questions are simple and easy to understand, so you don’t have to think for long. In less than 30 minutes, you’re done.
No mistakes
Thanks to automatic plausibility checks, our app leaves almost no room for mistakes. This reduces follow-up questions from the Finanzamt and ensures that submitting your tax return goes smoothly.
Check your refund
How high will your tax refund be? We check this for you free of charge and give you a precise estimate. After that, you can decide whether filing a tax return is worth it for you.
Did you know that…
As many as 9 out of 10 taxpayers receive a tax refund. The average refund amount for 2025 is as high as €1,228. You don’t want to miss out on that money, right? Then use the DigitalForest app to check the amount of your tax refund for free and without any obligation
> Check your refund for freeTestimonials
Why choose DigitalForest?
There’s no easier or faster way than DigitalForest to get your tax refund. Read what our users say about us. ♡
Get started now
For years I paid a Steuerberater a few hundred euros until I found this app. I get the same refund as before, but I no longer waste time on appointments and meetings. The results the app calculated were almost exactly spot on. I’m absolutely thrilled!
Paul Handyman
After a failed attempt with ELSTER, I discovered DigitalForest. It was really easy! The app guided me step by step through the tax return, highlighted errors and helped me fix them. I’ll definitely use the app again next year.
Matteo ConsultantYour tax return in 4 steps and 17 minutes
Step 1:
Sign up for free and without obligation.
Step 2:
Answer the questions.
Step 3:
You see your expected tax refund
Step 4:
Send your tax return online to your Finanzamt.
We calculate your tax refund for free – you only pay once we submit your tax return to the Finanzamt.
With DigitalForest, you can’t go wrong - Developed by an expert team of:
20+ tax professionals
15+ IT experts
10+ designers
Just for you.Why DigitalForest?
| Function | ELSTER | |
|---|---|---|
| Official ELSTER partner |  |
|
| No complicated registration |  |
|
| Intuitive questions | |
|
| Additional tips and guidance | |
|
| Easy to use | |
|
| Automatic plausibility check | |
|
| Refund preview – including retroactively | |
|
| Cross-platform data synchronisation | |
|
| Price | 0 Euros | from 39.99 Euros* |
Perfect for
Singles
Families
Students
Minijobber
Employees
Civil servants
Workers from abroad
Trainees
Perfect for you.Frequently asked questions
Whether you’re single, have a family, are a student, an Auszubildende or a civil servant –DigitalForest is suitable for everyone who wants to handle their taxes quickly and at a good price. Covered forms: ESt 1 A (Mantelbogen), Anlage N (including doppelte Haushaltsführung), Anlage Kind, Anlage Vorsorgeaufwand, Anlage AV (Riester), Anlage Haushaltsnahe Aufwendungen (§ 35a EStG). The scope is continuously being expanded.
Your data is encrypted at all times using state-of-the-art security standards. We rely on the same encryption technologies used by the military and online banking – it doesn’t get much more secure than that. As a certified ELSTER PARTNER, your data is also encrypted when it’s transmitted to the Finanzamt. We only send usage data to the Finanzamt if you explicitly agree to it.
We use the official ELSTER app of the tax authorities. This lets us submit your tax return quickly and securely in accordance with § 87c of the Fiscal Code (Abgabenordnung). Because our app was developed together with tax advisors, you can be confident that everything is transmitted correctly under tax law.
We do not offer classic tax consultation. Our app has been developed in collaboration with renowned tax advisors and lawyers, but we do not currently provide individual tax advisory services.
Filing your taxes via the ELSTER app can be quite cumbersome. Our app makes things much easier and digitises every step of your tax return: no complicated registration, an intuitive interface and very simple questions. You don’t have to fill in complex forms, you get a free estimate of your tax refund and automatic plausibility checks make errors highly unlikely
You can use DigitalForest almost entirely for free. Use our web app at no charge and get a free calculation of whether you’ll receive a tax refund and how much it will be. A fee is only due if you then want us to submit your tax return to the responsible Finanzamt: €39.99 in the subscription package (€49.99 without a subscription).
In 2025 you normally file your tax return (Steuererklärung) for the 2024 tax year. You can also voluntarily submit tax returns for previous years – 2021, 2022 and 2023 – and secure any refunds for those years as well.