Frequently asked questions about bookkeeping
Costs, process, deadlines and responsibilities – short answers to the questions business owners ask us most often.
Question not answered? Write to usThe questions below come up in almost every initial conversation: what does external bookkeeping cost, how does the handover work, who is allowed to do what, and what changes with e-invoicing. Click a question to see the answer. If your question isn’t here, call us or write to us – we also answer questions that aren’t a request for services.
The topics are covered in more detail on the pages Ongoing bookkeeping, Payroll and Forming a GmbH or UG.
It depends on your volume of receipts and the scope of your payroll. We work with a fixed monthly fee, which you receive in writing in advance. After a brief look at your documents, we can give you a reliable figure.
Yes, explicitly. Many of our current clients started small and have grown with us. We adapt our processes as your business grows.
From a one-person business to around 150 employees per company. We also handle payroll in parallel for several companies under one owner.
We set up your chart of accounts, post and code your ongoing business transactions, run your payroll and prepare the wage tax filings – the part that comes up every month and takes the most effort. VAT returns, annual financial statements, tax returns and tax advice on individual cases are not part of our services; your tax advisor handles those.
The costs consist of the notary fees, the register court fee and the trade registration fee. The amount depends on the share capital, the number of shareholders and the form of the articles of association; your notary will give you the binding total in advance. We charge our preparation work as a package – after the initial conversation you receive a written quote.
Allow several weeks between the first conversation and the registration. Most of that time is preparation: settling on a company name, putting the documents together, opening a business account, paying in the share capital. From notarisation onward, your company trades as a “GmbH in Gründung” and can already do business – though in this phase, the people acting on its behalf are personally liable until the registration is complete.
Yes, the notarial deed can be done by video call and, for standard incorporations with a template, is the fastest route. That does not change anything about the preparation – the documents have to be just as complete. We put them together regardless of whether the appointment is online or in person.
You have had to be able to receive e-invoices since 1 January 2025 – that applies to every domestic business. You have to issue them from 1 January 2027 if your prior-year revenue was over €800,000, otherwise from 1 January 2028 – small businesses under § 19 UStG are exempt from issuing e-invoices, but still need to be able to receive them. Until then, paper and PDF remain permitted with the recipient’s consent. We will tell you what applies to your business and when.
Yes. Photographed, scanned or straight from your invoicing software. We set up the handover process so it fits into your daily routine and meets the GoBD requirements. If you prefer working with folders, you get a fixed collection schedule.
If your receipts are complete by the agreed deadline, you usually receive your report within ten business days. We time payroll so payments can go out on schedule by the end of the month.
Yes, that is one of our specialities. We first sort the documents, create an overview and post the outstanding transactions until the bookkeeping is up to date again. Get in touch early: the longer the backlog, the more work it takes to catch up.
Books, inventories and annual financial statements: ten years. Accounting vouchers such as invoices and receipts: eight years – this period was shortened from ten to eight years on 1 January 2025. Business correspondence received and sent, including emails: six years. The period always begins at the end of the calendar year in which the matter was concluded.
Yes. You have one fixed person with us who knows your business – no ticket system and no rotating case workers. We are happy to arrange in-person appointments in our meeting room – normally on Fridays, on other days by arrangement.
For personnel and payroll data we provide protected transmission channels and actually use them – open email attachments and messenger apps are not intended for this. Where we process data on your behalf, we conclude a data processing agreement with you. What we process and for what purpose, and who receives the data, is set out in our privacy policy.
With a call or a short message through the contact form. We usually get back to you within 1–2 business days and arrange a free initial conversation.
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Call us or send us a short message – we reply within 1–2 business days.