Payroll Processing in Germany
We make payroll a non-event — accurate runs, clean filings, zero surprises. Delivered to HGB for German businesses, priced in EUR.
German payroll is where an international software stack stops being enough. The Lohnsteuer-Anmeldung is due through ELSTER by the 10th of the following month, and social insurance contributions run on their own cycle with their own agencies. We work with DATEV or Personio and reconcile payroll to the ledger monthly, so the Jahresabschluss does not open with an unexplained accrual.
We run payroll through Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll, Xero Payroll and local equivalents — payslips, contractor payments, and end-of-year filings (W-2s, P60s, STP finalisation) handled and reconciled to your books.
The deadlines we track against your ledger.
| Obligation | Frequency | Due | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lohnsteuer-Anmeldung (payroll tax return)Employers | Monthly | 10th of the following month | ELSTER |
Last reviewed against the source . These are the standard dates. Extensions through a registered agent, a non-calendar year end, and volume-based filing frequencies all shift them — confirm your own dates with Finanzamt. This is general information, not tax advice.
Payroll deliverables
- Scheduled payroll runs
- Payslip generation & distribution
- Contractor / 1099 payment management
- Year-end filings (W-2 / P60 / STP)
- Payroll-to-ledger reconciliation
DATEV
Germany is the one market where the international stack does not apply — DATEV is the interchange standard between companies and their Steuerberater, and GoBD requires audit-proof, unalterable record keeping.
A worked example, in your currency.
A Berlin GmbH selling software across the EU, 2,000 transactions a month, monthly VAT filing.
- In-house Buchhalter (fully loaded, per month)
- 5.400 €
- Salt bookkeeping + VAT compliance
- 1.950 €
- Monthly saving
- 3.450 €
Figures in EUR. Cross-border EU sales usually add OSS reporting on top of the domestic Umsatzsteuer-Voranmeldung.
The framework your Germany accounts are held to.
We prepare to HGB (German GAAP), with GoBD record-keeping rules. These are the bodies that set that framework and the authorities you file with — linked so you can verify the standard rather than take our word for it.
- Professional bodyIDWInstitut der WirtschaftsprüferGerman institute of public auditors; issues professional standards.
- Professional bodyBStBKBundessteuerberaterkammerFederal chamber of tax advisers (Steuerberater).
- RegulatorBZStBundeszentralamt für SteuernFederal tax office — VAT, withholding and registration.
- RegulatorELSTERThe electronic filing portal all German returns go through.
Listed for reference. Salt Accounting Group is not stating membership, registration or affiliation with any of these organisations. Where a filing must be lodged by a registered local agent, it is — your agent keeps the lodgement and the professional sign-off.
Payroll in Germany
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Payroll Processing for Germany, simply handled.
Tell us where you trade and what shape the books are in. You get scope, price and a start date in writing within one business day — no obligation.