Just you and me, fellow freelancer. Remember that feeling? The one that creeps in around the end of the month, or worse, the end of the quarter. It’s that cold dread of the Umsatzsteuervoranmeldung. Your desk is a chaotic collage of receipts, your bank statements are a mess, and the thought of calculating everything correctly makes you want to pack it all in and go work on a sheep farm in Ireland. I’ve been there. My first year freelancing in Germany, my shoebox of receipts was a literal, tear-stained shoebox.
We’ve all heard the advice: “Get a Steuerberater!” And yes, a good tax advisor is worth their weight in gold. But they're also… paid in gold. Their hourly rates can make your eyes water, especially when you’re just starting out. So for years, we’ve been stuck between a rock (DIY tax chaos) and a hard place (expensive professional help).
But what if there was a third way? A tool that promised to be your bookkeeper, your invoicing clerk, and even your friendly neighborhood AI tax advisor, all rolled into one slick app. That’s the promise of Accountable. I've been kicking the tires on this platform for a while now, and I’m ready to give you the real, no-fluff breakdown.
So, What is Accountable, Really?
At first glance, you might think Accountable is just another invoicing software. It does that, and it does it well. But that’s like saying a smartphone is just a device for making calls. Accountable is more like a financial command center specifically designed for the German Freiberufler and Einzelunternehmer. It connects your invoicing, expense management, and even your banking into one streamlined flow. Its main goal? To take the mountain of German tax obligations and shrink it down to a few manageable clicks. It's an ambitious goal, to say the least.
Visit Accountable
Who Should Be Using Accountable? (And Who Shouldn't)
This is probably the most important part of this review. A tool is only as good as its fit for the user. Accountable is laser-focused on a specific group:
- Freiberufler: Writers, designers, developers, consultants… you know who you are.
- Einzelunternehmer / Gewerbetreibende: Self-employed individuals running their own show.
- Kleinunternehmer: Those of you using the small business regulation to avoid charging VAT. The app handles this beautifully.
Now, let's be crystal clear about who this is NOT for. If you’re running a GmbH or a UG, this isn't your solution. Accountable is also built around Ist-Versteuerung (cash basis accounting), which is what most freelancers use. This means you pay VAT to the Finanzamt after your client has actually paid you. If your business uses Soll-Versteuerung (accrual basis accounting), where you owe VAT the moment you issue the invoice, Accountable isn’t set up for that yet. So, know your status before you jump in.
The Standout Features I Actually Liked
The All-in-One Financial Cockpit
The magic here is the integration. You write an invoice. The client pays it into your (free!) Accountable business account. You get a notification. The income is automatically logged for your tax forecast. Then, you go buy a new monitor for work, pay with your Accountable Mastercard, snap a picture of the receipt in the app, and its text-recognition AI pulls the data and categorizes the expense. It’s… well, it’s slick. It removes so many of the manual, error-prone steps that used to drive me crazy. And yes, it handles proper E-Rechnungen, which is becoming increasingly important for B2B and government work.
The KI Steuerberater: Your New Robot Tax Buddy
This is the feature that gets all the buzz. An AI Tax Advisor. Sounds a bit like sci-fi, doesn't it? In practice, it’s a super-intelligent FAQ and chatbot. You can ask it things like, “Can I deduct my new laptop?” or “What’s the per diem for a business trip to Hamburg?” and it gives you clear, actionable answers based on German tax law. It’s surprisingly good. Is it a full replacement for a human tax advisor in a complex audit situation? Of course not. But for 90% of the day-to-day questions a freelancer has, it's an incredible first port of call that can save you a €150 phone call to your human advisor.
Tackling German Tax Forms Without Crying
This is where the rubber meets the road. Accountable automates the creation of your key tax declarations. The monthly or quarterly Umsatzsteuervoranmeldung (USt-VA) goes from a 2-hour nightmare to a 5-minute review-and-click process. It pulls all your logged income and expenses, calculates the VAT, and you can submit it directly to ELSTER through the app. The same goes for the end-of-year Einnahmenüberschussrechnung (EÜR). The app keeps a running tally all year, so when it's time to file, the report is basically already done. This feature alone is a massive stress-reducer.
How Much Does This Magic Cost? The Pricing Tiers
Okay, let's talk about the price tag. Accountable has a pretty smart pricing structure that grows with you. I've broken it down simply below.
FREE Plan (€0/month): This is a fantastic starting point. You get unlimited invoicing (including E-Rechnungen) and the free business account with a virtual Mastercard. If you're just starting out and need a professional way to bill clients, this is a complete no-brainer. Seriously.
GROW Plan (€15.50/month, paid annually): This is the sweet spot for most active freelancers. It includes everything in the free plan, PLUS all the tax automation—the USt-VA, EÜR, etc. It also unlocks the KI Steuerberater. This is the plan that really starts saving you time and stress.
PRO Plan (€22.50/month, paid annually): This is for the freelancer who wants maximum peace of mind. You get everything from GROW, but they add a Steuergarantie (Tax Guarantee), which means they take liability for any late-filing fees if the error is their software's fault. You also get access to a human Steuer-Coach for more complex questions and a 2% cash bonus on certain card payments. It's a premium offering for those who value that extra layer of security.
(Note: Prices are ex-VAT and based on annual payment, monthly is a bit more expensive. Always check their official pricing page for the latest details.)
The Not-So-Perfect Parts (Because Nothing Is)
I believe in honest reviews, not just sales pitches. Accountable is great, but it has its limitations. As mentioned, the lack of support for Soll-Versteuerung is a big one for certain businesses. It's also not designed for complex income tax situations with multiple exotic income streams, investments, or international tax entanglements. It’s built for the 80% of freelancers with a relatively straightforward business model. If your finances look like a Jackson Pollock painting, you'll still need that dedicated human expert to sort through it all.
FAQs About Accountable
Can Accountable completely replace my Steuerberater?
For some, yes. If you have a simple freelance setup (one income stream, standard expenses), you might find you no longer need one for your day-to-day bookkeeping and annual filings. For others, it’s a powerful tool that prepares everything perfectly for your Steuerberater, drastically cutting down on their billable hours. Think of it as doing all the prep work yourself so you only pay them for the final, expert sign-off.
What exactly is an E-Rechnung?
An E-Rechnung is a structured data invoice (not just a PDF) that allows for automated processing by your client's accounting system. It's becoming a standard for B2B and government contracts in Germany and the EU. Accountable's ability to create these is a big plus.
Is my financial data safe with Accountable?
Accountable uses bank-level security and is fully GDPR compliant. They partner with established financial institutions for their banking services. As with any cloud tool, security is a top priority, and they seem to be taking it very seriously.
What's this "Tax Guarantee" in the PRO plan?
The Steuergarantie means Accountable takes responsibility for the accuracy of the tax calculations made by their software. If you incur penalties from the Finanzamt due to a software error (like a wrong calculation or a missed deadline caused by the app), they will cover those fees. It’s an extra layer of insurance.
Can I try it before I commit to a paid plan?
Absolutely. The FREE plan is genuinely free and quite powerful for invoicing and banking. It's the best way to get a feel for the interface and see if it works for you before upgrading to get the tax features.
The Final Verdict: Should You Go for It?
After spending a good amount of time with it, I've gotta say, I'm impressed. Accountable isn't just software; it's a genuine solution to a problem that plagues almost every self-employed person in Germany. It democratizes bookkeeping, taking power away from confusing forms and expensive gatekeepers and putting it back in the hands of the freelancer.
Is it a magic wand that will make all your business problems disappear? No. But it is a damn good Swiss Army knife for your finances. If you are a Freiberufler or Einzelunternehmer in Germany tired of the tax-time scramble, I think you owe it to yourself to at least try the free version. It might just be the thing that lets you finally throw away that shoebox for good.
