BureauzillaWhat If My Steuernummer Letter Is Taking Forever?
ELSTER already sent: how to follow up, interim invoicing, and what not to invent.
Expat and local threads alike: I filed the Fragebogen weeks ago. Still no Steuernummer. Clients want invoices.
First, prove you already filed
Pull the ELSTER Sendeprotokoll / confirmation for the Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung. That PDF is your ticket when you call or write the Finanzamt. Without it, you are just another voice saying "I think I submitted."
Follow-up script
- Identify the correct Finanzamt for your Wohnsitz / Betriebssitz.
- Contact with: full name, birth date, address, activity start date, ELSTER ticket / protocol ID, and the ask ("Steuernummer ausstehen").
- Ask whether anything is missing on their side (ID scan, Gewerbe copy, unclear activity).
- Write down the clerk's name, date, and any temporary instruction for invoicing.
- Set a calendar follow-up if they give a processing estimate.
Phone plus written confirmation beats phone alone.
Invoicing while you wait
Do not invent a Steuernummer. Options people use after asking the office:
- Delay non-urgent invoices a few days if the letter is "imminent"
- Issue invoices with a written note that the Steuernummer is applied for / will be amended (only if the office or your advisor signs off on that pattern)
- Use a Steuerberater letterhead workflow if they already represent you
Wrong numbers create matching headaches that last longer than the wait.
Case hygiene
Track this as one open case: "Steuernummer pending." Attach protocol, call notes, and the eventual letter. When the number arrives, update invoice templates the same day and, if needed, send corrected copies to clients who received interim docs.