Waiting for Your Tax Assessment: How "Fast" Was Your Tax Office in 2025?
By Constantin Blaß
Published on January 14, 2026, 8:04 AM
When it comes to filing income tax returns, few look forward to the process—and few eagerly anticipate how quickly their local tax office will process their documents either. In the Ostalbkreis region of eastern Baden-Württemberg, the speed at which tax offices handled assessments in 2025 varied notably. While the Aalen tax office showed considerable efficiency, Schwäbisch Gmünd lagged behind. However, regional benchmark Heidenheim still set the standard for speed.
Nationwide Tax Office Efficiency: Baden-Württemberg’s Mixed Results
Every year, the website lohnsteuer-kompakt.de analyzes the processing time of tax returns across Germany. Using data from about one million anonymized tax filings submitted online, the platform benchmarks the performance of individual tax offices. For 2025, the fastest federal state was Berlin, with an average processing time of 46.3 days. Baden-Württemberg, however, slipped in rank from 5th place in 2024 to 11th in 2025, averaging 51.6 days.
Across Germany, taxpayers waited on average just over 50 days for their income tax assessments in 2025—a small improvement of about half a day compared to the prior year.
How Did Your Local Tax Office Perform?
Among individual tax offices in Baden-Württemberg, the performance varied widely. The Aalen tax office achieved a respectable 150th place nationally out of hundreds, processing tax returns in an average of 45.3 days—faster than the national average. This marked a significant improvement from 2024, when Aalen was ranked 269th with a processing time of 50.2 days.
Jörg Feldwieser, who has been leading the Aalen tax office since February 2022, welcomed the positive development. Previously, he had questioned the quality of the data but now sees clear progress.
In contrast, the Schwäbisch Gmünd tax office slipped in the rankings, finishing 466th nationwide, with an average processing time of 67.5 days—only 16 tax offices were slower. This marks a setback compared to 2024, when it ranked 350th with an average of 55.6 days.
Dr. Michael Birk, head of the Schwäbisch Gmünd office, explains the slower pace:
"The gradual return to pre-pandemic tax filing deadlines in 2025 caused many taxpayers to submit their declarations simultaneously, significantly extending processing times. Additionally, a slight reduction in the number of auto-processed cases compared to last year also contributed to longer processing periods."
Heidenheim Retains Regional Lead
Despite improvements in Aalen, its processing speed still trails the Heidenheim tax office—the regional leader. Heidenheim processed tax assessments in an average of 41.2 days in 2025, placing it 70th nationally. However, this was a decline from 2024’s 18th place, when the average processing time was 34.3 days.
Methodology: How Were the Rankings Determined?
Lohnsteuer kompakt’s analysis is based on roughly one million anonymized online tax returns submitted through their platform, representing an estimated 2% sample of all filings. For each tax office, a minimum of 50 cases were analyzed to ensure statistical significance.
What This Means for Taxpayers
While nationwide processing times remain relatively stable, regional disparities persist. Taxpayers in Aalen can expect a somewhat faster turnaround compared to the national average, while those in Schwäbisch Gmünd may experience longer waits. Heidenheim remains the benchmark in the East Württemberg region.
Taxpayers are encouraged to submit their declarations early and prepare for possible delays as offices manage fluctuating workloads and return to standard submission deadlines following the COVID-19 pandemic adjustments.
For more information or inquiries, readers may contact their local financial offices or visit lohnsteuer-kompakt.de.
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