Luxembourg taxpayers must submit their 2024 tax returns to the Luxembourg Inland Revenue (ACD) by 31 December 2025. Already, 17,000 taxpayers have filed ahead of the deadline – with the majority using the electronic assistant on myGuichet.lu.
As of 7 May, 11,000 of the 17,000 early submissions were completed via the online tool, ACD Director Jean-Paul Olinger revealed in an interview with our colleagues from RTL Radio on Thursday morning. The assistant streamlines the process, reducing errors and delivering tax statements – including refunds – “within two weeks.”
First-time users typically complete their return in about one hour, though this time decreases significantly with pre-filled data. For repeat filers, the process may take as little as “a few minutes” depending on how many fields are automatically populated, according to Olinger.
While the ACD aims for 85% electronic assistant adoption by 2028, current methods remain mixed. Paper returns still dominate at 80% of submissions, while electronically submitted PDFs account for 10%. Only one in ten taxpayers currently utilises the electronic assistant.
Traditional paper filings face longer processing times, typically requiring weeks to months for completion. This extended timeline results from manual reviews and potential follow-up questions from tax officers, which can further delay the process, Olinger explained.
The assistant is currently available in French and German, with an English version planned for future implementation. To support taxpayers, the ACD provides comprehensive step-by-step tutorials in all three languages.
This year introduces a significant upgrade: the tax office now pre-fills known information – including salaries, pensions, and dependent children – directly into returns. The system will expand voluntarily in coming years to include banking and insurance data, further reducing manual entry. “Filling in a tax return will no longer be a matter of hours, but of minutes,” Olinger said.
The push for 85% electronic assistant use by 2028 serves important dual purposes. First, pre-filled data dramatically reduces completion time. Second, automated fields ensure correct figures and simplify verification. As Olinger explained, the tax administration can trust pre-verified sources, making subsequent audits much smoother.
Olinger specifically addressed privacy concerns to reassure taxpayers. He clarified that currently shared data like salaries, pensions, and dependents is information the state already holds. For any future expansion to include banking or insurance details, the system would require explicit taxpayer consent. Paper returns will remain available as an option throughout this digital transition period.
The ACD’s modernisation programme represents a comprehensive, multi-year transformation. Key initiatives include developing a new website and implementing a chatbot system to improve taxpayer support services. Most critically, the administration is upgrading its entire IT infrastructure to replace obsolete systems that currently limit efficiency.
With 1,100 staff members working across 70 specialised departments, the ACD handles a significant workload – processing approximately 355,000 individual tax files and 122,000 business filings each year.
