Joint assessment of the Austrian income of the woman?
Regarding the situation:
My current wife is German, lived and worked in Vienna until October 2010, was also registered there and paid her taxes as a regular employee in Austria.
At the end of October 2010, she moved to Germany to be with me, and we got married in November, one day before the start of her maternity leave (the birth was in January 2011).
After the wedding, I switched to tax class 3.
In addition, my wife has rental income from a property in Oldenburg. In 2009, the taxable rental income was zero because there were enough deductions. I believe this is similar in 2010 as well.
I am an employee and had a gross annual income of about €43,000 in 2010, while my wife had a gross income of about €31,000 in Austria.
Now, the actual questions:
Does it make sense to file a joint tax return or separate ones for 2010?
If we file jointly, where should I include my wife's income from Austria in the tax return?
How is the whole process calculated? (My tax software is struggling with this) A formula or example calculation would be helpful so I can calculate the tax burden of each option in advance.
Thank you in advance for a competent response.
