Service category
Bookkeeping
Recording and reconciling day-to-day transactions
An independent accounting comparison and research guide. We publish informational comparison content about accounting providers; we do not provide accounting, tax, payroll or financial advisory services.
How the accounting market in Germany is structured: professional bodies and registers, local professional titles, standard VAT rate, service categories, languages, software and the 7 providers recorded here.
DE · EUR · standard VAT 19%
This register page sets out the accounting environment of Germany, the service categories most often compared there, the provider types that operate in the market, language and remote-support considerations, typical pricing models and the software landscape. It is general market information for research purposes, not individual tax advice, and it is presented with the sources used.
General market information only. This page does not provide individualised tax advice, does not recommend a legal or tax structure, and does not state a filing strategy for any reader. Activities reserved to a professional title in this market must be carried out by a qualified holder of that title.
Structure of the profession and the recurring obligations
Germany combines a regulated tax-adviser profession with a separately regulated audit profession. Tax advice and bookkeeping for third parties in return for payment are protected activities under the Steuerberatungsgesetz, so the term Steuerberater is a protected statutory title and firms of any size normally work around at least one holder of that title. Statutory audit is reserved to Wirtschaftsprüfer and firms admitted by the WPK. VAT-registered businesses with an annual turnover above the statutory threshold must file advance VAT returns, normally monthly or quarterly, and all corporations must file annual accounts and a corporate tax return electronically. The practical consequence for comparison is that the profession itself is the main regulatory filter: two firms with the same service list can differ in whether they may sign audit opinions, in which titles their staff hold, and in whether they are able to represent a client before the tax office.
A provider in Germany normally refers to one or more of these bodies or registers. They are listed as market reference points with their official addresses; the presence of a link here says nothing about any particular provider's membership.
Rates, registers, titles and software
| Attribute | Recorded value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Currency | EUR | Provider market convention |
| Standard VAT rate | 19% | European Commission, VAT rates applied in EU member countries (europa.eu/youreurope), checked 2026-09-24 |
| Languages in market | German | Market information |
| Professional titles in use | Steuerberater, Steuerbevollmächtigter, Wirtschaftsprüfer, vereidigter Buchprüfer | Professional bodies listed below |
| Public register | Unternehmensregister / Bundesanzeiger — filings and annual accounts are published here | Official national register |
| Software commonly used | DATEV, Addison, Lexware, Sage, Microsoft Dynamics | Market information |
| Providers recorded here | 7 | This directory, last checked 24 September 2026 |
What each service means, and how many recorded providers publish it here
Service category
Recording and reconciling day-to-day transactions
Service category
Salary processing, social contributions and employer reporting
Service category
VAT determination, reporting and cross-border filings
Service category
Corporate, income and withholding tax filings
Service category
Reporting for decision-making inside the business
Service category
Statutory financial statements and filing
Service category
Reporting under national GAAP or IFRS for groups and lenders
Service category
Online ledgers, direct bank feeds and remote collaboration
Service category
Implementation, configuration and platform training
Who operates here, and how they differ
Member firms of global networks, usually serving larger private companies, groups with cross-border reporting needs and internationally owned subsidiaries. They typically publish the widest service lists and the most structured processes.
Independent firms with several offices, serving owner-managed companies across the country. They are the most common profile in the directory and usually compete on sector depth and continuity.
Single-office practices working with businesses in their own locality, often in the local language, with direct access to a partner or owner.
Providers built around an online ledger and a monthly subscription, usually with highly standardised packages and remote delivery as the default.
What to establish before shortlisting
Languages in this market: German. Records show the languages a provider publishes its own website in, which is a first-party indicator rather than a statement about every employee. Confirm the working language of the team that would handle your file.
The directory records remote support only where a provider describes an online client portal or digital document exchange. Remote delivery is common across this market, but it moves work to the client: document capture, coding queries and review cycles still need to be resourced on your side.
How providers in this market structure fees, and what they build on
Commonly used in this market: fixed monthly fees for a defined compliance scope, fee bands by transaction volume, annual packages covering the accounts and tax return, and individually quoted fees. Many providers do not publish prices at all, which the records show as "Not publicly listed"; where a provider does publish a starting price, the record names the figure and its source, and current pricing must still be confirmed directly.
Software commonly encountered in Germany: DATEV, Addison, Lexware, Sage, Microsoft Dynamics. Platform choice affects local filing compatibility, e-invoicing duties and the ease of changing provider, so establish who holds the licence and how data can be exported before deciding.
7 records · coverage labels are the provider's own
| Provider | Country | Coverage | Services | Business size | Languages | Software | Pricing model | Remote support | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDO Germany | Germany | International | Business advisoryAudit and assuranceFinancial reporting | Not publicly confirmed | EnglishGerman | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly listed | Not publicly confirmed | |
| Ebner Stolz | Germany | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly confirmed | German | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly confirmed | |
| Ecovis Germany | Germany | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly confirmed | English | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly confirmed | |
| Roedl & Partner | Germany | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly confirmed | EnglishGerman | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly confirmed | |
| Warth & Klein Grant Thornton | Germany | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly confirmed | EnglishGerman | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly confirmed | |
| Forvis Mazars | Multiple European markets | International | Audit and assuranceTax compliancePayrollCompany secretarial and formationBusiness advisoryFinancial reportingVAT support | Small businessesInternational businesses | English | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly listed | Not publicly confirmed | |
| Vistra | Multiple European markets | International | PayrollTax complianceCompany secretarial and formation | Not publicly confirmed | English | Not publicly confirmed | Not publicly listed | Publicly documented online portal |
Not every accounting provider operating in Germany is included here. The directory covers the organisations recorded and checked to date. To verify a provider that is not listed, use the public register and the professional bodies listed above: both publish searchable registers of qualified professionals and firms.
Checked 24 September 2026
Provider attributes on this page come from each provider's own website; the source and check date are shown on every provider profile.