Reclaiming the VAT (MWSt) paid as a freelancer

Hi,

I am working as a freelancer here and am planning to buy a laptop. Jay(TT memeber) mentioned to me that I can claim the 19% Vat paid in addition to availing a tax reduction.
I am currently in search of a tax lawyer, but in the mean time was wondering if any one of you know some more information regarding this.

Thanks in advance
Smak

only if you are vat registered

I am currently in the process of registering to pay my VAT and therefore in some weeks I will be VAT registered.
So in that case can I claim the full 19% VAT that I paid, and do I have to do it when I file my tax return at the end of the year or is there some other process to claim it back.

Yes you can surely get it back. You can do it immediately when you buy the laptop( that actually means that next time you submit the Umsatz Steuer - VAT form to the finanzamt, you can deduct it there, some filled just needs to be filled in) or you can do it at the end of the year, when you submit all you tax documents. I did it the second way, after taking to my tax advisor (steuerberater) and presenting him all my bills and documents..

cheers

p.s. as i can see that you are still not registered yet, or let's say you will register soon, you will need to submit the VAT payments to Finanzamt on a monthly basis (that is how I do it)... so you can actually deduct it in the form.. Anyway, i think this holds if you buy the product in the same month for which you are declaring the VAT. Otherwise I am guessing end of year...

warning!!! if you buy it now and become vat registered tommorrow it is unlikely you can claim it back, you can only claim Vat (Mwst) if the tax point is after you are registered

Thanks a lot guys, for the replies.

Yeah, that might be true. I suppose the safest thing to do would be to wait till I get my VAT registered and then proceed to buy the laptop. Thanks for the warning.

No, thats not really a problem. You can claim back the VAT, if and when you are an entrepreneur. Your entrepreneurship doesnt just start with the registering for a VAT number. That number is actually just a means of organization. Planning the startup of your business is already the acting of an entrepreneur. Therefor you can claim the vat on your purchases for your business as soon as you´ve got that VAT number. When filling out your first monthly "Umsatzsteuervoranmeldung", deduct the "Vorsteuer" for everything you bought the months before (as long as it´s a reasonable time-frame and has something to do with your business). Noone would expect you to turn a customer down, because you didnt get that friggin number in time or didnt have the computer you needed for your work...

When I started my buisness some years ago, I claimed the Vat for everything (computers, printer, furniture, ...) I purchased months before I actually registered for the VAT. No problem at all.

Hey guys

I am a student from outside the EU. The university I am in requires me to buy a laptop for use in studies. I was just wondering if I could claim 19% Vat paid.

If you can reclaim the VAT then I think the whole of TT may well register as students.

Is being thick a prerequisite for being a student and do you still get grants because then i just might qualify?

HeHe TopCat. Learn to be polite. Not everyone can understand European Tax laws at once.

Well I would much prefer to be a jugearred quisling cocksore like the rest of the wankers on TT. Oh sorry that was meant as a reply in a different universe to Bad Doggie. Good point though VN.