How our collaboration works
From the initial conversation through the engagement agreement and power of attorney to ongoing support: you'll know at every stage what we handle and what we need from you.
Clarity on scope and responsibility
We first clarify which tasks stay with the firm and which remain with your business – in writing, before the first entry is recorded.
- Scope: which services we take on – bookkeeping, payroll, annual financial statements, tax returns – and which of these you don't need for now.
- Responsibility: who sorts receipts, who answers queries, and who speaks with the tax office.
- Deadlines: when we need your documents so that filings and returns go out on time.
- Channels: whether you send documents digitally, drop them off in person at Georgstraße 22, or send them by post.
- Availability: we clarify queries Monday to Thursday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm and Friday from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm.
Five steps to an ongoing engagement
Every new engagement follows the same sequence with us – so it stays clear what has already been done and what we're still waiting on.
- 1
Initial consultation
You describe your legal form, industry, and the current state of your bookkeeping. We listen, ask about any outstanding years, and tell you which services make sense from our point of view – and which don't. We hold this conversation at Georgstraße 22 or by phone, whichever suits you better.
- 2
Proposal and engagement agreement
You receive a written breakdown of the agreed services along with the billing basis. We only begin work once the engagement agreement has been signed. If the scope changes later – for example, when you hire your first employee – we record that in writing as well.
- 3
Power of attorney and data access
With the authorisation to receive correspondence, we register with the tax office as your firm. After that, we can receive notices directly, view tax accounts, and retrieve data electronically. We'll let you know which access and which signatures are needed for this.
- 4
Taking over prior years and ongoing bookkeeping
We review outstanding years, check notices and existing assessments, and transfer balances and master data into our bookkeeping system. We work through any returns not yet filed by urgency – starting with whatever has a running deadline or risks an estimated assessment.
- 5
Ongoing support with deadline monitoring
Monthly filings, payroll runs, and annual tasks then run on a fixed schedule. Deadlines are under our monitoring; if a document is missing, we contact you in good time instead of waiting silently.
Sorted is half booked
How you hand over receipts determines the effort on both sides. We tell you upfront what order we need – and we adapt to your daily routine, not the other way around.
View document guidelinesSwitching firms without disruption
A switch goes most smoothly at the turn of the year or quarter, once the bookkeeping for the past period is closed – but it's possible at any time.
What the previous firm hands over
We take care of contacting your previous firm as soon as the power of attorney is in place. You don't need to have that conversation yourself.
- Bookkeeping data for the current year and any open years
- Trial balances and the fixed asset register
- Annual financial statements and tax assessments from previous years
- Payroll accounts and employee filings
- Status of open matters, such as pending appeals
What your business contributes
We need four things from you – after that, the handover runs in the background without affecting your day-to-day business.
- Signed engagement agreement and power of attorney to receive documents
- Termination of the previous engagement on the agreed date
- Access to bank and cash records for the current year
- One contact person at your business for queries
Switching mid-year
The ongoing year on a fixed schedule
After the handover, the rhythm repeats: monthly tasks run in the background, and the annual statements come up once a year.
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Monthly: receipts and filings
You submit the previous month's receipts, and we post them and prepare the VAT advance return. You receive the report for review before it is submitted electronically.
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Monthly: payroll and filings
If you have staff, we process payroll before the end of the month and handle the filings to health insurers and the tax office. You let us know beforehand about changes such as new hires or sick days.
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Quarterly: interim review
On request, we go through the quarter's figures together: results, open items, upcoming tax payments. That way the burden isn't first discussed when the assessment arrives.
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After year-end: accounts and returns
We prepare the annual financial statements, discuss them with you, and use them as the basis for the tax returns. Anything notable is recorded for the coming year.
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Ongoing: notices and deadlines
Thanks to the power of attorney, notices come directly to us. We review them, watch the appeal deadline, and get in touch if a response is needed.
Where the process differs
The five steps apply to all mandates. Which tasks carry the most weight depends on how your business is set up.
Self-employed professionals
Often a cash-basis income statement rather than a balance sheet: getting started is quick, with the focus on clean record-keeping and handling your personal tax return at the same time.
Trade businesses
Payroll and job-site receipts set the pace. When taking over, we first look at the payroll accounts so that the next payroll run goes smoothly without any gaps.
Small businesses
For businesses preparing full financial statements, we plan the year-end accounts from the outset and continuously reconcile accounts, the fixed asset register, and open items.
Further reading to get started
Three pages answer the questions that usually come up next after the process – billing, documents, and specific cases.
Questions about the process
Ready for the first step?
In the initial consultation, we clarify the scope and responsibilities for taking over your mandate.