Internet as a tax deduction: What you need to bear in mind

If you want to deduct the Internet from your tax bill, you can do so either by providing precise evidence or by paying a flat rate.

Internet deductible from tax: Important information

It’s not just the home office that you can deduct from tax. You can also deduct part of the internet as income-related expenses.

• This is only possible if you have to use your private Internet connection for professional purposes and are not reimbursed for this expense by your employer. For example, if you are working on a project at home, you can deduct this time from your taxes. The end device used does not play a role here

• You can record the Internet costs to be deducted either as a lump sum or via itemized bills. If you opt for the lump sum, the tax office will recognize a maximum of 20 percent (up to an amount of 20 euros) of the Internet costs per month. This means you can deduct 240 euros per year

• If you use itemized receipts instead, you must keep a precise record of every professional use of the Internet and submit it to the tax office. This allows you to deduct even more from your taxes, but the effort involved is significantly higher

• Self-employed persons can also deduct internet costs from their taxes. You must declare these as business expenses, ideally via itemized bills.