Administrative services A-Z

• Forms: no
• Online procedure possible: yes
• Written form necessary: no
• Personal appearance: no

The futility report is transmitted via the electronic reporting procedure of the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt).

The purpose of transmitting the futility report is to combat tax evasion.

As a credit institution, you have 3 months after the start of the business relationship with the contracting person to record the identification number.
If you were unable to record the identification number, you must transmit the following information to the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt):

• Personal details and
• details of the address

of each authorized drawer and beneficial owner.

You are obliged to provide the above information in order to maintain the accuracy of your accounts. The account truthfulness applies to every person who wants to keep an account, keep valuables or leave a safe deposit box.

You submit the futility report using an electronic reporting procedure provided by the BZSt.

Note
If you hold a credit account and the credit only serves to

• financing of private consumer goods and
• the credit line does not exceed the amount of EUR 12,000,

you do not need to determine the identification number.

A futility report must be submitted:

• Credit institutions
  • which have not been able to record or ascertain the identification number of the contracting person by the end of the 3rd month after the start of the business relations

• none

• none

You must submit the futility report to the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) via an electronic reporting procedure.

• Apply for approval to use the tax deduction procedure for church tax.
• Enter all required information in the reporting file.
• Transmit the reporting file to the BZSt. The BZSt checks your reporting file.
• The BZSt confirms the successful transmission of the reporting file by means of a reply file.

Note
To transmit the futility report, you use the approval for the tax deduction procedure for church tax; you do not require a separate approval for the specialist procedure Account Truth. A reference to the required use of the account truth procedure is sufficient.

Transmission of the futility report: by the end of February of the following year

Note
The futility report must be submitted by the end of February of the following year even if the account is opened in December.

• Kontaktformular auf der Internetseite des Bundeszentralamts für Steuern (BZSt)

• § 154 Absatz 2c Abgabenordnung (AO)

• Informationen zur Kontenwahrheit auf der Internetseite des Bundeszentralamts für Steuern

Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF)