Accounting and bookkeeping in Germany

A German company owned from abroad keeps the same books as one owned locally. A GmbH or UG keeps double-entry accounts and closes each financial year with a balance sheet and a profit and loss account. Its directors must disclose the annual accounts in German, sent electronically to the company register no later than one year after the balance sheet date. The tax code also sets how long records stay on file: ten years for the books and annual accounts, eight for accounting vouchers and six for other relevant documents. For an owner who lives elsewhere, that usually means handing the ledger to a local firm that knows how the German tax office reads a set of books, and that can answer for them if an inspector calls.

Firms offering accounting in Germany

116 more firms offering accounting in Germany

Questions for a German accounting firm

Ask whether a Steuerberater (a licensed tax adviser) or a bookkeeper will look after your ledger day to day, and who signs off the annual accounts. Ask which software holds the books, whether you get your own login, and how receipts and bank data reach the firm each month. If your group reports under another standard, ask whether the firm can prepare a reconciliation from the German accounts to your parent company’s format. Find out how the firm prices the monthly bookkeeping, the year-end close and the publication filing, and whether each is billed separately.

Firms on Accountanty

Accountanty lists 140 firms that keep accounts in Germany: 126 accounting firms, seven law firms and seven corporate service providers. Eighty-five are small, 39 medium-sized and 16 belong to large networks. Almost all of them, 133, work in German, and 110 offer English. Berlin has 43 of them, Frankfurt and Munich 32 each and Hamburg 24. Most of these firms also prepare tax returns, so see tax compliance in Germany as well.

Frequently asked questions

Does a German GmbH need double-entry bookkeeping?

Yes. As a company under German commercial law, a GmbH keeps double-entry books and prepares annual accounts, whoever owns it and wherever the owners live. Most owners abroad give this work to a local firm from the first month.

Will a German accounting firm send me reports in English?

Often. Of the 140 firms on Accountanty that keep accounts in Germany, 110 offer English. The books themselves are kept to German rules, so ask which reports you will receive in English and how often.

What does a German accountant need to start my bookkeeping?

Usually the articles of association, the commercial register extract, the tax number, access to the business bank account and the first sales and purchase invoices. Ask for the onboarding checklist before the first month ends.

Other services in Germany

Accountants by city in Germany

Setting up a company in Germany: the guide and every firm

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules, rates and fees change: check them with the official sources linked on this page or with a qualified adviser before you act.