Freelancing in Germany. Obtaining Status + VAT registration HOW?

[BlasterBates]

Hi All,

I shall shortly be leaving the wonderful UK land and working for a Germany company in Germany on a German contract paid in euros - Yes its all German.

Anyway after hours of looking around it appears that I shall be going down the freelance route.

TWO QUESTIONS:

1 - Does anyone know how I can obtain freelance status and get a VAT registered number? The steps required please.

2 – Does anyone know of any accountants in Germany (contact details) who can either set this up or provide an accounting service for my years in Germany?

Thanks in Advance for your help




M

You don't obtain Freelance status, there isn't a form or procedure. In fact it is the very fact that you don't register as a business that makes you a freelancer. If you register then you are a "business" and you're liable for business tax.

All you need to do is bill the customer and pass on the VAT. Now the Finanzamt may question why you didn't register a business and challenge your freelance status, but you deal with that when it happens.

The regulations for a freelancer are very light indeed, in fact there isn't even a need to produce a P&L statement but then the Finanzamt would probably demand to see your invoices and expenses, so it is a good idea to do one.

The only requirement is that you fill out your earnings on a box on your tax form, that's it ....the only legal requirement.

Now you will need to register as an individual, and then you'll be assigned a tax code. All your VAT receipts go via your private tax code, not a business tax code, unless the Finazamt assigns you one.

But really the tax code doesn't matter, what matters is that your name and address are on the VAT forms. The Finanzamt will then inform you if you omitted it to put it on in future.

[northernladuk]

Am not wishing to incurr the wrath of our admin or pedants but..... there is a lot of useful info on contracting in Germany that can be found under the search button!

[themeditator]

@Chef

What is WHS. Do you have a website link please?

Thank You,


M

[themeditator]

Whs?

@Chef

When you say WHS do you mean www . whsaccountants . co.uk?





<admin note>Link removed</admin note>

[chef]

Have a word with the people at www.expattax.de. They can sort everything out for you.

yup, WHS, I use them and they we're highly recommended to me when I came over here.

In short it's essentially:

- go to the local authorities
- take 2 passport photos, your work contract, your rental contract, your passport
- take a ticket and wait for hours, queue up in the room related to your surname
- fill in a form, hand it in, take another ticket in another room, fill that form in, take a another ticket.. etc. etc. you get the idea

3 hrs later (if your v lucky) you walk out after having registered saying you live in the country
walk into a bank (deutsche bank highly recmommended), open up an account with passport and rental contract
give bank account number and living in germany registration number to expattax who will then register you as self employed/vat etc etc as required

[doodab]

Hi All,

I shall shortly be leaving the wonderful UK land and working for a Germany company in Germany on a German contract paid in euros - Yes its all German.

Anyway after hours of looking around it appears that I shall be going down the freelance route.

TWO QUESTIONS:

1 - Does anyone know how I can obtain freelance status and get a VAT registered number? The steps required please.

2 – Does anyone know of any accountants in Germany (contact details) who can either set this up or provide an accounting service for my years in Germany?

Thanks in Advance for your help

M

Have a word with the people at www.expattax.de. They can sort everything out for you.

[themeditator]

Hi All,

I shall shortly be leaving the wonderful UK land and working for a Germany company in Germany on a German contract paid in euros - Yes its all German.

Anyway after hours of looking around it appears that I shall be going down the freelance route.

TWO QUESTIONS:

1 - Does anyone know how I can obtain freelance status and get a VAT registered number? The steps required please.

2 – Does anyone know of any accountants in Germany (contact details) who can either set this up or provide an accounting service for my years in Germany?

Thanks in Advance for your help




M