Guides for the self-employed
Knowledge for the self-employed: understand office work, taxes and invoices
Practical guides on starting a business, invoices, e-invoices, official correspondence, retention, data protection, payments and documents.
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Self-employed professionals, founders and small businesses can find clear guidance for everyday office work in Germany here. Choose a topic and go straight to the relevant guide.
The content is divided into six subject areas. Each article answers a clearly defined question and links to relevant in-depth guides for detailed topics. Product features are mentioned only where their current status is documented.
Starting out as self-employed
From choosing between a trade and a liberal profession, through tax registration, to invoices, supporting documents and a reliable office workflow.
Invoices and quotes
Required information, service descriptions, prices, corrections and the consistent process from quote to invoice.
E-invoices and formats
Structured invoice data, XRechnung in B2G and B2B contexts, and ZUGFeRD with PDF/A-3, XML and profiles.
Tax office, public authorities and tax advisers
Classify letters and official notices, check deadlines and prepare complete accounting data for your tax adviser.
Retention and data protection
GoBD requirements, retention periods and the data-protection-compliant handling of customer and document data.
Payments and documents
Match incoming payments with invoices and understand the uses and limitations of AI document analysis.