Magpie: the 5 most annoying functions

With Elster, the tax office offers free software for tax returns. However, this often annoys many users with their quirks - the tax return itself is nerve-wracking enough. That is why it will show the 5 most annoying features and what you can do about it.

1. Elster annoys with complicated registration

• If you really want to use the full functionality of ElsterOnline, you have to register first. If you do not register, you must first print out the tax return and then send it by post.
• However, registration is not as easy as usual with other Internet portals. The registration process can take up to three hours.
• You also have to expect additional waiting time: In order to authenticate you properly, the tax office sends various "security keys" by post to your place of residence. So plan for up to a week for the full registration.
• However, all this control and complicated registration is necessary. After all, you too want your tax data to not be misused or anyone else to have access to your tax data at Elster. So annoying, but probably necessary.

2. Elster is annoying with a complicated structure

• Even the German tax office and its programming department cannot do magic and so the Elster software is quite complex and unfortunately also complicated.
• Because of the many additional forms and the numerous pages of the forms, the software quickly becomes overloaded and user-unfriendly. In this way, you can even pre-register VAT with Elster.
• The extensive Elster can quickly be overwhelming, especially for people with little technical knowledge or little experience with control software.

3. No Elster software for MacOS or Linux

• In Germany, too, more and more people are using computers with the MacOS or Linux operating system. Nevertheless, there is still no official Elster software for these systems.
• Because the Elster application is only available for Windows devices.
• MacOS or Linux users either have to switch to mostly more expensive alternative software or install Windows specially for the tax return.

4. Annoying error messages in magpie

• Unfortunately, the Elster software does not always run smoothly. Although it is very stable when filling in the documents and saves everything properly, unfortunately, errors often occur when transmitting the tax data.
• The reason for this is usually expired certificates, incorrectly installed updates or an error-prone connection to the financial server.
• In most cases, however, ElsterOnline support can help you quickly and easily.

5. Tax return remains tax return

• Creating your own tax return is pretty complicated even with software. Especially the first few times.
• And unfortunately, the Elster software does not always manage to help everyone. We show you the most important steps in this guide.
• Help and explanations for the individual points are available, but mostly do not help the layperson. As a result, more and more question marks arise when completing the tax return.
• Then ElsterOnline support cannot help. You should seek help from friends or from a tax advisor. Once you have everything explained, you can easily submit your tax return online using the Elster software.

Tip: Also read our list of the 5 most annoying functions in Outlook.