Country file · DE
Potential · highGermany: recover the withholding tax on your dividends
Every dividend paid from this country loses 26.375% to withholding tax at source. The tax treaty caps it at 15% for a French resident. The 11.375-point gap is not lost money: it can be claimed back — with the right forms, within the deadline.
No win, no fee · Pricing 100% public · FR / EN
Example for €10,000 of gross dividends, French tax resident, before our success fee. Indicative amounts — every claim is verified before filing.
Technical file
The numbers that matter
Both rates, the gap, the form and the time you have left: everything that decides whether a claim is worth opening.
26.375%
Statutory rate
withheld from non-residents by default
15%
Treaty rate
for a French resident
11.375 pts
Recoverable gap
4 years
Statute of limitations
from the end of the year of payment
Your deadline to act
4 years
4 years from the end of the calendar year of the dividend payment, as a general rule.
Compute my exact deadline →The procedure in practice
- Form
- BZSt claim (online portal)
- Competent authority
- Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt)
- Online filing
- Yes
- Relief at source
- No
Relief at source prevents the over-withholding before it exists: the correct rate is applied at payment time. See the relief-at-source service →
Data reviewed on 15 June 2026 · Indicative amounts — every claim is verified before filing.
Specifics
What you should know about this country
- The 26.375% rate combines the 25% tax and the 5.5% solidarity surcharge computed on it.
- The BZSt requires precise chain-of-custody evidence: one of the most demanding files in terms of documentation quality.
- Filing goes through the BZSt online portal, with processing times frequently exceeding 12 months.
Claim documents
The documents required
What we gather with you. Most of these can be requested online or produced from your brokerage statements.
- Certificate of tax residence on the German form, stamped by your tax administration
- Custody confirmations (Depotbestätigung) and withholding evidence
- Original tax vouchers issued by the German custodian
- A representation mandate
Resources
Go further
- Cost & pricing9 min read
How much does it cost to recover withholding tax on foreign dividends?
Success fee, fixed fee or hourly billing: the market's three models, their real ranges, our marginal grid with four worked examples — and the hidden costs to hunt down, do-it-yourself included.
- Problems & risks9 min read
The 7 most common reasons withholding tax refund claims get rejected
Missing certificate, unproven chain of custody, outdated form, missed deadline… The seven rejection grounds we actually encounter, how we prevent them — and what remains possible when a rejection lands anyway.
- Problems & risks9 min read
Missed the statute of limitations: what happens (really)?
The honest answer: once the limitation period expires, the money is permanently lost — nobody can recover it, and beware of anyone claiming otherwise. Deadlines country by country, the 2-year Canadian trap, and how to rescue the years still open.
- Comparisons9 min read
Reclaiming your withholding tax yourself vs delegating: the honest comparison
Doing it yourself costs €0 in fees — but not zero hours or zero risk. A worked Swiss scenario for both routes, the hidden costs on each side, and the threshold below which we advise you not to pay us.
- Best in class10 min read
Which countries offer the best recovery potential for a French resident?
Ireland, Switzerland and Sweden on top — the UK and the Netherlands at zero, and we say so. All 11 countries ranked by recoverable gap for an individual French resident, with each one's traps.
- Best in class9 min read
Statute of limitations: how long you have to claim, ranked by country
From Canada (only 2 years) to Austria, Sweden and Japan (5 years): the full ranking of claim deadlines — with both counting rules, the 31 December cliff, and the filing order that follows.
How much can you recover?
Two minutes, no sign-up: the simulator applies the rates above to your real amounts and shows our fee before you commit to anything.
No win, no fee · Pricing 100% public · FR / EN