Tax advisor for self-employed persons
As a self-employed person, you want to focus on your core business. A tax advisor for self-employed people takes care of accounting, tax returns, and annual financial statements—accurately and in compliance with GoBD. With Integral's platform and partner tax advisors, you save time and take advantage of tax benefits.
We show you the advantages of professional tax advice, how the costs are structured, what documents your tax advisor needs, how freelancers and tradespeople differ, and what risks you face if you do without an advisor altogether.
The technical platform is operated by Integral Services GmbH. All reserved tasks (Vorbehaltsaufgaben) are performed by Integral Tax GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft.
The essentials at a glance
The advantage of saving time
A self-employed tax advisor takes care of the bookkeeping, reminds you of deadlines and gives you more space for your core business.
Tax optimization
You use all legal leeway — thanks to current legal knowledge and targeted advice.
Cost structure
The fees depend on turnover, type of company and expenses — regulated by the Tax Consultant Remuneration Ordinance.
Legal certainty
Freelancers and traders are treated differently for tax purposes — your advisor knows the details.
Digital efficiency
Modern law firms offer apps, cloud upload and automated evaluations for a better overview.
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Why a tax advisor is important for self-employed
Correct and functioning accounting, which does not prevent you from going about your daily work, is at the heart of your company. And that is exactly why it would be wrong to take a risk here.
Working with a tax advisor is particularly useful if you:
- You have just started your own business and want to be on the safe side right from the start
- Your company is growing and accounting and tax requirements are becoming more complex
- You would rather invest your time in customer projects instead of spending time on receipts and deadlines
- Special topics are pending (e.g. international customers, investment deduction amounts or artists' social security fund)
A tax advisor has your back. He answers important questions, takes care of communication with the tax office if you wish and shows you how you can optimize your taxes in order to have a positive impact on your business success in the end.
Benefits of tax advice for self-employed
Taxes, accounting, deadlines — all of this can quickly become a burden in everyday life. This is exactly where professional support comes in: It helps you to organize your finances in a structured way, avoid tax risks and make your company future-proof.
Whether you are just starting up, growing or have to deal with more complex tax issues — tax advice for self-employed people not only offers you expertise, but also clarity, time savings and real relief.
Modern law firms go far beyond traditional tax returns: With digital tools, personal advice and tailor-made services, they support you exactly where you need support — giving you the freedom you need for the essentials.
What services bring real benefits
Tax returns & deadlines under control
Your tax advisor prepares your sales, income and business tax returns — punctually and with reliable deadline management.
Industry-specific accounting
Whether it's an agency, e-commerce or SaaS: You benefit from accounting that is based on the specifics of your industry.
Financial clarity through reporting
Individual dashboards provide you with regular insights into profit, liquidity and investment leeway — for well-founded decisions.
Strategic tax planning
Take advantage of benefits such as § 7g EStG, check your legal form or plan reserves — together with a tax-savvy sparring partner.
Proactive alerts & monitoring
Warnings in the event of budget deviations, new legal information or prepayment deadlines — your tax advisor has everything at a glance.
Support during tax audits
In the worst case, you are not alone: Your tax advisor takes care of the preparation, communication and appeal management.
Extra tip: Digital-first workflows
Document upload via app, automatic bank API interfaces, DATEV cloud integration and real-time status pushes.
Many tax advisors now offer digital solutions. Here you simply upload your receipts and receive evaluations via app, for example at the end of the month, so you have access to your figures at any time — completely without paper chaos.
If your current law firm does not offer any of these services, it is worth taking a look at digitally oriented tax advice or specialized platform providers — this allows you to receive all services centrally from a single source.
The All-in-One Tax Service for your business
Tax Advisory
Proactive advice that helps you move forward
We understand your business and think proactively instead of just working through obligations.
Quick and personal communication
Your personal tax team will answer you within 24 hours—without waiting, without waiting for weeks.
Central platform for everything
Central platform for everything: Financial statements, receipts, and inquiries come together digitally in one place—including a digital signature.
Bookkeeping
Automated booking processing
Connect bank accounts and payment service providers such as Stripe - we automatically import all transactions.
Easy document management
Digital documents are automatically entered, all others are simply uploaded via our platform.
Weekly accounting & monthly BWA
You will receive regular evaluations and a clear overview of missing documents.
Payroll
Digital management of your employee data
Simply maintain master and transaction data online, without back and forth.
Individual support included
A personal payroll accountant is available to answer any questions or adjustments you may have.
Cost-effective & scalable
Fair prices per payslip and processes that grow with your company.
Financial Statements & Tax Return
Timely and complete
We prepare your tax returns and annual financial statements on time and submit them digitally to the tax office.
No surprises
You will receive an early overview of missing documents, tax obligations and upcoming deadlines.
Easy compliance
We make working together as easy as possible for you.
The technical platform is operated by Integral Services GmbH. All reserved tasks (Vorbehaltsaufgaben) are performed by Integral Tax GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft.
What does a tax advisor cost for self-employed?
Billing is usually based on the Tax Consultant Remuneration Ordinance (StBVV), which defines minimum and maximum rates for many benefits. This defines the framework within which prices for the use of the service may be.
In addition, the costs with which you should calculate depend on the effort of the tasks assigned in each case.
Important details that become relevant in this context include:
- the type of activity (e.g. income surplus statement, balance sheet, tax return, etc.)
- Your income or annual turnover
- the legal form of your company (sole proprietorship, freelancer, UG, GmbH, etc.)
- the complexity of your business model
- the scope or general expenditure
- the regularity of work (monthly, quarterly, yearly)
You have the opportunity to reduce costs, for example by doing preparatory work and thus relieving your tax advisor. If you pre-sort and upload all receipts, you can save your budget. As a self-employed person, it is therefore worthwhile to add some structure to your accounting.
The following table shows you some cost examples. Please note that there are cases that differ from the averages.
Income surplus account (EÜR)
Sole traders and freelancers usually pay between €300 and €600 to have their EÜR prepared.
Ongoing accounting
The price for ongoing accounting depends on the number of accounting entries. For smaller companies, this usually costs between €50 and €200 per month.
Sales tax returns & tax returns
Monthly or quarterly sales tax returns are often calculated on the basis of flat rates. These usually range between €20 and €80 per return. The annual income tax return often costs between €300 and €800. Here, the scope determines the price. This also applies to the annual financial statements.
Legal form
The legal form of your company also determines how much your tax advisor will cost. Since the expense is higher for corporations due to their accounting obligations, limited liability companies (GmbHs), for example, pay more. Here, prices for bookkeeping, preparing the balance sheet, and filing corporate tax returns usually start at €1,500 per year.
A tax advisor costs money—there's no question about that. But the right advice pays off. Not only does it reduce sources of error and ensure that your tax returns are submitted on time, it also creates structures that enable you to manage your finances efficiently, identify risks early on, and better exploit potential.
Instead of paying attention to the level of costs alone, it is therefore worth looking at the actual added value: How much of the burden does working together in everyday life relieve you? And how much planning security do you gain for your business as a result? Professional tax advice is not a luxury — but a strategic tool that pays off for many self-employed people.
Freelancers or businesses — fiscal one difference
If you are self-employed, you are not automatically also commercially active. It follows that freelancers and traders differ not only in their activities but also in terms of their tax treatment. And that is exactly what affects the tax return. Classification as a freelancer or as a trader has a direct influence on your obligations, your taxes and the choice of your legal form.
As a first step, your tax advisor will check whether you are classified as a freelancer or as a trader. A corresponding classification is not always clear — even though there are some classic freelancing activities.
These include therapists, doctors, lawyers and journalists. According to tax law (Section 18 (1) No. 1 sentence 2 of the Income Tax Act (EStG)), freelance activity is an “independent scientific, artistic, writing, teaching or educational activity.”
A correct classification as “freelancer” or “trader” is important due to the different tax procedures.
Business tax liability
Anyone who runs a business pays trade tax. Freelancers are exempt from trade tax.
Type of accounting
Accounting for freelancers is generally considered to be less complicated. In this case, it is sufficient to prepare an EÜR (income surplus account). Anyone who is commercially active must prepare a balance sheet.
Tax burden & structuring options
Freelancers and tradespeople have different tax options. Your tax advisor can help you here too. They will help you find the most tax-efficient solution for you and avoid unnecessary costs.
Important information on taxes can also be found on the website of the Federal Chamber of Tax Advisors.
Good to know: Is there a tax advisor specifically for a business?
Yes — many tax advisors specialize in specific target groups. If you run a business, it is worth looking for a law firm that has experience with commercial clients.
Because: The requirements differ significantly from those of freelance activities — for example due to accounting requirements, business tax and the often more complex structure of the company. An experienced tax advisor for businesses is familiar with these differences and can provide you with targeted support.
Important documents for tax advisors — self-employed people should have this ready
To ensure that your tax advisor can provide you with optimal support, he must have a good overview of your current business situation and all processes. The rule here is: The better you prepare your documents, the better he can support you right from the start.
And even though there are many details about the question “What documents does my tax advisor need? “Are individual, there are some documents that your tax advisor will almost always request.
You should have these documents handy for your tax advisor if you work as a self-employed person:
- Invoices & receipts: Income and expenditure arranged chronologically and comprehensibly: electronically or as a scan (e.g. PDF, JPG)
- Bank documents: Business account statements (monthly or yearly)
- Payment service provider: Transaction overviews from Stripe, PayPal, Klarna, etc.
- Contracts & agreements such as rental contracts, leasing contracts
- Tax documents: Income tax, sales tax and business tax assessments (previous year and ongoing); advance sales tax returns (UStVA); tax registration questionnaire (when starting a new company); decisions on special topics (e.g. § 7g EStG, Corona aid)
- Accounting data
- Evidence of deductible costs (evidence) such as continuing education, specialist literature, software licenses, etc.
- Fixed assets & depreciation: Acquisition costs, documents, delivery notes, current system directory
- Logbook (if motor vehicle is used professionally): manually or digitally managed, seamless
- Open positions: List of unpaid incoming and outgoing invoices
- Investments & financing: Evidence of planned or ongoing investments, leasing agreements, loan agreements, funding
- Wage and social security documents (if employees): payslips, social security reports, proof of contributions
- Private use & mixed costs: Distribution records for telephone, Internet, motor vehicles, etc.
Important: A tax advisor does not always need all of these documents at the same time — but:
- Ongoing (e.g. for monthly accounting or VAT),
- Annually (e.g. for the EEU or the annual financial statements),
- One-time (e.g. tax registration upon incorporation, initial inventory),
- As appropriate (e.g. for investments, tax audits, change of legal form).
Self-employed without a tax advisor - risks and alternatives
As a self-employed person, you are generally not required to hire a tax advisor. Whether you do your bookkeeping yourself or have it managed externally depends on several factors — in particular on your income, time, professional security and your personal standards of accuracy and efficiency.
Digital tools and tax software make a lot easier today. This can be a practical solution, especially in the initial phase or with very simple business models. But: Software also does not replace expert opinion or tax strategy.
It often turns out that taking care of taxes themselves is no major problem for many shortly after founding the company. There are now numerous software solutions and apps that help to prepare and submit tax returns. And yet with them, you have no guarantee that everything will actually run smoothly.
Classic risks include:
- Deadlines are overlooked or calculated incorrectly.
- Tax benefits — such as depreciation or provisions — remain unused.
- Incorrect information leads to back payments or delays.
- Communication with the tax office is becoming a burden.
- Important strategic issues (legal form, investments, withdrawals) remain unresolved.
Many people find that what initially works quickly becomes a source of time and risk as the business grows. The good news: You can start professional consulting at any time — even after years of self-organization.
A strong partner for your entrepreneurial decisions
An experienced tax advisor is more than just a service provider — he is a sparring partner, an understanding of figures and a driving force for your business decisions. It ensures that you meet your tax obligations efficiently, meet deadlines and make full use of room for manoeuvre.
Whether you're just starting up, scaling your business model or questioning your cooperation with your current law firm: It's worth looking specifically for a tax advisor for self-employed people who is right for you professionally and personally.
Because in the end, it is not just about correct bookkeeping, but about financial clarity, legal certainty and the good feeling of being optimally positioned for tax purposes.
Quick onboarding
We will guide you step by step in introducing our platform and ensure a seamless connection of all systems — for maximum flexibility.
Excellent monthly
Conclusion
You can communicate directly with your contact person via our platform, clarify open issues and ask questions about your accounting.
Timely BWA
You will receive your monthly BWA quickly and precisely so that you can keep an eye on your finances at all times.
Frequently asked questions about tax advisors for self-employed people
How high the costs you should calculate depends on several factors, including the scope of your accounting, the complexity of the work and your legal status. Tax advisors usually use the Tax Consultant Remuneration Code as a basis. It is best to request an offer in advance.
Invoices and receipts, bank documents, contracts, insurance certificates and pension agreements, among other things, are relevant for your tax advisor. Make sure to make everything available in the most structured way possible.
When looking for the right tax advisor for self-employed people, you should attach particular importance to the appropriate specialization, the opportunity to have an initial interview and recommendations and reviews from other clients. Among other things, it is also particularly advantageous if your tax advisor uses digital tools.
Yes, many tax advisors offer industry-specific services — for example for e-commerce, agencies or craft businesses. A tax advisor with experience in business knows the typical challenges of your industry and can specifically help with tax optimization.
The term “tax assistance” is often used more generally, for example for offers such as payroll tax assistance associations. For self-employed people, comprehensive tax advice from a law firm is usually the better choice — especially when it comes to accounting for the self-employed, annual financial statements or strategic tax issues.
In principle, yes — if you are familiar with tax law and can spend enough time. But especially in the early stages or when business volumes increase, working with a tax advisor can quickly pay off because you can avoid mistakes, take advantage of tax benefits and concentrate better on your core business.
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