Trustpilot
4.6
out of 5
Excellent 4.8 out of 5 Trustpilot
Set up your startup. Ready for investors.
Legal form, articles of association, notary appointment, Handelsregister – we handle the rest.
Integrations
Export and filing
As seen in
Official
Qonto
Partner
The partner founders trust
Company formation, registrations and ongoing bookkeeping in one place. Anything that requires a licence is handled by notaries and tax advisors from our partner network.
Set up your startup in four steps
- 1
Describe your idea
Tell us in one sentence what your startup will do. The AI suggests the legal form and structure.
- 2
Check the name
We check your preferred name against the Handelsregister, the German commercial register, before you commit to it.
Check your name now - 3
Articles and notary
Your articles of association are ready, and we arrange the notary appointment.
- 4
Registration and filings
Once the share capital is paid in, the registration goes to the Handelsregister. We prepare your trade and tax registrations.
What startup founders should know
- § 5 GmbHG
GmbH, not UG
Investors usually come in through a GmbH. With €25,000 of share capital, €12,500 of it paid in, you are ready for that.
- § 3 GmbHG
Your own articles
With several founders and later investors, the sample protocol is rarely enough. Your own articles of association cover pre-emption rights, compensation and resolutions.
- Shareholders' agreement
Vesting for founders
Founders earn their shares over several years. If someone leaves early, shares go back. You set this out in a shareholders' agreement.
- § 8b KStG
A holding per founder
Many founders hold their shares through their own holding company. On an exit, 95% of the capital gain then stays tax-free.
- § 19a EStG
Give employees a stake
Virtual or real shares help you keep early employees. Since 2024, real shares can be issued with deferred taxation.
- EXIST, INVEST
Use public funding
The EXIST start-up grant supports companies founded out of universities. The INVEST grant supports business angels who invest in young companies.
Your formation runs in the background.
Company name checked
4 competitors analysed
Articles of association drafted
Agents support you from validating your idea all the way to forming your company.
Validation score
0%
+12%- Market potential+18
- Competition+14
- Suitable legal form+14
- Funding+12
Starting formation
Drafting articles of association …
We handle every official registration – from trade registration to registering with the tax office.
- Trade registrationFill in form …
- Tax registrationWaiting
- VAT returnWaiting
Your company is automatically connected to all the key registers and authorities.
Your bookkeeping starts clean from day one – every receipt lands in the right account from the start.
VAT payable for June
€2,827
Output VAT €5,016 − input VAT €2,189
JanFebMarAprMayJun
Payable to the tax officeInput VAT deducted
Just getting started? Set up your company with AI in record time
- to notarisation
- companies formed
- for formation and bookkeeping
- Trustpilot score
| Do it yourself | Traditional tax firm | firma.de | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formation without dealing with authorities | You coordinate the notary appointment, business account and authorities yourself – around 8–12 hours of work. | Formations go through the notary and the registry court, not through the tax firm. | We coordinate the notary appointment, bank and authorities and handle every registration – you just sign. |
| Open tasks and deadlines always visible | Around 2–3 hours a month to keep track of everything yourself. | Status updates on request, usually without a portal of their own. | Visible in your account, included in every plan. |
| Dedicated bookkeeper, lawyer when needed – available around the clock | No fixed point of contact – you sort out tax and legal questions yourself. | Tax questions during office hours; for legal questions you also need a law firm. | A dedicated bookkeeper knows your company, our partner lawyers handle legal questions – and the AI agent answers around the clock. |
| Real-time bookkeeping incl. management reports and VAT returns | You do the bookkeeping, management reports and VAT returns yourself – around 4–6 hours a month. | Management reports and VAT returns only arrive after the month-end close, usually weeks later. | Every receipt is booked as soon as it arrives – management reports and VAT returns are always up to date. |
| Payroll in the same system | Hard to manage without dedicated software, and you are liable for the filings. | Around €10–20 per payslip and month. | Included from the Operations plan. |
| Annual accounts and e-balance sheet | Possible, but preparing and submitting them is then entirely up to you. | Around €1,000–2,500 a year, depending on size. | Included from the Growth plan, prepared by the partner tax firm. |
| Commercial register changes taken care of | Around 2–4 hours of preparation per change; the notary appointment remains mandatory. | Register changes go through the notary and the court, not through the tax firm. | We prepare the documents and coordinate the notary appointment. |
Times and costs are based on experience and depend on the individual case.
Formation takes a day. Running a company takes years.
VAT every month, payroll every month, annual accounts every year. firma.de keeps track of the deadlines and always shows where you really stand – your tax firm keeps working on the same data.
Get startedOne price for your entire business.
All official registrations included, three months free via the waitlist.
Start
from€99/month
Bookkeeping for sole traders and small companies.
Join the waitlistBook a demoIncluded:
- Notary and commercial register fees are set by law and charged to you directly by the notary. They are not part of the monthly price.Articles of association, notary appointment and commercial register (§ 7 GmbHG) in one go.
- You get the list of deadlines in your account and answers to your questions about it. From Growth, the partner tax firm provides tax advice.Every month, an overview of what's due: filings, payments, records.
- In the Start plan, we prepare the return and you submit it yourself. Under § 1 StBerG, submitting it on your behalf is reserved for tax advisors and is included from Growth.Fully prepared under § 18 UStG – you review it and submit it yourself via ELSTER.
- For example, the notification to the transparency register (§ 20 GwG), changes of shareholder and changes of address. Receipts and contracts are archived in an audit-proof way under § 147 AO. Register filings are notarised by the notary.Ongoing obligations, documents, filings with the authorities and company changes in one place.
- Terms, durations and availability are set by each provider and may change.Deals with Stripe, HubSpot, Google Workspace, SumSub and more.
RecommendedGrowth
from€199/month
For companies that want to hand over bookkeeping and annual accounts entirely.
Join the waitlistBook a demoEverything in Start, plus:
- A dedicated partner tax firm is responsible for filings and annual accounts – no rotating pool.Handles filings and submissions – you just approve.
- From here on, you no longer submit anything via ELSTER yourself. The tax firm takes responsibility for the submission.The partner tax firm submits VAT returns and other filings for you.
- Annual accounts includedPrepared and filed under § 242 HGB by your partner tax firm.
- Dedicated contactOne person who knows your case – no rotating hotline.
- Reports includedOpen items, revenue and costs per month and quarter.
Operations
from€399/month
For teams with staff, several accounts and their own requirements.
Join the waitlistBook a demoEverything in Growth, plus:
- PayrollPayslips, wage tax returns (§ 41a EStG) and social security filings for your team.
- Corporate income tax, trade tax and VAT returns plus the e-balance sheet for one company.E-balance sheet (§ 5b EStG), corporate, trade and VAT returns.
- Multiple accounts and loginsAll business accounts in one place, separate logins for your team and tax firm.
- Data migrationWe bring over receipts and balances from your old system, you keep booking.
- Priority supportRequests from you and your tax firm get priority – on bookkeeping, payroll and annual accounts.
All prices net, plus VAT. Services that require a licence are provided by our partner firms.
Partner deals worth €3,425 a year
Stripe
€500 credit on Stripe fees – for new Stripe customers.
Worth approx. €500 / year
Google Workspace
Three months of Workspace Business Standard free for your team.
Worth approx. €360 / year
HubSpot
30% off Starter and Professional in the first year.
Worth approx. €450 / year
Notion
Six months of Notion Plus with AI for your whole team.
Worth approx. €300 / year
Slack
25% off Slack Pro in the first year – for your team and tax firm.
Worth approx. €180 / year
Dropbox
Three months of Dropbox Business – share folders directly with your tax firm.
Worth approx. €150 / year
Registercheck
50,000 tokens for searches in the commercial and transparency registers.
Worth approx. €600 / year
Personio
Two months of Personio free for your first employees.
Worth approx. €360 / year
Values based on list prices; the partners' terms apply.
What founders say
“Since we started the company, our admin simply runs alongside: receipts, VAT returns, deadlines. We always know where we stand – and can focus on our product.”
Rather talk first?
We'll go through setting up your startup with you and answer your questions before you start.
What you can rely on
ELSTER
VAT returns and annual accounts go straight to the tax office via the ELSTER interface.
DATEV
Bookings and receipts are ready in DATEV format – your tax firm keeps working as usual.
- 4.6
Top-rated
4.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot. Rated by founders who have actually used firma.de.
Made in Germany
Developed in Germany, servers in the EU, GDPR-compliant. Anything that requires a licence comes from tax advisors and notaries.
Frequently asked questions about setting up a startup
Which legal form suits a startup?
Usually the GmbH, the German limited liability company. Investors know it well, and it has no mandatory reserve. If you start without capital, you can begin with a UG (haftungsbeschränkt) and increase its capital to turn it into a GmbH before the first funding round.
Do we need a shareholders' agreement?
With several founders, we strongly recommend one. It covers vesting, roles, leaving the company and what happens in a dispute. Unlike the articles of association, it is not publicly visible in the Handelsregister (the German commercial register).
What is vesting?
Founders earn their shares over a period of time, often four years with a one-year cliff. If someone leaves the startup earlier, the other founders or the company can buy back shares.
Should we hold our shares through a holding company?
If you expect an exit or dividends, often yes: 95% of the gain from selling the shares stays tax-free inside the holding company. Set up the holding before the first funding round, as moving the shares later takes more work.
What happens in a funding round?
New investors usually come in through a capital increase. The shareholders resolve to create new shares before a notary, and the investors take them over in return for their contribution.
How much share capital should a startup have?
For a GmbH, at least €25,000, of which €12,500 must be paid in before registration. You don't need more to start; investor money usually goes into the capital reserve later.
Do we need a notary to set up the company?
Yes. The articles of association are notarised, and the application to the Handelsregister is certified by a notary. This can now also be done online by video.