Steuerberater Sonnemann & Partner

For comapnies

We provide you with comprehensive support

by delivering individual services for companies and organisations. We will assist you all the way from the start-up phase of entrepreneurial activity to succession planning. The goal is always to expand and foster long-term success. We will be happy to make you an offer.

Accounting
Bookkeeping

We can take care of your financial accounting needs either digitally or in analogue form. DATEV software modules allow invoices and receipts and appraisals to be matched digitally. We can also take a traditional paper-based approach if you prefer.

Our office management services can help you with any administrative tasks that occur within the accounting environment. We will come to your premises and scan your vouchers and documents for you. We will also file the originals.

We will be happy to enhance your bookkeeping procedures by performing a highly informative cost accounting analysis.

If you wish your financial accounting to remain in-house, we will support you and your staff in optimising processes and will provide guidance on all aspects relating to accounting.

Our services at a glance
  • Recording and account allocation of invoices and receipts, advance VAT returns (weekly, monthly and quarterly cycles are possible)
  • Provision of individual evaluation packages (e.g. lists of totals and balances, lists of open items, business management appraisals, target-actual comparisons, company comparisons, controlling reports etc.)
  • 10-year backup of your bookkeeping data
  • Cost accounting
  • Payments and creditor management
  • Reminders and debitor management
  • Office management
  • Coaching and guidance on all aspects of accounting
The benefits of digital bookkeeping
  • Remote access to all invoices and receipts (voucher management) and to all relevant evaluations prior to each Internet connection
  • Comprehensive search function in the voucher management system
  • High security standard via SmartCard and archiving in the DATEV data centre
  • Original vouchers remain with you
  • Easy to supply subsequent vouchers
  • High degree of transparency because vouchers are “attached” to the respective postings
Annual financial statements

Annual financial statements act as a calling card for your company and also present an opportunity to present yourself in a positive light to business partners and banks. We are an expert port of call for all matters relating to financial accounting law pursuant to HGB and IFRS/IAS.

As well as enhancing your image externally, annual financial statements also offer you effective evaluations which will support you with forward-looking governance.

We also prepare annual financial statements for companies whose accounting we do not handle as long as you are able to ensure that the evaluations you submit meet a minimum quality standard.

We offer the following services as part of our detailed balance sheet report.

  • End-of-year report including a presentation of the development of the legal and financial position
  • Statements of accounts for the balance sheet and income statement
  • Explanatory notes on the balance sheet and income statement and splits for material items
  • Presentation and explanation of relevant key indicators
  • Cash flow calculation
  • Preparation of a management report
  • Presentation of the balance sheet including discussion and analysis of business performance
  • Electronic submission of your annual financial statements to the Company Register
  • Plausibility checks for the annual financial statements if desired/necessary
Cooperation with auditors in the company group

International companies which form part of a group often appoint a main auditor for their consolidated financial statements, who then has the task of auditing the German companies and business establishments. We possess extensive know-how in this type of collaboration and are able to provide the auditor with well prepared and comprehensive material. This means that the audit is conducted efficiently and at a reduced cost.

Payroll accounting

Many clients appreciate our payroll service. We have several staff who regularly deal with payroll accounting and will also offer you the services of two HR specialists who will attend exclusively to your payroll and social security issues. They are in possession of the necessary know-how in this area and, most importantly, this knowledge is completely up to date.

Our service provision comprises the following
  • Ongoing payroll accounting
  • Payment processing
  • Reports to social insurance providers
  • Preparation of earnings certificates
  • Assistance with or scrutiny of expenses claims
  • General consultancy in matters relating to income tax and social insurance law
  • Support with income tax and social insurance audits
Tax consultancy
Ongoing tax consultancy

We are, of course, happy to draw up all current tax declarations on your behalf. Our team is also available to assist you with any conceivable tax issues within the scope of a personal consultancy meeting or by telephone.

Our clients include sole traders, business partnerships, corporations and group structures.

Our services for you
  • Preparation of all company tax declarations (corporation tax, trade tax, VAT, special and standard assessments)
  • Consultancy support for all tax issues relating to annual financial statements and tax accountancy law
  • Preparation of special and supplementary balance sheets
  • Scrutiny of tax notices
  • Preparation of applications of every kind (deferments, abatements)
  • Obtaining binding commitments
  • Support with external tax audits and negotiations with the tax office
  • Management of opposition proceedings and preliminary injunctions
  • Management of proceedings in the fiscal courts
Active tax consultancy

Our expert know-how will also support you with tax issues that have particular implications. Regardless of whether you are seeking to optimise your corporate structure or are facing asset succession issues, we will assist you all the way from definition of the objective to implementation of the finished design concept. If necessary, we are able to seek guidance from specialists within our network.

Company start-ups and optimisation of corporate structures
  • Start-up consultancy
  • Choice of legal form and tax burden comparisons
  • Optimisation of corporate structures in terms of tax and business management
  • Business splitting and leasing concepts
  • Tax-optimised company financing arrangements
  • Arrangements and tax optimisation in the case of company transfers and company surrender
  • Tax-oriented reallocations of private and company assets
Company and asset succession
  • Development of an optimum asset and company structure to prepare for succession planning
  • Arrangements for anticipated succession
  • Drawing up of wills that take tax issues into account
  • Clarification of tax issues arising in connection with estate settlement and division of inheritance
  • Management buy-out and management buy-in concepts
  • Company evaluation according to the principles of inheritance tax law as a prerequisite for qualified succession consultancy
Purchases and divestments of companies and participations
  • Design of an optimum sale structure under company and tax law
  • Assistance in the due diligence process on both the buyer and seller sides
  • Development of tax-optimised disposal concepts
Audits
Statutory audits

Corporations which German Commercial Code defines as being medium-sized or large are subject to a statutory obligation to have their annual financial statements and management report externally audited.

An audit report which meets current requirements will inform your business partners (customers, suppliers, banks etc.) of the correctness of your financial reporting.

When we conduct an audit, we look at your business processes in detail and identify critical areas. This allows us to provide you with practical indications of the strengths and weaknesses in your company. We then explore all the relevant points of the audit with you in a detailed final discussion. Our services further include a professional presentation of the audit report to the supervisory bodies responsible.

Voluntary audits

Even if there is no statutory obligation, an audit of your annual financial statements may be necessary due to contractual agreements entered into (e.g. credit or investment agreements) or indeed by dint of other requirements. You should view such an audit as an opportunity to portray yourself in a positive light, including with regard to your company rating.

Other audits

We will also be glad to assist you in the following matters.

  • Formation audit for corporations
  • Audits pursuant to the Broker and Property Development Ordinance
  • Audits of company procedures and internal control systems
  • Audits for renovation concepts
  • Audits for the “Green Dot” recycling scheme
Company consultancy
A wealth of experience with successful solutions

As company consultants, we always have our eye on the proverbial ball when it comes to the securing and further development of your company. The route to success always lies in good business management concepts which are robustly implemented. We collaborate closely with the areas of auditing and tax consultancy.

We work with you to plan your success and highlight any deviation from the right approach. We coach you in every aspect of accounting and controlling and help you implement your projects in a targeted way.

Benefit from our many years of analytical and conceptual experiences and make use of our know-how!

International consultancy
Outbound Services

Perhaps you and your company are planning activities abroad. Or maybe you have already taken this step and now have business establishments or subsidiaries in other countries? We are specialist consultants in international law. Thanks our manifold practical experience in this field and with the involvement of further specialists if necessary, we are able to provide you with support and guidance in the following areas.

  • International structuring of company activities
  • Consultancy services in the fields of double taxation agreements and foreign tax law
  • Assistance with the structuring of transfer prices, licence agreements and cost allocation agreements
  • Guidance on the problems of operating international business premises
  • Guidance on the deployment of staff abroad (expats)
  • International inheritance tax and asset succession planning
  • Consultancy services on migration abroad
  • Support with company audits where the focus is on international issues
  • Appraisal of cross-border VAT arrangements and optimisation of structures
  • Assistance with VAT registration abroad
  • VAT refunds
Inbound Services

Are you a company which is based abroad and is planning to establish a sales office or a subsidiary in Germany? We are able to offer you a comprehensive range of services.

Relocation

Our support begins during the preparatory phase. We use cooperation partners to help you to set up a bank account in Germany and assist you with the recruitment and selection of suitably skilled staff. We can also handle the whole of the removal process for any employees who may be relocating from elsewhere in Germany or from abroad.

Certainty at your new location

We can support you in the following ways.

  • Choice of legal form
  • Preparation of shareholder agreements
  • Financing consulting
  • Selection of main bank, identification of credit requirements
  • Information on funding opportunities
  • Drafting or scrutiny of agreements
  • Contracts of employment, leases, software agreements, maintenance agreements etc.
  • Support with company acquisitions
  • Exclusion of liability risks, takeover of customers etc.
  • Organisation of your company
  • Tax and business consultancy

We will take care of tax registration for the purposes of corporation tax, trade tax, VAT, income tax and construction withholding tax where relevant. We are also able to deal with social insurance registration (company number)

Reporting and organisation

We will set up your financial accounting systems in accordance with German tax law and provide you with remote access to all the vouchers and evaluations from your German branch. In order to streamline the administration of your branch to the greatest degree possible, we will also be happy to handle payments, creditor management, reminders and debtor management. We can check your travel expense claims to ensure compliance with German tax standards.

We will adjust all relevant bookkeeping information to meet the individual standards of the parent company. If required, we will draw up a reporting system in accordance with the guidelines of the parent whilst also taking foreign accounts systems into consideration. We are able to ensure a transparent transition from financial accounting in accordance with German standards to the standards of the parent company. This facilitates the consolidation process.

We provide support with preparations for the auditing of the consolidated financial statements in respect of the German subsidiary.