A payslip drawn up in Germany is issued in EUR, in the language and in the form that local law requires. The question is not whether your software can produce a payslip: it is who, on the ground, stands behind what it contains.
Outsourcing payroll in Germany calls for three prior checks: that the firm is authorised to practise, that it is up to date with its own tax and social security obligations, and that it is insured for the errors it might make. The network verifies these three points before any listing, on supporting documents rather than on statements.
Germany sits within the European Union and the European Economic Area: an employee arriving from another member state falls under the EU coordination regulations, and the A1 certificate settles which social security legislation applies. Contracts and pay statements are drawn up in German, the language that governs before the Arbeitsgericht (labour court) in the event of a dispute, and payroll is denominated in euro.
Germany's most structural feature is professional rather than fiscal. The Steuerberatungsgesetz (Tax Advisory Act) reserves tax assistance to Steuerberater (tax advisers), lawyers and auditors. Routine payroll escapes that monopoly under a statutory exception, but the exception is conditional on recognised commercial training and several years of practice. A provider who is not a Steuerberater may therefore produce payslips; it may not advise on a complex tax question.
One further surprise: there is no single social security collection body. Each employee belongs to a health insurance fund, which acts as the collecting agency for all contributions.
In Germany, running payroll on behalf of third parties is a regulated activity. It is carried on under the title of Steuerberater ; à défaut, intervenant relevant de l'exception « Buchführungshelfer » du § 6 Nr. 4 StBerG, and a registration in force must be produced to you before any engagement.
Professional body or supervisory authority : Bundessteuerberaterkammer et Steuerberaterkammern des Länder
| Local wording | Issuing body | Validity | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handelsregisterauszug (aktueller Ausdruck, Abteilung B)Commercial register extract Réclamer un « aktueller Ausdruck » récent, avec le numéro HRB. Une entreprise individuelle ou une GbR non immatriculée au Handelsregister produira à la place sa Gewerbeanmeldung (Gewerbeschein) délivrée par le Gewerbeamt de la commune. | Amtsgericht — Registergericht ; portail commun des Länder | 3 months Required | Official website |
| Bestellungsurkunde als Steuerberater / Eintragung bei der Steuerberaterkammer — ou justification de l'exception du § 6 Nr. 4 StBerGRegistration with the Chamber of Tax Advisers, or evidence of the § 6 No. 4 StBerG exemption L'assistance en matière fiscale est en principe réservée aux Steuerberater (Steuerberatungsgesetz). Le § 6 Nr. 4 StBerG ouvre toutefois une exception pour la saisie des écritures courantes, la paie courante (laufende Lohnabrechnung) et l'établissement des déclarations de retenue à la source, à condition que l'intervenant justifie d'une formation commerciale reconnue et d'une pratique professionnelle d'au moins trois ans dans ce domaine. Demander soit la Bestellungsurkunde, soit la preuve documentée de la formation et de l'ancienneté. | Steuerberaterkammer du Land ; Bundessteuerberaterkammer au niveau fédéral | No expiry Required | Official website |
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