Go Global - expanding to Germany

Expand your business to Germany effortlessly with a global partner


Germany has an open and international outlook, a well-educated workforce, and a strategic location which creates an attractive fiscal climate. This in addition to the country's technological infrastructure, creates favorable propositions for international business in Germany. However, expanding your business can require a lot of resources and practical arrangements. No one has everything covered up by themselves - our experts will be happy to help you plan the big steps!

Greenstep is part of the international MSI Global Alliance. MSI Global is a network of more than 260 independent accounting and legal firms from more than 100 countries with over 30 years of successful experience. With the MSI Network, we will ensure that you have the best local financial partner with you, both at home and in Germany. If you wish, we can also coordinate cooperation between the countries by a "Shared Service Center" in Finland, so the administration is always as easy as possible for you.

When you go global with a partner, you avoid unnecessary trial and error as well as common mistakes, such as too rapid growth without sufficient processes or not being aware of all the necessary laws, regulations, or policies. We already have experience with customers in Germany, and we are constantly looking to expand our expertise and develop our services. All global solutions are tailor-made - please book an appointment with us to discuss more the possibilities for your company.

Our services in Germany

Greenstep

Accounts Payable, travel claims, credit card claims, Group Consolidation and Reporting with co-ordination inhouse or Greenstep, and NetSuite Platform implementation and development

Local partner

Accounts receivable, General ledger, Payroll, Statutory reporting, VAT, Tax returns

Doing business in Germany

  • Auditing
    A statutory audit is required when 2/3 of the criteria are met in two consecutive years: Annual turnover >12 million euros, total assets >6 million euros, and the number of employees >50.
  • VAT
    The standard VAT rate is 19 %, and the reduced rate of 7 % is applied mainly to food.
  • Business entities
    Sole proprietorship, Limited liability companies, partnerships, branch. In international business, the Private limited liability company (GmbH) and the branch are most commonly used.
  • Income tax
    Income from work is subject to the employee's tax rate, which increases depending on income up to 42 %; partially 45 % (plus solidarity surcharge of 5.5 % and church tax of about 9 % as a percentage of the income tax). In addition, self-employed income, business income, income from agriculture and forest economy, income from rent and lease, income from capital, and other income, such as a pension, are subject to tax.
  • Corporate and trade taxes
    Profits generated by limited liability companies in Germany are subject to corporate income tax. Corporate income tax is 15 % of the taxable income (plus a solidarity surcharge of 5.5 % as a percentage of the amount of corporate income tax). Furthermore, each business is subject to trade tax. It is raised by the municipality in which the company is located and varies concerning height. Approximately it is another 15 % of the trading profit.
Adkl

Our MSI Global partner

Our MSI Global Partner in Germany is ADKL, which is one of the founding members of the MSI Global Alliance. 130 specialists work at ADKL, and it offers services in auditing and valuation, legal consultation, and tax advice. It has six offices in Germany and operates worldwide.

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