For some, it's an inconvenient task they are obliged to carry out while for others it forms the basis for company management.

If you view accounting as a cumbersome task the tax office forces you to do, we'll help reduce your personal involvement in this mandatory exercise to a minimum. An individual agreement will be reached on quite what this minimum constitutes, depending on both your own personal dislikes and available costs.

Once your business activities reach a certain level of complexity, accounting becomes a basis for all owners of a business. Here too, our aim will be to design the cooperation to make it is as effective as possible. Depending on their wishes and the possibilities open to our clients, this cooperation may range from processing an ordered collection of receipts or journals already in electronic form to in-house monitoring of accounting that clients carry out by themselves for the most part.

Where bookkeeping is key to management of the company, besides an accompanying consultation, we can also offer our clients a sophisticated range of tools for management control and analysis. As well as standard evaluations, depending on the individual agreement, this may include:

• graphical representation of the profit situation and cost structure

• comparisons of previous years or multiple periods

• detailed representation of open items

• key figure analyses as an early warning system or as part of a company comparison

• evaluations tailored to individual needs

• cost centre accounting

• target/actual comparisons

• contribution margin accounting

Besides determining profits in the form of annual financial statements for company managers obliged to keep accounts, we can also draw up net income accounts as a simplified way of ascertaining profits for freelancers and smaller companies.

Profit ascertainment is more than just a tool for determining taxable income for the financial authorities. Besides fulfilling the minimum legal requirements, they can illustrate a company's financial and profit situation for company managers and any interested third parties (e.g. lenders of capital).

We offer the following services in this area:

• graphical representation of the most important balance sheet items and profit and loss items

• detailed explanations of the individual items in a balance report

• analysis of key figures for internal and external company comparisons

• industry-specific company comparisons

Let us take over the obligatory task of drawing up tax declarations of all types for you. Declarations like this are difficult to complete for everyday tax-paying citizens without the relevant training - at least not without running the risk of paying unnecessary tax out of ignorance of current taxation law. Suitable advice is indispensable both for individuals drawing an income and commercial businesses.

We also offer tax planning consultation as a non-compulsory service within the permissible margins of the legal framework. Depending on available room to manoeuvre, we will help you minimize your taxation load by planning within the framework of the legal possibilities as far as legal limitations allow. Due to ever changing laws and legal practice, these limitations are in a constant state of flux and, even for experts, only clearly definable with a great deal of effort.

Optimal planning also includes, among others matters, choosing the suitable legal form. Thorough consideration should always be given to choice of legal form when founding a company. During the various phases of a company's existence too however, a change in legal form may be of benefit for various reasons. We will highlight any advantages and disadvantages of changing legal forms in terms of taxation law. In case of any necessary contract planning, tax-consultants and lawyers our partnership work hand-in-hand.

We will help you defend your rights in cases where financial authorities have deemed legal limitations to be exceeded.

In cases where proceedings are being led by the public prosecution service, tax-consultants and lawyers of our partnership will work hand-in-hand.

Where uncertainty exists about the legality of a taxation-related matter, we will help you clarify the issue and highlight possible ways of returning to legality.

During the various phases of a company's existence, various requirements for advice on taxation and general business matters may arise to varying degrees.

In particular, this is required for:

Business Start-Up:

• ascertaining the prerequisites for founding a company

• choosing the most suitable legal form

• drawing up a company concept

• advice on funding

Company Crises:
An established company may find itself in a state of crisis that endangers its existence for a variety of reasons. Like at business start-up, a business consultation is particularly useful in such cases:

• ascertaining the cause(s) of a company crisis

• analysis of weaknesses

• outlining a recovery concept

• monitoring the recovery

Ongoing Business Consultation:

• making decisions - purchasing, rental, leasing

• return on investment for a property acquisition

• financing plans/profit plans for the granting of a credit

We can highlight obstacles and options when it comes to German and international taxation law for German nationals with outbound activities and foreign nationals with inbound activities:

Inbound
For foreign companies already with existing business relations in Germany or those looking to do business here, we can demonstrate which legal form will obtain the most beneficial taxation results:

• Direct business with no national base

• Setting up a permanent establishment (dependent part of head office)

• Participation in or foundation of a partnership

• Subsidiary (foundation of an independent capital company)

Besides optimising taxation, other factors will generally play a key role in the choice of legal form, in particular:

• Limitation of liability

• Change of shareholders

• Capital procurement

• Restrictions on capital transactions

Ideally, advice should be obtained jointly from both a tax consultant and lawyers in such cases.

Outbound
For domestic companies with existing business relations abroad or planning to enter a market abroad, the same essentially applies as for inbound cases. Repatriation of profits obtained abroad is of particular interest here.

Ideally we cooperate with tax consultants and lawyers of our clients or recommend our own foreign co-operation partners.

Expats
For nationals who work for an employer in another country, it is important to avoid double taxation both abroad and at home, or at least to minimise this. As a rule, it is important to clarify the extent to which foreign taxation will be due and whether or to what degree this can be credited to German tax or else is exempt from taxation by the German fiscal authorities.

Impats
For foreign nationals earning their living in Germany, it is also important to avoid double taxation both here and abroad, or at least to minimize this. As a rule, it is important to clarify whether German taxation claims are accounted for or whether a separate income tax assessment would provide a better result.

Artists and Sportspersons
When performing or competing, such individuals are often subject to a tax deduction at source, usually by the event organiser. This preliminary deduction can be avoided or at least added on to the tax deducted later on.

Inheritance Tax
The rise in globalisation inevitably goes hand-in-hand with the worldwide distribution of assets. Family relationships are at the same time increasingly no longer restricted to one nation meaning that, in case of an inheritance, at least two states are entitled to claim taxation on the sum.

Avoiding or reducing profit taxes (income tax, commercial tax and corporate tax) is regulated by around 100 treaties in Germany designed to prevent double taxation. At present however, there are only six double taxation agreements in place for inheritance tax (Denmark, Greece, France, Sweden, Switzerland, USA).

Since inheritances may lead to considerable assets being transferred, double taxation can often have disastrous consequences for tangible assets. Careful planning is therefore highly recommended in this sensitive area.

Accurate, on-time payroll accounting for staff members is one of the most sensitive areas within a company. As well as the ever changing tax law norms, a knowledge of social security law, which is likewise often subject to amendment, is essential. For this reason we offer payroll accounting as an additional service. We can also handle accounting of wages for the construction industry, an area which poses considerable problems.