Guide to taxes and bookkeeping
Articles on bookkeeping, payroll and deadlines – written for freelancers, trade businesses and small companies who want to keep track of their own numbers.
The articles in this section address recurring questions from our day-to-day work with clients: what belongs in the accounts, which deadlines fall due during the year, what changes with the first payroll run. They provide general information and are not a substitute for advice on your specific case – whether a rule applies to your business depends on legal form, turnover, industry and previous years. For your specific situation, we're happy to talk in person, by phone at +49 30 23125104, or during our office hours at Georgstraße 22 in Hannover.
All articles
We write an article whenever a question comes up repeatedly during office hours – use the filters for accounting, payroll and deadlines to find your topic faster.
Focus areas
Topics by client group
Which question is most pressing depends heavily on the type of business: a freelancer using an income-surplus statement needs different answers than a trade business with six employees and site-based invoicing.
The tabs below show which topics we regularly cover for the three groups and what the articles ultimately focus on.
Income-surplus statement (EÜR)
The EÜR (income-surplus statement) compares business income with business expenses and applies to freelancers and traders who are not required to prepare balance sheets. We explain which payment belongs in which year, why the cash-receipts principle determines the booking date, and how fixed assets are spread over their useful life.
VAT and the small business scheme
When the small business scheme under Section 19 of the German VAT Act (UStG) applies, when opting out makes sense because input tax on purchases can be deducted, and what to watch for when switching. Plus the deadlines for advance VAT returns, monthly or quarterly.
Home office and mixed costs
Which costs are recognised for a home office, how the daily flat-rate allowance works, and how phone, internet or vehicle costs are cleanly separated between private and business use. We show which records are sufficient for this.
Payroll with allowances
Correctly processing site allowances, per diems, overtime and tax-free bonuses for night and Sunday work. Plus the specifics for temporary staff and mini-jobs, as well as reporting to social insurance and the trade association (Berufsgenossenschaft).
Work in progress at year-end
Jobs that have started but not yet been invoiced belong on the balance sheet as work in progress. We explain which material and labour costs are included, why a clean follow-up calculation on 31 December saves work, and how advance payments are treated.
Vehicles and tools
When a van is fully allocated to the business, how the one-percent rule compares to a logbook, and how low-value assets are distinguished from tools that must be depreciated on a scheduled basis.
Annual financial statements under the German Commercial Code
Which legal form leads to which type of financial statement, what information belongs in the notes, and which deadlines apply for disclosure. We describe the sequence of preparatory work, reconciliation and finalisation.
Provisions and accruals
Provisions for warranties, holiday entitlements or document retention give a realistic picture of the annual result. Plus the accrual of insurance and rent payments that span the turn of the year.
Reading key figures from the accounts
How the monthly trial balance gives rise to gross profit, staff cost ratio and liquidity picture, and which variances are worth discussing before the financial year ends.
Our approach
How an article comes together
Every article starts with a question that has come up repeatedly in conversations with clients. It then follows a fixed process so the answer stays verifiable and doesn't quietly go out of date after the next package of legal changes.
What a guide article is not
Common cases
Questions that recur over the course of the year
Certain topics come up at the same time every year — payroll documents in January, receipts for the annual accounts in spring, advance payments in autumn. Here are the points we are asked about most often, along with the approach we take at our firm.
Questions about your tax situation?
We discuss with you which topics matter for your business.