German VAT, the Finanzamt, pricing.
Your questions, answered.

No. You can be based anywhere in the world. For non-EU sellers (e.g. UK post-Brexit, US, China) we act as your authorised recipient in Germany. Every letter from the tax office comes to us: we read it and tell you in plain English what it means, what you need to do, and by when. Routine letters we answer for you, included in your plan; if a letter needs more than a routine answer, we tell you and send a fixed quote before we start.

Two separate clocks, and they depend on the plan. The monthly filing plan (Standard, €99/month) is for businesses that already hold a German tax number (Steuernummer): it starts the day you sign up, and we file from the first period you give us. If you do not have a Steuernummer yet, registration belongs to the all-in plan (Standard €1,299/year or Pro €1,999/year): it is charged at signup, and we use the first 4 to 8 weeks to prepare and submit your tax registration questionnaire (Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung) and answer the Finanzamt's follow-up questions until your number is issued. In that window there are no VAT returns yet, but real work is happening on your file.

The filing obligation itself begins with the start of your business activity in Germany, not automatically with the number being issued. Your activity start date is something you declare yourself in the Fragebogen: if your goods, stock, or operation will not be live in Germany for several months, you put that later date, and monthly UStVA filings begin from that date. In practice you control when the filing clock starts, and we help you set it correctly so you are not filing for months you were not yet active. Our VAT check takes 30 seconds and helps you decide whether registering now or later makes sense.

Yes, directly: you need no German address and no fiscal representative, and everything runs in English. Every US company is registered with Finanzamt Bonn-Innenstadt. We fill in the registration questionnaire (Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung) from your answers and track it until your tax number arrives, typically in 4 to 8 weeks, and your VAT ID follows. You send IRS Form 6166 (your certificate of US tax residency) and your formation documents. On the all-in plan, every VAT return after that is included.

Vaytax is run by the firm that files your returns: FRADECO GmbH, a licensed German tax advisory firm (Steuerberatungsgesellschaft). You enter your figures or upload your sales report in an English dashboard, every report and return gets an automatic double check, and a licensed German tax advisor on our own team files every return with the tax office.

No. Every letter from the tax office comes to us, and we read it and tell you in plain English what it means, what to do and by when. Routine letters we answer for you, included in your subscription: reminders (Mahnungen), questions about a return we filed, registration follow-ups. The standalone letter intake at /finanzamt-letter is for foreign companies who aren't subscribers. If a letter needs more than a routine answer (an estimated assessment (Schätzbescheid) with back-year cleanup, an objection, an audit notice), email us or use your dashboard inbox: we tell you and send a fixed quote before we start.

The general 19% and 7% rates are unchanged. New in 2026: restaurant and catering food dropped to 7% on 1 January, and the EU's €150 customs duty exemption ended on 1 July, replaced by a transitional flat duty of €3 for each category of item in the parcel. E-invoicing phases in for Germany-established businesses in 2027 and 2028. Full overview: German VAT changes 2026.

Yes, if it makes no taxable sales in Germany and its home country refunds VAT to German businesses in return or charges no VAT. The claim goes to the Federal Central Tax Office (Bundeszentralamt für Steuern, BZSt) by 30 June of the year after the costs. A company registered for VAT in Germany, for example a seller with stock in a German warehouse, deducts the VAT in its own German VAT return instead. We prepare and file the claim for a fixed fee per claim: German VAT refund for non-EU companies.

Very little on day one: your work email, your name, your company name and its country. You pay first and then upload the paperwork at your own pace inside your account.

What we will ask for during onboarding: - an extract from your commercial register, or your formation document (a scan is normally enough; a paper that is not in German may need a translation; a plain translation is normally enough, and we check what your tax office needs) - a passport or ID copy of the managing director - a power of attorney (Vollmacht): we prefill it, you print it, sign it by hand and upload it - your marketplace accounts and web shop, if any (the names are enough) - your existing German tax number (Steuernummer), if you already have one - for a new registration: what you sell, to whom, and where the goods move

Nothing has to be ready before you pay.

We usually submit your application to the tax office (Finanzamt) within a few working days once your documents are complete; with priority registration, within one working day. The tax office typically takes 4 to 8 weeks to issue your tax number (Steuernummer). The EU VAT ID (USt-IdNr.) is requested on the same questionnaire: it often comes together with the tax number, otherwise usually a few weeks later. Your German VAT obligation starts with your first sale or the first item stored in Germany, not when the number arrives; we file those first periods once it is issued. Amazon and other marketplaces usually ask for the VAT number before you sell from German stock.

You don't have to wait for the number. Import VAT on goods your company imports for its business from its declared start of activity in Germany can be deducted as input VAT even before the tax number is issued. Three things matter: your company owns the goods when they are imported, the import is declared for your company (for a company outside the EU, the freight forwarder declares as indirect representative), and you receive the import VAT notice (Einfuhrabgabenbescheid) in your company's name for every shipment. The import VAT is claimed on the VAT return for the month of import, and that return is filed once the tax number arrives. Where you can, start the registration before the first shipment, and check that the customs papers name your company correctly.

Yes. Storing stock in Germany triggers a German VAT obligation regardless of where your customers live. We file the German part: monthly UStVA, ZM, and the annual VAT return (Jahreserklärung). If you sell B2C to EU consumers, you'll also need OSS: filed through Germany if Germany is your member state of identification (we can file it), or in your home country if you're EU-established (your home-country accountant, running alongside Vaytax). If you sell only B2B to dealers in other EU countries, you don't need OSS at all (OSS is B2C-only), and German VAT plus ZM is everything, both included.

No, as long as your stock is only in Germany. What triggers a VAT registration in another country is goods being physically stored there, not a sale or a return routed through it. If you keep Amazon's Pan-EU programme switched off, your inventory stays in Germany and Germany stays your only registration. If you ever switch Pan-EU on, or use any other arrangement that places stock abroad, that country needs its own registration, so tell us before you do.

No. Germany does not require a fiscal representative for a standard VAT registration, unlike some other EU countries. Your company registers directly and we act as your authorised recipient for Finanzamt correspondence.

It depends on where your company is established and on who declares your imports. A company established in an EU country gets its EORI once, from its own country's customs, and that number is valid for imports into Germany; Germany does not issue a second one, and we cannot apply in another country for you. A company established outside the EU that ships to Amazon or a 3PL and lets the carrier clear customs does not need its own EORI either: the carrier declares under its number, and German customs refuses an application in that case. Only a company outside the EU that will declare imports into Germany in its own name needs a German EORI, and that is the case our €199 EORI application add-on is for. We ask these questions before you can buy it. What Germany requires from every foreign seller with stock here, whatever the customs setup, is the VAT registration; that is a tax matter, independent of customs.

Usually yes. The marketplace "deemed supplier" rules can make Amazon or TikTok account for the German VAT on your B2C sales, but storing goods in a German warehouse still requires your own German VAT registration: for the movement of your stock, your reporting, and recovering import VAT. We confirm the exact treatment for your setup during onboarding so your returns are filed correctly.

No, because Germany does not require fiscal representation for standard VAT compliance in the first place. A foreign company registers directly and can appoint a licensed German tax advisor; no guarantee, deposit or bond is involved. See why no fiscal representative is needed.

Not if you store goods in Germany: registration is due from the first unit, with no threshold. The €10,000 EU-wide threshold only applies to EU-established sellers shipping cross-border B2C from another EU country. Non-EU companies (UK, US, China) selling from German stock need a registration from day one.

Germany issues two numbers from two authorities. The tax number (Steuernummer, in the form 26/123/45678) comes first, from your tax office (Finanzamt). Your German VAT is owed from the start of your activity in Germany, not from that day; the returns for every period since then are filed once the tax number arrives. The VAT number (USt-IdNr, "DE" plus nine digits) comes by post from the federal office (Bundeszentralamt für Steuern, BZSt), often together with the tax number, otherwise usually a few weeks later. Amazon and the other marketplaces accept only the VAT number; the tax number is rejected there. We tell you the day each one arrives. A number ending in "-00001" is a third one, the business identification number (Wirtschafts-Identifikationsnummer), and works on neither form.

The list depends on the tax office responsible for your country and on your company type, and we ask for all of it once, right after payment. The usual set:

• an extract from your company register
• the articles of association: if they are not in German, German is the safe language for a translation and a plain one is normally enough; the Finanzamt may ask for a certified translation (beglaubigte Übersetzung) in justified cases, and we check what your office needs
• the passport of every director (a driving licence is refused)
• every shareholder to 100 percent, with date of birth and home address, and the share capital
• proof of the registered office (for a virtual office, the provider's confirmation)
• a bank proof
• the warehouse or marketplace contract (for Amazon FBA, the seller name and token)
• the real start date of your German activity
• if your company has no VAT number at home, a tax-residency certificate from your home tax authority

Documents in Cyrillic or another non-Latin script need a translation too; a plain one is normally enough. Scans are normally enough, so you do not need to post originals, and an apostille is needed only if the Finanzamt explicitly asks for one. If you genuinely do not have an item, say so with one line why; the office accepts that, and the missing item holds the submission, not your account.

No. Your plan covers the routine work in full: every monthly or quarterly VAT return (UStVA), the annual return (Jahreserklärung), the EC sales list (ZM), every letter read and explained, routine letters answered for you. Standard is €1,299/year with the German registration included, or €99/month or €1,099/year if you already hold a German tax number; Pro is €1,999/year all-in, or €1,799/year if you are already registered, billed yearly only. On monthly billing the annual return for a year is included when the plan covers July to December of that year; join later and that year's annual return is a one-time €599. If you need a new German VAT number and want nothing else, registration only is €499 one-time (no filing plan; our mandate ends when your tax number and VAT ID are issued). Everything outside the plan is quoted before we start: corrections (€99 each on Standard, five per contract year included on Pro), catch-up returns for periods before you joined (€99 per past return), the filing extension and priority registration (€199 each on Standard, included in Pro) and advisory work (€200 per hour).

It is fixed for the year. The €1,299 per year (Standard) is the same whether you have a high-revenue month or file a nil return; Pro works the same way at €1,999. Both cover your German VAT registration, every monthly or quarterly VAT return (UStVA) and the annual return (Jahreserklärung), whatever your transaction volume. The price does not change with your sales or activity level, and the plan renews yearly at the then-published price.

No. The EU sales list (Zusammenfassende Meldung, ZM) is included in both plans, whether you file one a quarter or one a month. Routine letters are included too, and we answer them for you: address changes, deadline confirmations, payment queries, questions about a return we filed, requests for a document you have already given us. Where the Finanzamt asks a substantive question after registration (a hearing (Anhörung), an assessment notice (Bescheid) to check), Pro answers it from the included tax advisor hours; on Standard we quote it first, at €200 per hour.

That is the Standard plan for a business that already holds a German tax number: every monthly or quarterly VAT return filed with the Finanzamt, the annual VAT return, the EU sales list (Zusammenfassende Meldung), an automatic double check of every sales report and return before filing, every tax-office letter read and explained in plain English with the deadline named, your accountant in copy and a dashboard in English. Pro (yearly only) adds a person who checks each return against your report, four advisor hours a year, five corrections a year, the filing extension and a named contact. On monthly billing the annual return for a year is included when we file at least July to December of that year; join later and that first year's annual return is a one-time €599. Not included: incoming-invoice review, tax advisory and legal advice, which are advisory on request at €200/hr. The EU One-Stop-Shop (OSS) is a separate add-on, not part of the €99/month.

No, OSS is a separate add-on in both plans: €300 one-time setup plus €200 per quarter, on top of your German VAT plan, charged when you add it. We switch it on from your first sale to a consumer in another EU country: the €10,000 EU-wide threshold is only available to sellers established inside the EU, so a seller established outside the EU has none. An EU-established company files OSS in its home country, not Germany. The German plan (Standard €1,299/year all-in, or €99/month if you already hold a German tax number) covers your German registration and filings.

Only optional services you actively choose, never anything triggered automatically by your sales. The optional add-ons are: OSS for cross-border B2C sales to consumers in other EU countries (€300 to register, then €200 per quarter, in neither plan); a German EORI number for customs (€199 one-time), which applies only where German customs is responsible for issuing you one, meaning your company has its own staff and premises in Germany. Most sellers need no EORI of their own: an EU company already holds one from its own country that is valid across the EU, and a company outside the EU normally has its freight forwarder declare as indirect representative on the forwarder's number. Also available: priority registration (€199 on Standard, included in Pro: your registration questionnaire goes to the tax office within one working day of your documents being complete); the filing extension (Dauerfristverlängerung, €199 a year on Standard, included in Pro); corrections of an already-filed return (€99 each on Standard; Pro includes five per contract year, then €99); a written response to a tax-office letter or one-off tax advice (€200 per hour, quoted before any work; on Pro the included hours come first); and catch-up filing of returns for periods before you joined (€99 per past return). None of these is required for a routine German VAT setup.

Yes, within the plan's term. On the monthly plan, notice runs to the end of the following month. A yearly plan runs for twelve months and renews each year; cancel at least one month before the term ends to stop the renewal, and the year you have paid for runs to its end. We file any return whose period falls within your active subscription, then close your account and deregister you with the tax office if requested. Fees are paid in advance. A fee is earned once we start the work it pays for and is not refunded; if you cancel before we start, the amount becomes credit for other Vaytax services for 12 months.

Each company needs its own plan, because we file under each company's own tax number. Running three or more companies? Write to us via the contact page.

Yes. Even zero-revenue months require a €0 VAT return filing. That work still takes time and counts toward your subscription.

No. Scheduling VAT payments with the tax office is included. The tax office pulls the money directly from your account, we don't hold client funds.

It depends on the case. A direct response to a single Mahnung typically sits at the lower end (from €200 net). A multi-year retroactive Schätzbescheid covering Amazon marketplace sales with prior-period filings can be €1,500-€2,500+. We quote based on what your specific case actually requires, not a tiered menu. You pay nothing to receive the quote and nothing if you decide not to proceed.

It depends on where your company is established and on its VAT number. For our German VAT service: a company established outside the EU pays no German VAT on our fee, because the place of supply of a business service is the customer's country (§ 3a Abs. 2 UStG). A company established in another EU country with a valid VAT number from that country (checked in the EU's VIES register) is invoiced under the reverse charge: we add no German VAT and you account for it in your own country. An EU company without such a number, and a company established in Germany, pays 19% German VAT (Umsatzsteuer); once a valid VAT number is on your account, later invoices switch to the reverse charge, and invoices already issued stay as they are. Our French VAT service is invoiced by our French company under French rules: 20% French VAT (TVA) for a company established in France or one that has not given us its VAT or tax number, and no French VAT otherwise.

Pro is Standard plus: a person compares each return with the report you uploaded before filing and flags every deviation; stock moved between EU warehouses valued and filed from your price list on your German returns (the stock-movement (Verbringen) valuation); four hours of licensed German tax advisor (Steuerberater) time a year, one block across Germany and France, for hearings, assessment checks, written responses and transaction questions; a warning before an objection deadline on an assessment runs out; five corrections per contract year; the filing extension (Dauerfristverlängerung) and priority registration included; a named contact who replies within 24 hours on working days. Every plan already has every letter read and explained, the automatic double check, the annual return matched against the year's returns and your accountant in copy. Pro is €1,999/year for Germany (€1,799/year if you already hold a German tax number) and €2,399/year for France (€2,199/year if already registered), billed yearly only. In both plans you enter and confirm your own figures, and they remain your responsibility.

Four hours a year, included in Pro, as one block across Germany and France. They cover Finanzamt questions that go beyond routine correspondence, statements in a hearing (Anhörung), checking an assessment notice (Steuerbescheid) with a recommendation, a written response or objection, questions on the VAT treatment of individual transactions, and export and import paperwork. Onboarding help and "how do I enter this" questions never count against them. Unused time lapses at the end of the contract year and is not carried over or paid out. If a request would exceed what is left, we say so before starting and quote the rest at €200 per hour.

Choose Pro on the pricing page when you sign up: the button takes you straight into registration with Pro preselected, no separate step. If you are already a Standard customer, open the Billing tab in your dashboard and request the move to Pro from there; we set it up on our side once you ask.

All routine filings, on both plans: the monthly or quarterly VAT return (UStVA) every period, the EC sales list (ZM), plus the annual VAT return (Jahreserklärung), nil returns included. There is no per-filing charge for this routine cadence. On monthly billing the annual return for a year is included when the plan covers July to December of that year; join later and that year's annual return is a one-time €599. Two things sit outside the flat price: catch-up filings for periods before you joined (€99 per past return) and corrections of an already-submitted return (Berichtigung), €99 each on Standard; Pro includes five per contract year, then €99 each.

A correction re-files a return you already submitted, for example after a missed invoice turns up. On Standard it is €99 per correction, none included. On Pro five corrections per contract year are included; further ones are €99 each. Either way we confirm the correction with you before we file it.

For a new registration, no. The registration is the bulk of the work and it happens at the start, before a single return is filed: we prepare and submit your registration and answer the Finanzamt's follow-up questions until your numbers are issued. Because that work is delivered upfront, the all-in plans (Standard €1,299, Pro €1,999) are paid upfront. If you would rather spread the cost, you can buy registration only for €499 one-time and join the Standard monthly plan (€99/month) once you hold your German VAT number, with no further registration fee. For comparison on a yearly basis: €499 plus the €1,099 yearly filing plan comes to €1,598 in year one, against €1,299 for the Standard all-in.

Yes. Card payment at signup is the quickest: we start as soon as it is paid. If your company has to pay by bank transfer, write to us and we send an invoice; we start once the payment has arrived. All fees are paid in advance.

Union OSS (One-Stop-Shop) lets a non-EU-established seller with stock in Germany report B2C sales to other EU countries through one quarterly return, filed via Germany. It costs €300 one-time plus €200 per quarter. You need it as soon as you ship cross-border to consumers in other EU countries: the €10,000 EU-wide threshold is only available to sellers established inside the EU, so a non-EU seller has none and OSS applies from the first such sale. If you sell only within Germany, you do not need OSS. If your company is established in another EU country, your OSS registration belongs in your home country, not Germany.

Yes. Outstanding years and unfiled returns, a switched-off German VAT number, an estimated assessment (Schätzbescheid) or a hearing (Anhörung) with a deadline, a US LLC classification memo or an address change at the tax office are quoted as case work: a licensed German tax advisor reads the case and sends a fixed price within one working day. The fee covers the work, not the tax office's decision. No promise as to outcome or result. Quoted and paid before work starts. Each case has its own page with the circa cost at vaytax.com/advisory.

Yes. Registration only is €499 one-time. We prepare and submit your tax registration questionnaire (Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung) and answer the Finanzamt's follow-up questions until your German tax number (Steuernummer) is issued, usually in 4 to 8 weeks (individual tax offices can take considerably longer), and until your VAT ID (USt-IdNr) follows. Our mandate ends when both numbers are issued and we then withdraw our power of attorney (Vollmacht); VAT returns are not included, and filing them is your responsibility unless you add a filing plan (Standard €99/month or €1,099/year, Pro €1,799/year, with no further registration fee). For comparison, €499 plus the €1,099 yearly filing plan comes to €1,598 in year one, against €1,299 for the Standard all-in.

Yes. Registration only in France is €599 one-time, charged in full at signup. We prepare your registration dossier, file it with the French tax office for foreign businesses (SIEE) and answer the tax office's follow-up questions until your French VAT number is issued, usually one to three months after filing. Our mandate ends when the number is issued and we then revoke our authorisation (mandat); French VAT returns (CA3) are not included, and filing them is your responsibility unless you add the French filing plan (Standard €139/month or €1,499/year, Pro €2,199/year, with no further registration fee). For comparison, €599 plus the €1,499 yearly filing plan comes to €2,098 in year one, against €1,699 for the Standard all-in. You can also combine it with a German plan in one order, for example German filings plus a French registration.

Steuerberater €200/hr, Manager €150/hr, Senior €125/hr, Assistant €90/hr, exactly as stated in Section B of your engagement letter. Billed in 15-minute increments, net, plus a 4% expense surcharge capped at €20; German VAT is added only where it applies to your company (most foreign companies are reverse-charged and pay none). These rates cover advisory work, audits, inspections and objection proceedings, and substantive Finanzamt enquiries that go beyond routine correspondence. They never apply to your regular filings or to routine Finanzamt correspondence, which your plan includes. We always quote before starting.

There are two ways to get one. Registration is included in the all-in plans (Standard €1,299/year, Pro €1,999/year), which cover preparation of your tax registration questionnaire (Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung), submission to the Finanzamt, and follow-up with the office until your Steuernummer is issued, plus every monthly or quarterly and annual filing for the year. Or you can buy registration only for €499 one-time: we get you the numbers and hand them over, our mandate ends when both the Steuernummer and the VAT ID are issued and we then withdraw our power of attorney, and VAT returns are not included. If you plan to file with us anyway the all-in costs less: €499 plus the €1,099 yearly filing plan comes to €1,598 in year one, against €1,299 for the Standard all-in. If you already hold a German VAT number you do not need registration at all: that is the €99/month or €1,099/year filing plan.

Yes. If you already have a German VAT number, yearly billing on Standard is €1,099/year, against €99/month (€1,188 over twelve months). Same service; the terms differ only in how they end: the yearly plan runs for twelve months and renews each year unless you cancel at least one month before the term ends, while the monthly plan cancels to the end of the following month. New registrations use the €1,299/year all-in plan, which is billed yearly, renews yearly, and already includes the registration. Pro is billed yearly only.

Every clean-up is quoted in writing before we start and paid before we start; the figures below are what cases have actually cost, net of VAT. Two to three open years with an estimated assessment (Schätzbescheid) to overturn typically come to €1,500 to €3,000, the returns themselves included. A written response to a hearing letter (Anhörung) or an objection (Einspruch) is €400 to €800. Closing a number properly, with the nil returns the office demands, is €600; bringing a deregistered number back is from €400. Anything outside those lines is quoted by the hour at €200. Upload the letter and you get the quote within 24 hours on weekdays.

Yes. You receive an email reminder ahead of every filing deadline, so nothing is missed. You enter your figures into the portal and we review and submit the return on time.

Two ways, never both at once, and card is not one of them. With a direct-debit mandate (SEPA-Lastschriftmandat) the tax office collects the amount on your return on its own schedule, usually around the due date. The mandate counts only once the office has confirmed it, which takes a few weeks after we lodge it, and the office requires the form signed by hand. Until it is confirmed, you transfer each return yourself to the tax office's account with the reference we show you (tax number, period, company). Once your dashboard shows that we collect by direct debit, do not transfer manually: the office then debits the same amount again, and getting the second payment back needs a written request, takes weeks, and small surcharges are sometimes held back. If your company banks outside the SEPA area, expect to stay on the transfer route. If you are unsure which state you are in, ask us before you transfer.

Both, in both plans. Every sales report and return goes through an automatic double check before filing (complete and plausible, and we may spot-check individual invoices), and a licensed German tax advisor (Steuerberater) then reviews and releases every return. On Pro a person also compares each return with the report you uploaded (Amazon VAT transactions report, easybill export, sales summary) and flags every deviation before filing. Neither plan is full bookkeeping or a line-by-line review of your invoices, and the figures remain your responsibility in both.

Through our own direct connection to ELSTER, the German tax authority's electronic filing system. ELSTER's checks run on the return before it leaves, and the moment we send it, ELSTER returns its official receipt number. You see that receipt on the return in your dashboard. You still confirm your own figures each period, and a licensed German tax advisor reviews the return before it is sent.

Filing on time is our job. We are a licensed German tax advisory firm and we carry professional liability insurance, as German law requires of every Steuerberater. A penalty caused by a mistake on our side is our responsibility. A penalty caused by figures that reach us late or incorrect sits with you. We hold the power of attorney (Vollmacht), so every letter from the tax office comes to us. We read it and tell you in plain English what it means, what you need to do, and by when; routine letters we answer for you, and anything beyond routine gets a fixed quote before we start.

Without a tax advisor, the 2025 Umsatzsteuer-Jahreserklärung is due by 31 July 2026. Filed through a licensed tax advisor, the deadline extends automatically to 1 March 2027 (the legal date, 28 February 2027, falls on a Sunday). Every 2026 date is in our printable calendar.

Quarterly preliminary returns are due on the 10th of the month after each quarter: 10 April (Q1), 10 July (Q2), 12 October (Q3, shifted from a Saturday) and 11 January 2027 (Q4). With Dauerfristverlängerung each deadline moves one month later. Quarterly filing applies when your prior-year German VAT was between €2,000 and €9,000.

Yes, German domestic deadlines shift to the next working day (§108(3) AO). The exception is the EU One-Stop-Shop: OSS returns and payments stay due on the last day of the month after the quarter even when that date is a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday.

Usually not directly. German returns are filed electronically via ELSTER in German, and representation before the Finanzamt is restricted by German law (StBerG) to authorised persons, in practice a licensed German Steuerberater. Most foreign accountants hand the German piece to one; that is the role Vaytax fills, in English.

Yes. On Pro we apply for it for you: the permanent one-month extension on every German VAT deadline (Dauerfristverlängerung) is part of the plan. On Standard it is an add-on at a fixed €199 per year. If you already hold one, tell us at signup and every deadline in your account shifts by a month automatically, so you never track two sets of dates; routine filings under the extension are included in both plans. Full explainer: German VAT deadline extension, explained.

The Amazon VAT Transactions Report, exported for the month you are filing. In Seller Central: Reports → Fulfilment by Amazon → Tax section → Amazon VAT Transactions Report → Request .csv Download. Not the "All Orders" report, and nothing under the discontinued "VAT Services on Amazon". Upload the file exactly as it downloaded, without opening and re-saving it in Excel.

Full guide →

The Rechnungsausgangsbuch (outgoing-invoice ledger), exported as CSV. In easybill: Auswertungen → Rechnungsausgangsbuch → set the date range to your filing month → Ergebnis exportieren → Ergebnistabelle als CSV. We can also read the DATEV-format booking batch (Buchungsstapel, the DATEV ASCII export under the separate Export tab). The other accounting formats there (DATEV XML, Lexware, and similar) we cannot read your VAT figures from.

Full guide →

Your orders export, as a CSV file. In your Shopify admin: Orders → Export → choose the dates of the whole filing period → export as CSV, and upload it exactly as it downloads. Not a payouts, finance or taxes report: those are summaries. We place each order in the month it was delivered (or paid, if not yet delivered), put German sales on the return, show EU consumer sales per country for the One-Stop-Shop (OSS), flag exports for proof of export, and set aside anything unclear for you to confirm.

Full guide →

The Amazon, Shopify and easybill reports are your sales, which is what the sales side of your return is built from. Input VAT (Vorsteuer) on your German purchases is added separately, by you or by us, so the return is complete.

No. The Finanzamt letter intake at /finanzamt-letter is a separate one-shot service. Send us the letter, a licensed German tax advisor reviews it, and you get a fixed-price quote within 24 hours (weekdays). No subscription, no ongoing commitment.

Send your letter →

Yes, and the compliance picture is actually simpler. B2B sales to dealers in other EU countries are reverse-charge supplies, reported on your monthly UStVA and on the ZM (both included). You do not need OSS at all (OSS is B2C-only). If your model is "stock in a German 3PL, ship to dealers across the EU," the German VAT registration plus monthly compliance is everything you need, and that is exactly what we do.

It depends on your sales. Storing stock in Germany requires a German VAT registration from the first euro. OSS is the second layer: it covers your B2C sales to consumers in other EU countries. The €10,000 EU-wide threshold is only available to sellers established inside the EU, so a seller established outside the EU has none and OSS applies from the first such sale; an EU-established seller needs OSS once its EU-wide B2C passes €10,000 a year, and files it in its home country, not Germany. A seller from outside the EU with German stock selling EU-wide usually needs both, and we file both.

Yes, in a way many sellers don't realise. The Union scheme is usually described as EU-established only, but if your goods ship from a German warehouse, Germany becomes your OSS member state of identification, so you file Union OSS through Germany. No EU subsidiary required.

Two answers, depending on where the VAT was paid.

German VAT (hotel in Berlin, taxi in Munich, stand at a Düsseldorf Messe): yes, reclaimed through your VAT return (UStVA). You enter the input VAT from these invoices with your figures, or upload your accountant's ledger, and we check it and file the return. If you want us to enter individual invoices for you, we quote that first.

Other-EU VAT (Italian hotel, French trade fair, Polish exhibition fees): not included. These are recovered through a 13th Directive refund application, a separate procedure with different deadlines and rules. We do not file these as standard compliance work, but we can quote on request.

Full guide: how to reclaim VAT on German business trips →

Three steps. (1) Upload the letter and describe your situation on our intake form at /finanzamt-letter. (2) Within 24 hours (weekdays), a licensed German tax advisor replies with a fixed-price quote covering the response, plus any prior-period filings the case requires. (3) Accept the quote and pay via Stripe; the tax advisor then prepares the response and sends it to the Finanzamt. You never need to interact with the German tax office in German.

Schätzbescheid (estimated assessment), Mahnung (reminder/dunning notice), Anhörung (formal hearing notice), Nachforderung (request for additional documents), late-filing surcharges, registration queries, UStVA reminders, and most other foreign-seller-targeted Finanzamt correspondence. If your case is outside our scope (e.g. tax litigation requiring a specialised lawyer), we'll tell you upfront and recommend a referral, no charge.

Yes, when Germany is your OSS member state of identification. If you're a non-EU or German-based seller storing stock in a German warehouse, your Union OSS is filed through Germany, and we file it for you (€300 setup + €200/quarter, added to your German plan). If you're EU-established, your OSS is filed in your home country, typically by your existing accountant, and runs alongside the German VAT returns we file. Either way, a German warehouse plus EU-wide B2C customers means you need both the German registration and OSS. One exception: where a marketplace is the deemed supplier (for example Amazon, for many sales by sellers established outside the EU), the marketplace reports that VAT, and those sales are not in your OSS return.

Yes, in both plans. Every letter from the tax office comes to us. We read it and tell you in plain English what it means, what you need to do, and by when. Routine letters we answer for you, included in your plan: reminders, questions about a return we filed, follow-up questions on your registration, requests for a document you have already given us, address or bank changes. If a letter needs more than a routine answer, such as an objection (Einspruch), an estimated assessment (Schätzbescheid), an audit, or a penalty to dispute, we tell you and send a fixed quote before we start (€200 per hour; Pro includes 4 advisor hours a year). Pro also warns you before an objection deadline on an assessment notice runs out.

OSS normally takes effect from the start of the next calendar quarter after we notify the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) on your behalf. Notify in August or September and it applies from 1 October. There is one earlier route: if your first cross-border sale to an EU consumer happens before that, OSS can apply from the date of that sale, as long as the notification is made by the 10th of the following month. No provider can guarantee you a specific date, because the start is fixed by law, not by how fast the paperwork is filed.

No. When your OSS is run through Germany, your identifier is the German VAT number you already hold, so there is no separate new number to wait for. We register you for the One-Stop-Shop (OSS) scheme against that existing number.

No. The e-invoicing issuing mandate applies to businesses established in Germany. A foreign company that is only VAT-registered, with no German establishment, does not have to issue XRechnung or ZUGFeRD invoices. You should still be able to receive and archive e-invoices from German suppliers.

Not if your stock sits in Germany. Marketplaces collect German VAT on many sales by non-EU sellers as deemed suppliers, but storing goods in a German warehouse still triggers your own registration and filing obligation, and marketplaces demand proof of it. Details: TikTok Shop and Amazon FBA.

Retrying does not help by itself. Amazon checks the number against the federal register that the BZSt maintains, so it keeps being rejected until the BZSt has processed the activation (or the reactivation, if the number was dormant). That can take a few weeks after the tax office has issued your tax number. We tell you the moment the confirmation comes through; enter the number on Amazon after that, and that rejection reason is gone.

Nothing separate: the change of representation is handled as part of onboarding. If past returns are still unfiled when you switch, we catch them up at €99 per past return. There is no lock-in on our side either.

Almost always a period mismatch: the invoices in the file are dated outside the filing period you selected. Only invoices dated inside the selected period count. Export the report for the period you are filing and upload that. Our uploader reads one month per file, so if you file quarterly, send us the months for that quarter and we will combine them.

CSV is simplest and most reliable. Excel works too. The important part: send the file exactly as it came from Amazon, Shopify or easybill. Opening it and re-saving it in Excel changes the formatting and we can no longer read the figures.

The free checker at /amazon-vat-calculator reads your file in your browser; nothing is uploaded there. When you file with Vaytax, you upload the report to us so we can prepare and file your return: it is stored on EU servers (Frankfurt region) and handled by the team of a licensed German Steuerberater, bound by professional secrecy.