Who we typically advise in Hamburg
- Employees of logistics, shipping and media companies with cross-border duties.
- Freelancers in design, media and software with clients in and outside Germany.
- Internationals filing their first German tax return after arriving mid-year.
- Couples who need to decide on a tax class combination after marrying.
Working across borders from a German base
If part of your work is physically performed outside Germany, the treaty with that country may give it the right to tax those days. That requires a day count you can prove, kept during the year rather than reconstructed afterwards.
Seafarers and airline crew fall under separate treaty provisions that rarely match intuition. If that is your situation, it is worth a look before the first return, not after.
First return after arriving mid-year
Arriving during the year usually works in your favour. Your annual allowances are not prorated for the months you were employed in Germany, so withholding that assumed a full year of German salary is often too high. A refund is the normal outcome, and the return can still be filed for earlier years.
How we work with Hamburg clients
Video consultations in English, encrypted document exchange, electronic filing. No travel, no German-language paperwork you have to decode alone.
General information on German tax law, not advice on your individual case. What applies to you depends on your contract, your residence status and the treaty with your home country.