Tax Advisor Costs: What Does a Tax Advisor Cost for Freelancers?

Whether a tax adviser (Steuerberater) is worth it depends on two things: what they cost in your case and what they take off your plate. There are no fixed prices. Fees follow a regulation that sets a range, and within that range a lot depends on your figures. This article explains how the bill is put together, so you can judge the quotes you get.

Key points

Tax advisers charge under the tax advisers’ fee regulation (Steuerberatervergütungsverordnung, StBVV), or under a fee agreed in writing.
The fee depends on the value of the matter (Gegenstandswert), such as your income, and on a rate within a range.
Each service has its own fee: EÜR, income tax return, VAT advance returns, annual VAT return, bookkeeping.
The part of the cost that relates to your business is a business expense.
Ask for a quote for your specific case before you sign.

When you need a tax adviser

Legally, you don’t. Many freelancers with a simple setup do their bookkeeping and returns themselves.

A tax adviser makes sense if:

it’s unclear whether your work is Freiberuf or Gewerbe
you have clients abroad and need to sort out place of supply, reverse charge or OSS
you’re planning larger investments, or a home study, company car or property is involved
you want to set up a company or change your legal form
a tax audit has been announced
you’d rather spend your time on client work

How fees are calculated

For each service, the StBVV sets two things:

the value of the matter, the figure the fee is based on
a range in tenths of a full fee from a table

Where in the range the adviser charges depends on the scope and difficulty of the work (§ 11 StBVV).

Service	Value of the matter	Range
Working out profit with an EÜR (§ 25 StBVV)	the higher of business income or business expenses, at least 17,500 euros	5/10 to 30/10, Table B
Income tax return (§ 24(1) no. 1 StBVV)	total positive income, at least 8,000 euros	1/10 to 6/10, Table A
VAT advance return (§ 24(1) no. 7 StBVV)	10% of net sales, at least 650 euros	1/10 to 6/10, Table A, per return
Annual VAT return (§ 24(1) no. 8 StBVV)	10% of net sales, at least 8,000 euros	1/10 to 8/10, Table A

Expenses and VAT on the fee come on top. Ongoing bookkeeping, advice and checking assessments are charged separately.

What does that mean for you?

Higher income means higher fees, even if your case is simple.
Monthly advance returns are charged twelve times, quarterly ones four times.
Well-prepared records push the fee towards the lower end of the range, because there’s less work.

Fee agreements

Instead of the StBVV, you can agree your own fee with the adviser, such as a flat fee. The agreement must be in text form (§ 4 StBVV). For self-employed people with a steady workload, that’s often easier to plan.

Deducting the costs

Tax advice costs are partly deductible:

Business expenses: bookkeeping, EÜR, VAT and the business part of any advice.
Work-related expenses (Werbungskosten): costs for working out other income, such as the employment income form (Anlage N).
Not deductible: the purely private part, such as the main income tax form or special expenses.

Ask your adviser to split the invoice accordingly.

The alternatives

Do everything yourself. With bookkeeping software that submits the Anlage EÜR and the VAT advance return to ELSTER, this is doable for simple cases. You pay for the software and invest your time.

Bookkeeping yourself, returns by an adviser. You keep your books as you go and hand the adviser organised data at year end, for example as a DATEV export. You then mainly pay for the returns, not the bookkeeping.

Full service. The adviser does everything. It’s the most expensive option, but also the least work for you.

Advice as needed. You do everything yourself and get advice on specific questions. The adviser charges an advice fee or a time-based fee for that.

Finding a good tax adviser

experience with freelancers in your field
a clear statement of costs up front
digital collaboration, if you keep your own books
recommendations from people you know, plus an initial meeting

Keeping costs down

Keep your own books and keep them up to date.
File receipts digitally, attached to the transaction.
Quarterly advance returns, if your VAT allows it.
Define the engagement clearly, so you only pay for what you need.

If all you need is your private income tax return rather than ongoing bookkeeping, it’s usually much simpler than adviser fees suggest. Our guide for employees shows what’s involved.

How Solobooks helps

Solobooks costs 59.99 euros a year. With it you keep your books, submit VAT advance returns and the Anlage EÜR directly to ELSTER, and do your income tax return. One return per subscription year is included. If you only need the income tax return, it’s also available on its own for 24.99 euros.

If you work with a tax adviser, give them a DATEV export. That saves them time and you fees.

FAQ

Are there fixed prices for tax advisers? No. The StBVV sets fee ranges based on your figures. Alternatively, you can agree a fee.

Can I deduct my tax adviser’s fees? The business part as a business expense, costs for working out other income as work-related expenses. The private part isn’t deductible.

Do I need a tax adviser as a freelancer? Not by law. It makes most sense with clients abroad, an unclear Freiberuf/Gewerbe classification, larger investments or a tax audit.

Do I get more time for my return with a tax adviser? Yes. The deadline runs to the end of February of the year after next; for 2025 that’s 1 March 2027.

Need help?

If you have questions, email us at support@solobooks.de or chat with us in the app. You can read more on our bookkeeping with Solobooks page.

Sources

Last checked: 30 October 2026. This article is general information, not tax advice for your individual case. Legislation and official guidance change — the current version of each source prevails.

Last updated: October 30, 2026

Expert Tip

Set aside the calculated VAT in a separate account monthly. This way you avoid liquidity bottlenecks when paying the tax office.

— Solobooks Team