Put your accounting & taxes on autopilot

There's no single straightforward answer to this. If you're looking for a business account with accounting, it's worth comparing the different options and their features to find the product that best suits your needs.

A Qonto account, for example, offers fast and straightforward online banking and connects effortlessly with a wide range of accounting tools such as DATEV, Lexware Office, Accountable, and sevDesk — so you can handle your accounting in just a few clicks.

With practical features in the Qonto app, you can scan your paper receipts and certify them in compliance with GoBD standards.

Unlike traditional financial institutions, Qonto gives you unlimited transaction history and digital expense management features to keep your cash flow under control at all times.

Whether it's supplier invoices, restaurant bills, or travel expenses for business owners and employees: a business account with accounting keeps you on top of everything.

Automated processes also make preparatory accounting and account reconciliation easier.

Another advantage of Qonto: from January 2025, you can use the built-in e-invoicing program to receive, manage, view, and store electronic invoices in a fully compliant way.

It depends on the legal structure you choose. For corporations such as a limited liability company (GmbH) or an entrepreneurial company (UG), a business account is a legal requirement.

For sole traders, freelancers, small business owners, small traders, and partnerships such as a civil law partnership (GbR), a business account is not strictly required.

As your business grows and your accounting and financial management become more complex, it's worth considering an online business account to stay on top of your finances. A business account for small business owners can also be a smart move to keep everything organized.

If you don't run a corporation and are not legally required to maintain a business account, you can use a personal current account for your business income and expenses. This applies to sole traders, freelancers, small business owners, small traders, and partnerships such as a civil law partnership (GbR).

That said, to keep income and expenses clearly separated and save time on accounting, it's worth opening a business account from the very start — even for these business types.

With single-entry bookkeeping, self-employed individuals record all income and expenses chronologically and separately in a spreadsheet. Bank account and cash transactions are also entered in a cash book. At the end of the financial year, business owners compare income and expenses to determine their business performance using a simple income surplus calculation (EÜR).

With double-entry bookkeeping, income and expenses are recorded across two accounts — hence the name. Here, "account" does not refer to a bank account, but to a bookkeeping account used to record business transactions such as income and expenses.

In double-entry bookkeeping, businesses also account for expenditures, revenues, and capital. All of this information is then used to produce a balance sheet and a profit and loss statement (P&L), which is submitted to the tax authority as the annual financial statement.

Single-entry bookkeeping is comparatively straightforward and quicker to complete. Unlike double-entry bookkeeping, it simply compares income and expenses for a financial year. Once a year, self-employed individuals and freelancers determine their business performance using a simple income surplus calculation (EÜR). By comparison, the equivalent in double-entry bookkeeping is the annual financial statement.

The preparatory accounting process involves chronologically compiling and sorting all internal business receipts and documents, which are then handed over to a tax advisor. Organizing your finances makes preparing your tax return faster and easier, while giving you a clear overview of all income and expenses.

Did you know? Qonto supports you not only with managing your day-to-day finances, but also with preparing your accounting. After every expense, you can add the receipt or invoice directly to the corresponding transaction. VAT information is recognized automatically — you just need to confirm it, and the VAT will appear in your accounting export (or be transferred automatically to your accounting tool if you've connected it to Qonto).

Received your invoice by email? Simply forward it to your Qonto business account, where it will be automatically matched to the relevant transaction.

Qonto also simplifies invoice management: track all your supplier invoices digitally and clearly, directly in your business account. Create and send invoices in just a few clicks.

The certified authentication of receipts makes scanned documents legally equivalent to their paper originals. To have an uploaded document certified, you must ensure the digital copy is identical to the original:

• The document must be legible and unaltered

• Colors must be true to the original

• The receipt must not be cropped

If the submitted documents do not meet our requirements, only the original paper receipt will be accepted in the event of an audit.

Through integrations and partners, you have access to a wide range of integrations with the most popular accounting tools, including:

The DATEV cloud application is designed for tax advisors, auditors, lawyers, and their clients to record bookkeeping or payroll data. You can connect your Qonto account to DATEV and grant your accountant limited read access to the relevant data.

Through the DATEV Unternehmen online portal, your Qonto business account is added to your interface in just a few clicks — a step usually handled by your tax office. Your Qonto account details, which you can find in the Qonto app, are required for this. The PSD2-compliant banking API finAPI then establishes the connection between Qonto and DATEV.

During data transfer to DATEV, the name and IBAN of the payee and sender, as well as the amount and payment reference of transactions, are synchronized.

For more information on connecting your Qonto account to DATEV, visit our Help Center.

The software from our partner Lexware Office is suitable for freelancers exempt from strict bookkeeping requirements, as well as for business owners required to use double-entry bookkeeping.

Accountable matches all your scanned receipts with the corresponding bank transaction. By connecting to your Qonto account, you can see in real time how much money you have left after taxes — giving you a clear picture of how much to set aside for VAT and income tax.

sevDesk is the software solution for straightforward accounting, making it ideal for freelancers and small business owners. Features include invoice management, preparatory accounting, and inventory management.