Audit in Germany

Whether a German company needs a statutory audit depends on its size: commercial law sorts corporations into size classes, and above the smallest the annual accounts are audited by a Wirtschaftsprüfer (a public auditor) or an audit firm. A young subsidiary may fall outside the duty and come inside it as it grows, so check each year. Audited or not, the directors must disclose the annual accounts in German within one year of the balance sheet date. Some companies are audited without a legal duty, because the parent’s group auditor needs audited figures from Germany, a bank asks for them, or an investor wants comfort before a deal.

Firms offering audit in Germany

29 more firms offering audit in Germany

Choosing a German auditor

Ask whether the firm is a registered Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft and who will sign the audit opinion. If your group already has an auditor, ask whether the German firm can work to the group’s instructions and reporting deadlines. Check that the audit is kept apart from the bookkeeping and tax work: an auditor cannot review accounts its own team has prepared, so many companies use one firm for accounts and another for the audit. Ask for the timetable from year-end to signed accounts, and what the fee assumes about the state of your books.

Firms on Accountanty

Accountanty lists 53 firms that offer audit in Germany: 51 accounting firms and two law firms. Twenty-seven are medium-sized, 14 part of large networks and 12 small, making this the only German service on Accountanty where medium-sized firms outnumber small ones. German is offered by 52 and English by 48, and medium-sized companies are the client group they name most often. Berlin has 19 of them, and Munich and Hamburg ten each. For the books an auditor will review, see accounting in Germany.

Frequently asked questions

Does every German GmbH need an audit?

No. The statutory audit applies to medium-sized and large corporations under German commercial law, and small ones are exempt. A small subsidiary may still be audited for its parent group, a bank or an investor.

Can the same German firm keep my books and audit them?

Not for the same accounts. An auditor must be independent of the figures it reviews, so a firm that prepares your annual accounts cannot also audit them. Ask each firm how it keeps the two roles apart.

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.