Self-employment in Germany

How to start a business

A detailed guide to all the rules you must follow when starting a business in Germany, from registering as a freelancer to paying your taxes.

• How to register your business
  This is how you fill the Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung and register your business with the Finanzamt.
  • Being a Klein­un­ter­neh­mer
    This guide explains what a Kleinunternehmer is, and when it makes sense to be one.
  • Are you a Freiberufler or a Gewerbe?
    Learn the differences between being a freelancer (Freiberufler) and a tradesperson (Gewerbetreibender). It's not as easy as it seems!
  • How to do the Ge­wer­be­an­mel­dung
    The Gewerbeanmeldung is how you get a trade licence (Gewerbeschein) and register for the trade tax (Gewerbesteuer).
  • What is a Han­dels­re­gis­ter­num­mer?
    The German Registernummer, what it looks like and where to find it.
• How the trade tax works
  If you are self-employed in Germany, you might need to pay a trade tax. This is how it works, and how much it costs.
• How VAT works
  A guide to the value-added tax (VAT) for German freelancers and businesses.
• How to run a website
  The laws and regulations you must follow to run a website legally in Germany: the Impressum, analytics, cookie banners, GDPR, etc.
• Freelance developer salaries
  Detailed information about what to charge your freelance client. This guide is frequently updated.