Our Services for Freelancers & Self-employed in Germany

Health insurance is compulsory for the whole population in Germany.

If you are registered as a freelancer, you must take out private health insurance, unless you have already been part of the public health insurance scheme before.

There are currently 45 private health insurance companies in Germany. You should request free advice from an independent insurance broker to help you find the option that best fits your budget and meets your needs.

Freelancers aren’t obliged to take part in the German social security system.

If you already have private health insurance and need to apply for your social security number that will entitle you to a range of benefits, you can contact the Deutsche Rentenversicherung. If you are not member of the German social security system, then you will have first to find a private health insurance coverage for unemployment, accident and pension insurance.

A bank account is required by the Finanzamt: the account number needs to be added on the freelancer application form (lines 27 to 39).

We strongly advise to separate your private and business accounts in Germany, this will enable you to set up smooth VAT and tax return filing with the authorities.

The easiest accounts to open for freelancers are the N26 Business Account & the N26 YOU. They are free and in English. The opening procedure takes only eight minutes.

You are required to provide a German mobile phone number on most bureaucratic forms to become a freelancer (i.e. line 21 on the freelancer form).

You have to be reachable by the tax authorities in Germany in case they have some questions for you.

The tax number is not to be confused with the tax ID. The tax number, or Steuernummer, needs to be requested at the Finanzamt once you are registered in Germany. The Steuernummer is required to become a freelancer and file your taxes in Germany.

In order to get your tax number, you need to fill out a form called Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung. You can now fill in that form online, guided, and in English. It’s free!

Once you are ready, submit it directly online to the Finanzamt through the official ELSTER interface. Once you have submitted the form, it usually take 3-6 weeks for the Finanzamt to send your new tax number via post.

As an individual freelancing in Germany, you may be required to obtain a VAT number (in German: Umsatzsteuer or USt-IdNr) in order to charge it to your clients and pay it to your tax office (VAT return), unless your yearly revenue is lower than 17.500 EUR.

The VAT or valued-added tax is a tax levied on almost all products and services in Germany. You can apply online for a VAT number here (from 6am to 11pm) unless you’ve already applied for it using the tax registration form (see point 7).

Tax declarations are compulsory for freelancers and self-employed people in Germany.

The income tax declaration is a summary of all your income and expenses during the year, and is done to determine the taxable income.

The deadline for submitting your tax return is the 31st of July of the following year, or the 28th of the second following year if the report is submitted by a certified tax advisor.

You can file your tax return online and in English with the help of our partner. Check out below if they can help you.

Freelancers who charge VAT need to submit either a monthly, a quarterly or an annual VAT declaration (Umsatzsteuererklärung).

If your yearly revenue is lower than 17.500 EUR, you don’t need to charge VAT.

If you charge VAT, You have to submit VAT returns every year to your Finanzamt through the ELSTER website. 

You can use our partner’s platform to prepare and submit your VAT declaration in English with on-demand help from certified tax consultants. Check below if they can help you.