How to get your German tax ID (Steuer-ID)

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

The tax identification number, in German steuerliche Identifikationsnummer or IdNr, has eleven digits and stays with you for life. It does not change when you move, marry or change your name. Your employer needs it to tax your salary correctly.

Rules, amounts and deadlines change. Check the official source linked at the end before you act, and ask the office in your city, because procedures differ from town to town.

Step by step

1. Register your address first

   The number is created automatically when you register in Germany for the first time. See how to register your address in Germany.

   Done

2. Wait for the letter

   The Federal Central Tax Office (Bundeszentralamt für Steuern, BZSt) sends the number to your registered address by post, usually within a few weeks. Your surname must be on the letterbox.

   Done

3. Give the number to your employer

   Hand it in with your other starting documents. You can start work without it, but until the employer has the number, your salary may be taxed at the highest rate. The difference is corrected later.

   Done

4. Lost the letter? Look at your papers

   The number is printed on your income tax assessment notice and on the yearly wage tax statement (Lohnsteuerbescheinigung) from your employer. Many payslips show it as well.

   Done

5. Request it again from the BZSt

   On the website of the Federal Central Tax Office, bzst.de, fill in the form to have the IdNr sent again. For data protection reasons the office does not give the number by phone or email. It comes by letter to your registered address.

   Done

6. Need it urgently?

   Ask the registration office where you registered, or your local tax office (Finanzamt). Some can tell you the number in person when you show your passport.

   Done

Good to know

Do not confuse the tax ID with the tax number (Steuernummer). The tax number is given by your local tax office when you file a tax return or become self-employed, and it can change when you move.

The number itself carries no information about you. It is safe to give to your employer, your bank and your health insurance fund, which all ask for it.

Never pay a website for your tax ID. The official service is free.

In short: Register your address, wait for the letter from the BZSt, give the number to your employer. Lost it: request it again on bzst.de, free, by post.