Masters Discussion Forum

Hi Everyone,

I am currently doing my master's studies at the University of Oldenburg, Germany. My master's study is financed through a DAAD scholarship which is 10332EURO. The scholarship in Germany is [url=https://uol.de/en/international-researchers-and-staff/taxation-in-germany]tax-free[/url]. I would have the chance to work as a student assistant earning 800 Euros/month, which is still tax-free. However, if I combine both of my monthly incomes I would be 1633 Euros, which would lead to a [url=https://visualsm.art/gross-net-salary-calculator/]yearly tax of 969Euros[/url]. I looked also if this falls under the [url=https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressionsvorbehalt#:~:text=Progressionsvorbehalt%20ist%20ein%20Begriff%20aus,Negativer%20Progressionsvorbehalt]progression clause (Progressionsvorbehalt)[/url] but I couldn't find it.
My questions would be:
1. Is my scholarship tax-free if I have a mini-job?
2. Is this required to file tax returns in Germany?

Regards,
Greta

I am not expert in German tax systems but I would expect a "yes" to both questions. It is more likely that scholarship will not be included in tax calculations and you might not need to file a tax return but the saftest way is to file it anyway. There are some teams who can help with it at a cost of less than 100 Euro (https://www.vlh.de).
If you are going to file a tax return, it will be around April from next year and you can also fill it yourself if you know a bit of German or in English with an online platform for 30 Euro cost (https://www.steuergo.de/).