The Utility Tax Avoidance Program or UTAP can help you save between 7% and 19% tax on different utilities including gas, electric, and water. It’s a great program designed to help you save money and I think it’s worth the “hassle”. Here’s how to get started!
Starting Service
Make sure you have the following items:
- IBAN and BIC from your bank
- Common Access Card
- Passport and SOFA card for Contractors
- Orders for Active Duty Members
- USAFE Form 333a signed with meter readings
- Meter ID numbers (take pictures of your meters)
- Lease Agreement
- Completed Enrollment Packet
- $99 fee by credit card
Complete the enrollment form and then head to the office of your choice. I am on Ramstein AB therefore I use the UTAP office located in BLDG 2118’s bottom floor next to the VAT office. There are several UTAP offices around the KMC so if you’re at a different base see where yours is.
You will pass all the information to the clerk and they will figure out what your city’s utility companies are and fill out paperwork for you. You’ll pay $99 at the end of the appointment and walk away with paper packets. You’ll need to add the meter IDs, readings, and bank information.
You then can go, in person, to your specific utility office. SWK runs most electric and gas utilities or one of their subsidiaries and their office is in Kaiserslautern. You can also email your UTAP forms and Form 333a to [email protected] to start the process. Be ready for some delays and back and forth because they are advertising long delays for emails. I was able to get a reply in a day luckily but there will be some waiting if you send it by email.
You will receive a welcome letter for each utility indicating you’re in the utilities’ UTAP program and you should then send a scanned copy to the UTAP office to finish the process. There you have it, you’ve survived the dreaded UTAP process! Make sure to keep them updated with any order extensions or changes in expiration dates on SOFA cards to maintain your UTAP status!
Ending Service
Make sure to have the following items:
- Orders or SOFA card
- Termination form or signed final Form 333a
- Final bill
- Paid final bill or SEPA receipts showing payment
You have to end service when you leave the KMC or when you move to a new place. Here’s how to stop your UTAP and utility service.
I notified my landlord I wanted to move and we found the original Form 333a that had the starting meter amounts on. Make sure to check your lease you may have anywhere from 30-90 days of notice requirement to move. I had 90 days so I was unable to exit UTAP until that was finalized. You can’t start a new UTAP until the old UTAP is closed! We marked the final meter amounts and signed off on the move-out.
I then emailed [email protected] and asked for a final bill. They sent me my final gas and electric bill based on the final meter amounts.
I owed money on my final bill. I discovered there were two ways to pay. The first was I asked what IBAN the gas and electric company used and I got 2 IBAN accounts. I paid via my bank’s website then I had to wait until the next billing cycle which was about 2 weeks for the bills to settle to €0.
The other, more common way to pay, is to go in person to your bank with the IBAN and make a SEPA payment then get the payment receipts showing you’ve paid on your gas and electric bills. This is the preferred way and this would have saved me a few weeks!
Then you can take the SEPA receipts, final bills, signed move-out Form 333a, and orders, and they will remove you from the program.
You can then immediately begin on a new address or you can be done with your old address ready for your next duty station!
Useful UTAP Links
The BIC or Bank Identifier Code is an international code that identifies banks worldwide. The BIC, often also called the SWIFT Code, is used as a second identifier in addition to the IBAN when sending money within the SEPA area.
IBAN or International Bank Account Number is the internationally standardized bank account number that is used for national and international SEPA payments.
The Single Euro Payments Area or SEPA is a mechanism that facilitates the standardization of
electronic payments denominated in euro across Europe.