Behind our decision to offer free filing for those affected by Kurzarbeit
In today’s post, learn more about our Kurzarbeit support project and how our team is bringing this initiative to life.
2020 was taxing and transformative. It changed the way of working for most of us and put millions out of work. In Germany, the pandemic forced nearly eight million people into reduced working hours (‘Kurzarbeit’) and almost 1.5 million into unemployment. Those affected will likely be required to file their taxes — many for the first time.
‘Du hast es verdient’ — You’ve earned it.
That’s why we decided to make 2020 tax filing free for these people. Between now and March 31st, anyone impacted by Kurzarbeit or unemployment in Germany can file their 2020 declaration with us for free. No gimmicks and no frustrating hoops to jump through. There’s not even a promotion code — the app automatically recognizes eligible filers. It’s our way of helping the affected community by giving them one less thing to worry about.
When asked about the decision to offer this support, CEO Mathis Büchi explains, ‘our purpose has always been to help people file their tax return with newfound confidence.’ Back in 2015 — when Taxfix was but a mere glimmer of an idea for our co-founders — Mathis recalls his frustration with the outdated tax filing system. ‘For most people, filing taxes is one of the worst experiences they face every year,’ he argues. ‘Despite not being passionate about taxes, in particular, we found something that we are truly passionate about — fixing a big problem for a lot of people.’
[Read more about our founders’ story here]
Considering the challenges that people on Kurzarbeit and unemployment have faced this past year, the Taxfix team had an opportunity to fix an even bigger problem. ‘We want to share our know-how and our resources, especially in such a difficult situation like the COVID-19 pandemic,’ Mathis notes. Although we may not be able to change the things that went wrong last year, we can do our part. Our users have worked hard for their money, often in less-than-perfect circumstances. And now, more than ever, they deserve to receive a maximum tax refund. Simply said — they’ve earned it.
Turning a great idea into a reality
Racing against the clock, our team rallied together to pull off this cross-functional miracle. At the helm of the project was Friedhelm Tauber, country manager for Germany. ‘It’s huge. And for me, the best thing is that this project can actually make a difference for a lot of people in Germany, a positive difference,’ he emphatically states.
When it became clear that people receiving Kurzarbeit or unemployment benefits would be required to file their 2020 tax return, Friedhelm and the team got together to brainstorm ideas. ‘Our first instinct was to introduce a discount for those affected,’ he admits. But VP of Finance, Sebastian Rave, had bigger plans. In the midst of discussions, Friedhelm recalls Sebastian excitedly interjecting, ‘No, no, no. Let’s make it free instead!’ This seemingly wild idea grabbed everyone’s attention and propelled the project forward. ‘People really saw the benefits, not necessarily financially, but on all other levels,’ says Friedhelm. As a first step, the team had to evaluate the costs connected to a project of this magnitude. After formulating and analyzing all business outcomes, they deemed the idea feasible and ready to be presented to c-level. Fortunately, the management team was excited about the project from the onset. ‘There has always been a strong interest to be customer-centric, and to have a purpose and to show this purpose to society’, Friedhelm notes. It didn’t take long for Friedhelm and the team to convince leadership that this project would bring real value to real people.
Taxfixers from Product, Finance, Engineering, Design, and Marketing banded together to realize the project in a little over a month. Due to the initiative’s scale, speed, and cross-departmental involvement, Friedhelm goes on to argue that it was an incredible learning experience. ‘This is definitely something that we can keep up for future projects,’ he reflects. ‘Learning how to work cross-functionally, how to work on tight deadlines without freaking out if something doesn’t go as initially planned, readjusting, and combining our efforts behind a common goal,’ are all lessons Friedhelm will take away from this experience. And their hard work is already bearing fruit. Over the first few weeks since launching Kurzarbeit and unemployment support, the number of eligible users has grown steadily.
Seeing the impact first hand
Josefine Cairns, customer success manager, and her team now play a crucial role in the post-launch phase of this project. With thousands of users taking advantage of the free-file promotion — some filing their tax return for the first time — the Customer Success Team has certainly been busy. While fielding questions about how to navigate the Taxfix app, Josi and her team have received overwhelmingly positive feedback. ‘The Kurzarbeit campaign has been really helpful for so many people, and we get a lot of very grateful messages,’ she states. ‘Of course, we’re happy to help,’ she adds. Josefine goes on to explain that occasionally users do not utilize the free filing support, despite having been on Kurzarbeit in 2020. For such edge cases, the Customer Success Team asked to proactively offer these users a refund. The company happily agreed, and the team was able to run with the idea. ‘It’s great to see that they’re standing behind what they say,’ Josefine states. ‘They’re going into every detail to make this a great product and something good for the everyday person.’
[Find more information about our free 2020 tax filing for people affected by ‘Kurzarbeit’ or unemployment here.]
Interested in working on purposeful projects like this one? Check out our open roles.
