Odoo accounting and tax in Germany
Every Germany tax and accounting item we configure and test before a go-live, printed in full rather than condensed.
8 items Printed as checked, not condensed.
Tax rules that shape an Odoo configuration in Germany
Each item below is one thing the tax setup has to get right before go-live.
- 1
The standard VAT rate is 19% and the reduced rate is 7% (section 12 UStG). A 0% rate applies to certain solar installations.
- 2
From 1 January 2026 food served in restaurants and catering moved from 19% to the 7% rate under the Steueraenderungsgesetz 2025. Drinks stay at 19%. It also covers bakeries, butchers, food retail, catering and canteens in schools, kindergartens and hospitals.
- 3
Preliminary VAT returns (Umsatzsteuer-Voranmeldung) are due by the 10th day after the end of each period and must be transmitted electronically in the officially prescribed dataset. The period is the calendar month if the previous year's tax was more than 9,000 euro, otherwise the calendar quarter. The tax office can waive preliminary returns if the previous year's tax was 2,000 euro or less.
- 4
Small business rule (section 19 UStG): no VAT is charged if total turnover did not exceed 25,000 euro in the previous calendar year and does not exceed 100,000 euro in the current year.
The reporting framework your Germany books sit inside
What your statements have to comply with, and what that means for the chart of accounts.
- 1
E-Bilanz under section 5b EStG: the balance sheet and the profit and loss account, including uncondensed account listings and the fixed asset schedule, must be transmitted to the tax authority electronically in the officially prescribed dataset. Exemption is only possible on hardship grounds.
- 2
Invoices issued and received must be kept for 8 years, counted from the end of the calendar year in which the invoice was issued (section 14b UStG).
- 3
German bookkeeping runs on the DATEV charts SKR03 and SKR04. Odoo supports both, installs SKR03 by default, and only lets you switch package before the first accounting entry exists.
- 4
Odoo's German package ships the DATEV export in two parts, DATEV ATCH for documents and DATEV DATA for journal entries, which is how the books reach the Steuerberater. It also ships the Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss, Umsatzsteuervoranmeldung tax report, EC Sales List and Intrastat.
Checked Localization notes on this page checked on 22 August 2026.
Rates, formats, thresholds and submission windows change. We configure against the rules in force at build time and confirm every figure with your accountant or tax advisor before sign-off. If a rule moves after go-live, it is a support ticket, not a rebuild. Read more on our Odoo localization service.
How we build accounting and tax for Germany
The delivery method behind the list above. The same four steps on a 10-user rollout and on a multi-company programme, with the depth scaled to the scope.
- 1 Chart of accounts from your accountant. We configure against the mapping your accountant signs, not a default template someone picked in the install wizard.
- 2 Every tax gets a test document. An invoice, a credit note and a period report per tax, checked against a figure your accountant produced independently.
- 3 Opening balances reconcile. Prior-period data is loaded and tied back to your last filed set of accounts before anyone posts a live transaction.
- 4 Filing outputs come out of Odoo. Reports are produced from the system, checked line by line, then handed over with a written procedure so your team runs them without us.
What we need from you to quote it
Bring these to the first call and you get a scoped, priced accounting and tax plan for Germany instead of a range.
- โ Your current chart of accounts and the tax codes in use today.
- โ The last filed set of accounts and the last filed return.
- โ The name of the accountant or tax advisor who signs off the configuration.
Services behind this work
The rest of the Germany localization detail
Each topic has its own page with the full item list, the same way this one does.
Accounting and tax in other markets we cover
Running the same rollout across borders? These pages carry the same depth for each market, so you can compare before scoping a multi-country phase.
Scope accounting and tax for your Germany rollout.
Send us the list above with your answers against it. We come back with what is configuration, what is a connector, and what is a build, priced before the project starts.