Preliminary income assessments for 2012 are now ready

You will usually need to change your preliminary income assessment if there have been any major changes in your personal circumstances since the start of the last tax year. It is a good idea to check at the same time that the figures stated in your preliminary income assessment for 2011 are correct.

Everyone should check their preliminary income assessment for 2012. It can be found in your personal tax folder at www.skat.dk. If you do not correct any incorrect figures, you could be in for an unpleasant surprise in the form of a tax bill. You would typically need to correct your preliminary income assessment if you:

• have got a new job with substantially higher or lower pay
• have become unemployed, retired or taken early retirement
• have started your own business
• have bought or sold a house or owner-occupied flat, built a new home or significantly increased the value of your property due to an extension or conversion
• have converted or redeemed loans, such as mortgages
• have a variable-rate mortgage or other loan and there has been a change in the interest rate

Henrik Kähler, Head of Division at SKAT, advises: "Most people will not have to change their preliminary income assessment, but we still advise everyone to check to see whether there are any incorrect figures or if information is missing. And then there are circumstances where it's particularly important to check the figures, if for instance you get a new job, sell or buy property, change your mortgage, or if the distance you have to travel to work becomes shorter or longer. In such cases it will often be necessary to change the figures."

It is important to change your preliminary income assessment so that it corresponds with the actual figures, otherwise you risk paying too much or too little tax during 2012. If you pay too little, you may face a tax bill plus interest. The deadline for making changes to your preliminary income assessment for 2012 is 31 December 2012. More information about how to avoid paying too little tax is available at www.skat.dk.

It is never too late to make changes

The preliminary income assessment is like a budget that needs to be adjusted if there are any major changes in your personal circumstances. Therefore it is possible to make changes to it all year round. In this way you avoid getting a large tax bill, because every month you pay the correct amount in tax, neither more nor less.

That is why it is a good idea to check the figures in the preliminary income assessment for 2011 one more time.

"If you check the figures in your preliminary income assessment for 2011 and find out that you have paid too little tax during the year, you can still avoid having to pay a tax bill plus interest. All you have to do is to pay the outstanding amount by the end of the year via www.skat.dk. If for instance you have converted your mortgage around this time last year, you should check that the figure for the interest paid in 2011 is correct," says Henrik Kähler.

Last year 1 million Danes checked their preliminary income assessments during the first week they were available. On a normal day between 5,000 and 10,000 people visit E-tax (TastSelv) to log into their personal tax folders.

"As usual, we expect extra pressure on our systems, as a lot of people will want to see their preliminary income assessments straight away. So it's a good idea to wait a day or two to log into the system, and thus avoid delays," suggests Henrik Kähler

You can find more information about the preliminary income assessment for 2012 at www.skat.dk/forskud or in the English guide "Preliminary Income Assessment 2012", which will be released soon.

Further information:

For the press: SKAT's Press Office, tel. 72 37 09 00

For the general public: SKAT's main switchboard, tel. 72 22 18 18