Welcome to Our International Clients!
May we first introduce ourselves: We are a medium-sized partnership of qualified tax advisors and chartered accountants.
It all started in 1984 in Bornheim – near Bonn, Germany’s former capital, and Cologne with two partners. Today our partnership consists of seven partners with offices in four different locations of business throughout Germany: We can be found in Bornheim, Bonn, Berlin, Stollberg (Erzgebirge).
Please note that size doesn’t matter to us. Whether you come for your personal tax matters because you are an expatriate in Germany, or you are interested in starting or expanding your own business in Germany, we offer you excellent professional assistance and advice in orienting yourself in the German tax systems as well as organising your communications with German tax authorities. Developing and maintaining a personal relationship, based on mutual trust, with our client is always essential to us.
In order to offer the best services to our national clients which are involved in global business as well as our international clients who work, live or invest in Germany, we decided to establish international taxation as one of our primary focus areas.
To stay on track with international regulations we – partners as well as employees – regularily attend professional trainings and attach great importance to the daily knowledge exchange between all parts of our organization.
Our Fee Policy
The fees for legal tax advisory and the filing of annual tax reports in Germany are regulated by law and in addition we work on the basis of written contracts with our clients.
Filing of your annual tax return
The exact amount of fees depends on income and complexity of the tax return. In cross border matters we charge an advance payment of 595 EUR (inclusive of VAT 95 EUR if applicable), which will be deducted from the final bill.
Additional 36 EUR (plus 19% VAT) will come up if we receive and check your tax bill from the tax authorities (not including further action in case deviations from the filed tax return occur)
Our “first advice flat rate”
In cross border cases our clients often need first general information and explications on German personal tax obligations for their case: we charge this at a fixed price for „first advice“ of 190 EUR plus 20 EUR for expenses plus 19% German VAT per tax payer which comes uo to a total of 249,90 €.
Together we will analyse your personal tax position in a personal or zoom meeting. We answer your questions on German tax duties and give you a first impression on possible cross border tax questions you may have. On this basis you can decide how to proceed and together we can determine the work that has to be done, agree on the services which you wish us to provide for you and last but not least calculate the cost for future services you may need. The flat rate includes the meeting plus a short written report on the results for your tax position.
Ex-pats often are entitled to get a refund by their employer for tax consultancy costs for the first one or two years after arrival. Please ask your employer or check your employment contract.
Starting your own business in Germany
Our “first advice flat rate” also applies if you want to start your own business in Germany. In a first appointment in person or via zoom we answer your financial and tax questions concerning your new business. We explain your tax position and duties as a corporate tax payer, employer and VAT payer; we help you with the registration process with the tax authorities and answer any other questions you may have concerning these matters. The flat rate concentrates on Q&A and immediate results and action and no written report is given.
Data needed for your German tax return
To file your German tax return we need a lot of information and documents. We prepared a checklist with the basic data necessary to determine your german tax position and taxable income. You may use the link at the end of the document to a word version where you may fill in your answers directly. Then you may upload it together with the necessary documents in our secure bpwclouds. Please ask your responsible contact person in your local bpw office for an upload-link.
Checklist documents needed for your German tax return or evaluation of your tax position (pdf)
Länderlisten zum Internationalen Finanzdatenaustausch- What Finanzamt knows about your crossborder income
Inzwischen tauschen die meisten Länder weltweit untereinander steuerrelevante Finanz- und Kontendaten aus. Der Austausch erfolgt immer zum 30.09. eines Jahres. Das Bundesfinanzministerium veröffentlicht dazu jeweils im Sommer die Liste mit den teilnehmenden Ländern.
Most countries around the world now exchange tax-relevant financial and account data with each other. The exchange always takes place on September 30th. of a year. The Federal Ministry of Finance publishes the list of participating countries every summer.
Here is the final data exchange list for September 30, 2024:
Hier ist die letzte Liste für den Datenaustausch zum 30. September 2024:
Vorsorgeaufwendungen: Aufteilung von ausländischen Globalbeiträgen 2025 – Deduction of global foreign social security contributions for German tax matters 2025
Die soziale Sicherheit ist in verschiedenen Ländern jeweils nach eigenen Grundsätzen geregelt. In einigen Ländern werden globale Beiträge für die Vorsorge erhoben, die dann alle Bereiche umfassen. In Deutschland sind die Beiträge steuerlich abziehbar, aber jeweils nach unterschiedlichen REgeln für unterschiedliche Zweige der Sozialversicherung. Zur Aufteilung und Zuordnung bei grenzüberschreitenden Sachverhalten erstellt das Bundesfinanzministerium (BMF) Aufteilungstabellen, die jeweils an die Verhältnisse eines Jahres angepasst werden. Für 2025 umfasst die Liste im BMF-Schr. vom 28.11.2024 folgende Länder:
Belgien, Irland, Lettland, Malta, Norwegen, Portugal, Spanien, Zypern
Social security is regulated according to its own principles in different countries. In some countries, global contributions are levied for pension, health and other provision, which then cover all areas. In Germany, contributions are tax deductible, but according to different rules for different branches of social insurance. For the distribution and allocation of cross-border issues, the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) creates distribution tables, which are each adapted to the circumstances of a given year. For 2025, the list in the BMF document includes the following countries:
Belgium, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus
Details und die Prozentsätze für die genannten Länder finden Sie unter dem folgenden link/Please find details and percentages for the countries mentioned above: BMF-Schr. zur Aufteilung eines einheitlichen Sozialversicherungsbeitrags (Globalbeitrag); Anpassung der Aufteilungsmaßstäbe für den Veranlagungszeitraum 2025
Aufteilung für Ihre Steuererklärung 2024- Allocation for your German tax return 2024
Die Aufteilungsmaßstäbe für 2024 finden Sie in/The percentages for 2024 you will find in