How Much Tax to Set Aside in 2026: A Freelancer's Rule of Thumb, and When to Lower Your Prepayments
The 30% rule is wrong in both directions. At €30,000 profit you owe about 14%, at €120,000 about 35%, and VAT was never yours.
Taxes
Marc Clemens
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Knowledge Base
Guides on taxes, insurance, contracts, rates and finding clients, written for freelancers in Germany and Europe.
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Taxes 22 articles
Year-End Checklist 2026 for Freelancers in Germany: 12 Things to Settle Before 31 December
Five of these twelve items cannot be fixed in January: a €30,826 pension ceiling, a 2023 deduction that expires, and a €25,000 test.TaxesMarc Clemens
Betriebsausgaben Checklist 2026: 13 Deductions Freelancers in Germany Forget, and the Mistake Behind Each
€6 a day for working at home, €0.38 per kilometre, 70% of the client dinner: the 2026 deductions, each with the error that costs it.TaxesMarc Clemens
Umsatzsteuervoranmeldung for Freelancers: Monthly, Quarterly or Not at All in 2026
Your VAT filing rhythm is set by last year's VAT bill: €9,000 splits monthly from quarterly, and an extra month costs 1/11 upfront.TaxesMarc Clemens
Kleinunternehmer or Regelbesteuerung in 2027? A Decision Tree for Three Kinds of Freelancers
€25,000 last year, €100,000 this year, and a five-year lock-in if you switch the wrong way. Which VAT scheme fits your clients?TaxesMarc Clemens
Invoicing EU and Non-EU Clients From Germany: Reverse Charge Without the Guesswork
Same job, three invoices: 19% VAT for Berlin, one mandatory sentence for Paris, no VAT and a proof file for New York. Get the line right.TaxesMarc Clemens
7 Tax Mistakes Freelancers in Germany Make (and How to Avoid Them)
From VAT traps to missed deadlines: the tax mistakes German freelancers keep making, and how to avoid them.TaxesMarc Clemens
The Legal Side of Being a Digital Nomad: Taxes, A1 and False Self-Employment
"Nobody will find me" is the sentence Nadia Harris hears most. Her answer: taxes, A1 certificates and false self-employment travel with you.Remote WorkMarc Clemens
When Should Freelancers in Germany Set Up a GmbH?
Every 10,000 euros above your living costs loses 1,200 to tax you didn't have to pay. Alexander Keck on when a GmbH actually pays off.LegalMarc Clemens
Taxes for Freelancers in Germany: What You Need to Know
Income tax, sales tax, input tax etc. – In this article, we tell you what you should know about taxes as a freelancer in Germany.Taxes
Dunja Reiber
