Questions to ask a tax advisor in Germany before you sign

Before the call

Send a short description in advance: legal form, industry, revenue, employees, monthly number of documents, services needed, anything international, and your languages. The call can then focus on details. Also check the official register to confirm the person or firm is an admitted Steuerberater — the title is protected by law.

Fit

• How many clients like us do you advise — same legal form, similar size, similar industry?
• Looking at a business like ours, what would you check first?
• Have you worked with set-ups like ours — for example foreign shareholders, a holding structure or EU-wide online sales?
• Can you take us on now, and from when?

The second question tells you the most: an experienced adviser names two or three concrete points straight away.

Language

• Will our day-to-day contact be fluent in English (or our language) — not just the partner in this call?
• Are engagement letters, invoices and written summaries available in English?
• When a letter from the tax office arrives in German, how will you explain it to us?

Filings and letters from the authorities will be in German. What you're checking is whether you'll understand what's going on.

Scope

• Which services do you cover — bookkeeping, payroll, VAT returns, annual accounts, tax returns, publication of accounts?
• What do we do ourselves, and in what format do you need it?
• Is ongoing advice included, or is every question billed separately?
• How do you track deadlines — will you remind us?

Fees

• Do you bill under the statutory fee schedule (StBVV) or a flat fee? What does a flat fee include and exclude?
• Can we get a written quote that lists the services separately?
• What does onboarding cost, for example taking over previous years' data?
• When and how often do you invoice?

Good to know: any fee agreement that deviates from the statutory schedule, such as a flat fee, must be agreed in text form (§ 4 StBVV).

Working together

• Who is our fixed contact person, and who covers for them?
• How quickly do you usually reply to emails?
• How do documents get to you, and which software do you use?
• Can onboarding and signatures happen fully remotely?

Red flags

• No clear answer on what the fee includes.
• Nobody can name your contact person.
• Your international set-up is waved away: “We'll figure it out.”
• “English-speaking” turns out to mean one person you'll rarely reach.
• Pressure to sign before scope and price are clear.
• No questions about your business — an adviser who doesn't ask can't know what they're taking on.

Start the call a step ahead

Advisers who contact you through GetSteuer have seen your requirements — languages, legal form, services, international set-up — and said they're interested. The basics are covered, so the call can focus on fees and how you'll work together.

For international set-ups, see what your Steuerberater must cover as a foreign founder. Replacing your current adviser? Read switching your Steuerberater.