Tax authorities are now officially taking a closer look at influencers. In North Rhine-Westphalia alone, around 7,000 influencers are currently being reviewed to determine whether they have properly paid tax on their income from platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. This figure was confirmed by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance.
Back in 2025, the State Office for Combating Financial Crime (LBF NRW) received a substantial data package from several social media platforms. The data contained thousands of indications of untaxed income from advertising deals, subscriptions, affiliate marketing and similar sources of revenue. Following analysis, the datasets could be attributed to more than 7,000 individuals in North Rhine-Westphalia.
However, a quick resolution is not expected. The authorities have stated that processing such a large number of cases naturally takes time. Each individual case is being carefully examined to establish whether the relevant taxes were paid correctly.
How seriously the situation is being taken is shown by the creation of a dedicated task force within the State Office for Combating Financial Crime. According to LBF head Stephanie Thien, it is not unusual for influencers to earn several tens of thousands of euros per month without even having a tax identification number.
The authorities emphasise that the investigations are not aimed at teenagers who have merely promoted a few products or built up a smaller following. The focus is instead on larger influencers with substantial earnings.
The investigations are complex. Many influencers do not work in traditional employment relationships. Some have deregistered their residence in Germany and moved abroad in order to reduce their tax burden or avoid it altogether. Dubai is regarded as a particularly popular destination in this context.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the allegedly criminally relevant tax volume in North Rhine-Westphalia alone amounts to around 300 million euros. This clearly shows that this is not about minor bookkeeping mistakes. The scale is large enough to trigger extensive financial-criminal investigations.
This investigation makes one thing very clear: being an influencer does not mean being invisible to the tax office. On the contrary, the digital footprint often makes it easier for authorities to trace income.
If you generate income online and are unsure whether your structure is tax-compliant, you should act now. Contact us for a confidential assessment before the tax office comes knocking.
