Residents of Canton Zurich will be given an extra month to submit their tax returns, the Department of Finance has confirmed. It follows two weekends of disruption to the region’s online tax platform, which prevented taxpayers from filing their returns.
In a statement, the Department of Finance announced that the deadline for filing tax returns in Zurich will be extended from the end of March to April 30, 2025. This follows a series of technical issues that made it temporarily impossible to file a return.
In Switzerland, citizens, those with C-residence permits and people with high salaries are required to file an annual tax return. Since 2021, everyone in Canton Zurich has been able to file their returns through an online portal. It is by far the most popular way to file, with around half a million submissions every year.
However, cantonal authorities noted that the tax filing system suffered major technical problems on March 15, 16, 22 and 23. This led to significant delays, errors and breakages, which meant “significantly fewer entries were recorded on the two weekends than on the corresponding March weekends of the previous year," wrote the Finance Department.
"In recent days, various measures have been taken to resolve the disruption," they continued, but conceded that there will not be enough time to confirm whether they have had a positive effect. Therefore, with a huge number of users expected to access the website on the final weekend before the March deadline, authorities have decided to delay the deadline to April 30.
The extension will apply to all tax returns in Canton Zurich, regardless of whether they are filed by paper, offline tools or on the internet. “This will prevent citizens from having to request an extension themselves in the event of any disruption to online tax returns in the coming days,” the Finance Department continued. Those who have already applied for an extension are unaffected by the change.