What it's like to be a tax advisor in Germany

What it’s like to be a tax advisor in Germany

Accountable makes all kinds of tax chores so much easier. But when you do get stuck, we’ve got approachable tax consultants like Andreas Reichert on hand, ready to help you with the nitty-gritty. We asked Andreas what drew him to Accountable and what he finds useful about the app.

Hi Andreas. How did you become a tax consultant?

I was studying economics at the end of the 1990s. I was a student from 1995 to 2000. At the beginning I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and if you studied economics, you could do everything. So first I worked for a tax advisor, in a bigger company, and I saw that it was something I could easily do in the future. So I decided to become a tax advisor myself. After my studies I went to work for KPMG, and three years later I got my tax advisor certification.

Are you self employed now?

Yes. From 2003 I was self employed for the first time. I was working as a part-time freelancer, so most of the time, I had an employer – one of the big companies – and of course I also had some of the smaller clients, where I worked with both employed and self-employed people. After a while I changed to work for a programming company. We were programming tax software to help customers prepare their tax returns on their own. That was interesting, and then I moved to more project management work within the tax economy. Then, at the beginning of last year, I decided to become a 'regular' tax advisor.

So you know what it's like, from being self-employed to working with tax software.

Yes, and I did it for a very long time, so I’ve probably had many of the same experiences as people becoming self-employed now.

What do you like about your job?

I meet a lot of interesting people. Right now it’s a lot of different types of professionals. Some of them are artists, and some of them are working with more technical subjects. When you prepare a tax return or bookkeeping for someone, you get to see the details of their lives, and this is quite interesting. If you look behind the receipts then you understand what they are doing, what their issues are and how you can help them.

When did you first hear about Accountable?

I met Tino [Keller, Managing Director & Founder of Accountable Germany] at the end of last year. So I was with Accountable when it launched in Germany. I like working with IT – and many tax advisors don’t. An ex-colleague gave me the contact and I got on well with Tino so we started to work together and I'm supporting the growth of Accountable ever since.

How do you like working with the app?

I find it very handy and easy to use. I can see myself confidently doing my tax return with the app, if I would be a freelancer without a tax advisor. I come in when users want a tax advisor who does the taxes for them. Customers get the export file for their tax return from the app and then forward the file to me and that’s it. Or I get their permission to validate their bookkeeping directly in their Accountable account. For me, the process is very simple and straightforward. It saves us all a lot of time.

What makes Accountable particularly useful?

The app prevents a lot of mistakes and helps you to select the right thing, even when you don't know a lot about taxes yourself. For example, when it comes to expenses, it can be hard to select the right VAT rate. For German natives and non-German speaker alike, it's not obvious why certain things have a 0% VAT rate and other are taxed at 19%. The app helps by automatically selecting the right rate for the expense category you select. Also when it comes to invoicing... Let’s say you have a client in Spain but you're not familiar with the Reverse Charge regime. It can be very confusing but the Accountable app helps you to create a legally correct invoice for this case automatically. I think that’s probably the best thing the app can do. ➡️ Wether you work with a tax advisor or by yourself, Accountable covers all your tax obligations you face as a freelancer in Germany! Check out the free app.

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Author - Sophia Merzbach

Sophia has been a key member of the Accountable team for many years, bringing a unique blend of journalistic precision and in-depth tax expertise to her work.

Who is Sophia ?

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They always answer right away to any question I have, they provide clear answers, and they are very patient even when I struggle to understand. They try to explain in different ways. They are very helpful, responsive and friendly.

Chiara Marradi

10/05/2026

This is an amazing application with great support on issues. In short as in day I am addicted to it (in a positive way). I myself is from IT project management and the way they have captured the user requirement, it’s phenomenal.

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UI is great. Feature packed and very easy to use. The team at Accountable were VERY quick to respond and their team of technicians soon had a fix in place. Very happy with the level of service so far. Thumbs up from me!

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05/06/2023

Everything was great! All my questions were answered quickly and in a friendly manner.

Wenzeslawa Wegener

11/05/2026

This program is a lifesaver, and it is always improving. Plus, it has an AI chat feature that is actually useful.

Jeffrey Humble

12/01/2026

The coaching session on tax management was excellent, good material, excellent explanations and very insightful. Combined with the AI I never feel alone with Accountable.

Sergio Barbarino

13/04/2026

The availability of your team to help and guide people to understand their finances better is what really makes Accountable valuable. While the AI is able to give answers to most basic questions, specific scenarios need counsel from a human which your team performs beautifully.

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06/04/2026

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Anonymous

06/04/2026

In the world where everyone seems to be out to get small entrepreneurs and overwhelm them with new rules, more taxes and reporting obligations, Accountable often feels like the one steady partner that actually wants you to succeed, providing quick, clear and personalised support. Thank you!

Janina Arsenjeva

10/04/2026

They always answer for questions wherever is via direct e-mail or through app. If they can’t answer fully they will forward you to the right place. Documents were always prepared well and ready to send further to government. Everything is intuitive in the app and easy to sort out even for someone completely green in this field.