All costs of starting a business in Germany

All costs to start a business in Germany

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How much does it cost to start your own business in Germany and what you should I think about?

In the best case, you should think about the costs of your company foundation in advance. The more detailed you plan here, the less unexpected costs you can expect afterwards.

Of course, the costs vary greatly depending on which legal form you choose and what exactly your business idea is. But there are some costs that arise in any case when founding a company in Germany.

We show you an overview of the various costs and what you should definitely think about when setting up your business!

There are 3 types of costs:

First of all there are the administrative costs. These are all the costs that come up in the beginning of your founding process.

Then there are running costs (which come up in a regular basis).

And lastly there are some other costs you should definitely think about when setting up your business in Germany.

The Administrative costs

These include:

The trade registration: This costs between 15 and 70€, depending on the state.
Commercial register entry: the entry isn’t necessary for every legal form. The amount of the fee depends, among other things, on the value of the company.
Lawyer and notary fees: These are not always necessary, but for some legal forms it is highly recommended or they are even mandatory.
You should also think about paying a tax advisor especially if you’re a non-german: Most companies pay mainly for the annual accounts and the regular calculation of input tax.
Registration of trademarks and patents: Depending on what you want to protect, the costs can be very high!
Last but not least there are many Founding consultation offers: but these are of course optional

→ Little reminder: It’s also important to keep in mind that, in addition to the actual formation costs, some legal forms require a share capital.

The Running costs

These costs will come up on regular basis (usually monthly) from the moment you open your business. You should pay attention to things like: renting, salaries, taxes, fees for associations, memberships, or insurances.

Other costs

In addition to the administrative and running costs, there may be other costs associated with setting up your business. Most of these costs are very difficult to quantify. Whether they are relevant to you at all and how high they are depends on your individual business idea, the legal form and your approach.

Some examples for these costs are:

Office and business equipment, Furnishings, IT costs, Marketing costs, or even your own business website

A little tip on the side

If you’re not an expert in this field, it’s worthwhile to hire professionals for tax and accounting. In doing so, you will generate costs that are also tax-deductible

With the free access to our network (www.establi-community.de) we can easily find you someone who speaks English or even your native language and works in the same city as you live. You only need to ask.

For additional information, use the free access to our community to check out our exclusive online classes!