New hire in Germany?
The employee data form, in English.
Before the first payroll run, every German employer needs a completed Personalfragebogen, the employee data form. This one can be filled in online in English, German, Ukrainian or Russian. The employer always receives the German version plus a CSV file that imports directly into DATEV Lohn+Gehalt or LODAS.
A service by Steuerberatung Matthias Bella, Dormagen-Delhoven. Hosted in Germany.
How it works.
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01
The employer starts
Enter your company name and email address, optionally add your tax advisor, and pick a template: regular employee, mini job or apprentice. No account, no registration.
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02
Send the link
A personal link is generated immediately. You can have the system email it to the employee, or forward it yourself.
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03
The employee fills it in
On a phone, tablet or computer, in English, German, Ukrainian or Russian. Six steps, a data protection consent, and a PDF copy to keep.
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04
Email with CSV
The employer, and the tax advisor if you named one, receive all the details by email. Attached: a DATEV CSV file ready to import. Done.
What German payroll needs from you.
Most of the form is what you would expect anywhere: name, address, bank details, start date. Four fields are genuinely German, and they are the ones that hold up the first payslip.
Tax ID (Steuer-Identifikationsnummer)
Eleven digits, issued once and valid for life. You receive it by post a few weeks after registering a German address at the Einwohnermeldeamt. Without it, payroll runs under tax class VI and the deduction is painful. It is corrected retroactively once the number arrives, so a missing ID is not a reason to delay the form.
Social security number (Sozialversicherungsnummer)
Printed on your social security card. If you have never worked in Germany, you do not have one yet. The employer requests it for you through the health insurance fund. Leave the field empty in that case rather than guessing.
Health insurance (Krankenkasse)
Germany has statutory funds (AOK, TK, Barmer and many others) and private insurers. The name of your fund goes in the form. If you are new to Germany and have not chosen one, you can pick any statutory fund; they all cover the same core benefits.
Religious denomination (Konfession)
Germany asks this for tax reasons, not personal ones. Members of certain churches pay church tax (Kirchensteuer) of 8 or 9 percent of their income tax, deducted directly from the payslip. If you are not a member, the answer is simply "none" and nothing is deducted.
Also available in these languages.
The form, every explanation and the pension insurance exemption request exist in all four languages. Whichever one the employee picks, the employer's copy and the DATEV file stay German.
Personalfragebogen auf Deutsch
The German original, aimed at the employer.
German version →Кадрова анкета українською
Ukrainian, including residence permit and tax ID specifics.
Ukrainian version →Кадровая анкета на русском
Russian, for Russian-speaking employees from any country.
Russian version →Create a new employee data form.
You are an employer hiring someone in Germany and you want to collect their payroll data digitally. Start here:
FAQ.
What is a Personalfragebogen?
It is the employee data form every German employer has to complete before running the first payroll for a new hire. It collects personal details, the tax identification number (Steuer-ID), the social security number (Sozialversicherungsnummer), religious denomination for church tax, bank details and information about children. There is no single official form, but the fields are dictated by what the payroll system and the social security agencies require.
Is this really free?
Yes. No hidden cost, no advertising, no subscription. It is provided by Steuerberatung Matthias Bella, a tax advisory practice in Dormagen-Delhoven, Germany.
Do I need to register?
No. No user account is created. You enter your company details each time you create a form. The upside: no password to manage, no login, and no history stored about you.
Where is the data stored?
Exclusively on a German server operated by ALL-INKL.COM in Friedersdorf. The form content itself is not kept in the database. Only the details belonging to the link are stored: token, company name, the email addresses used for delivery, the chosen template, expiry date and status. After submission you receive the data by email, and it is no longer on the server.
Which language does the employer receive?
German, always. Whichever language the employee fills the form in, the employer receives a German version for the personnel file plus a German CSV file for DATEV. The employee additionally gets a copy in the language they chose.
Can it be imported into DATEV?
Yes. The completed form arrives as a CSV file that imports directly into DATEV Lohn+Gehalt or LODAS. The field names match the official DATEV employee questionnaires.
How long is the link valid?
Thirty days by default, which gives the employee time to gather documents such as the social security card. The link can be used only once and becomes invalid immediately after submission.
Which types of employment are supported?
Regular employees (full time, part time, fixed term, permanent), mini jobs and short-term employment, and apprentices. The templates follow the official DATEV employee questionnaires.
What if the employee does not have a German tax ID yet?
The form can still be submitted. Without a tax identification number the employer has to run payroll under tax class VI, which means a high deduction. The number is issued automatically after registering a German address, and it can be requested from the Bundeszentralamt für Steuern. Once it arrives, payroll is corrected retroactively within the same calendar year.
I have a question or need help.
No problem. Write to matthias@bella.tax. Replies come in the evening or at the weekend.
Questions?
Get in touch.
If you want to use the tool regularly or have specific requirements, just write to me.