You help people untangle hard things for a living. And yet, when it comes to your own invoices in Germany, it can feel like you are the one who needs a coach. New words, new forms, and that quiet worry that you are getting something wrong without knowing it.
Let's take it one step at a time. By the end of this guide you will know how to register, whether to add VAT, how to bill a coaching package, and what a finished invoice looks like. There is a real example you can copy.
First, some good news
- You can write your invoices in English. German law does not ask for German. Your clients will understand it, and so will the tax office.
- You can start small. If you earn under €25,000 this year, you can usually skip VAT completely with one sentence on the invoice.
- The setup happens once. After that, every invoice is the same short routine.
- Mistakes can be fixed. A wrong invoice is corrected with a new one. It is a normal part of business, not a disaster.
Step 1: Register (two short forms)
Most coaches in Germany register two things, once:
1. A trade, at the local trade office. In German this is a Gewerbeanmeldung at the Gewerbeamt. Coaching is usually not on the list of "liberal professions" (like doctors, lawyers or teachers), so it normally counts as a trade. In many cities you can do this online. It costs a small fee, often between €20 and €60.
This sounds bigger than it is. Being a trade does not mean you are a shop. It only means the paperwork goes through the trade office as well. And trade tax (Gewerbesteuer) only starts above €24,500 profit a year, so most coaches pay none at the start.
Some coaching is closer to teaching, for example running trainings and workshops. Then the tax office may see you as freelance instead, without a trade. If you are not sure, ask. The tax office decides, and it is a perfectly normal question.
2. Your tax number, from the tax office. You fill in a form called the Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung ("questionnaire for tax registration") online on the government website ELSTER. The form is in German. Go slowly, use a translator, and remember that rough estimates are fine. A few weeks later, your tax number (Steuernummer) arrives by post. If the different numbers confuse you, our guide to German tax numbers helps.
Step 2: Decide about VAT
VAT (in German: Umsatzsteuer or Mehrwertsteuer) is the tax added on top of a price. Coaching is normally taxed at 19%. Unlike therapy by licensed practitioners, or school teaching, coaching is not one of the services that are free of VAT.
But there is a simpler option for smaller earners. If you expect to earn under €25,000 this year, you can usually use the small business rule (Kleinunternehmerregelung). Then you do not add VAT at all, and you write one short sentence on each invoice instead. Many coaches use it in their first years. Our small business guide explains the limits calmly.
One tip for pricing. Private clients think in final prices. If you charge VAT, decide whether your prices include it or not, and say so on your website. "€1,200 including VAT" and "€1,200 plus VAT" are a €228 difference for your client.
Step 3: What goes on your invoice
- Your full name and address. Your business name can go next to it.
- Your client's name and address. For business coaching paid by an employer, this is the company, not the person you coach.
- Your tax number (Steuernummer).
- A unique invoice number. Count up: 2026-001, 2026-002, and so on.
- The invoice date.
- When the coaching happens. A date, or a period like "1 September to 30 November 2026".
- What the client gets. For example: "Coaching package, 6 sessions of 60 minutes, online".
- Your fee.
- The VAT, or the sentence explaining why there is none.
- The total, and how to pay. Your IBAN and a pay-by date.
That is the whole list. If those ten are there, your invoice is correct.
Meet Sam
Sam is a career coach in Hamburg. They moved from Dublin five years ago and work in English with clients all over Germany. Sam earns more than €25,000 a year, so they charge VAT.
A new private client books Sam's three-month package and pays upfront. Here is the invoice:
INVOICE 2026-047
From: Sam O'Brien, Lange Reihe 88, 20099 Hamburg
Tax number: 43/512/09876
To: Julia Weber, Mühlenkamp 15, 22303 Hamburg
Invoice date: 25 August 2026
Coaching period: 1 September to 30 November 2026
What Amount
--------------------------------------------------------
Career coaching package "Next Step",
6 online sessions of 60 minutes €1,200.00
VAT 19% €228.00
Total €1,428.00
Please pay by 1 September 2026 to:
IBAN DE98 7654 3210 9876 5432 10
The package is one line. The period tells everyone when the sessions run. The VAT is shown separately, with its rate. That is a complete, correct invoice.
If Sam used the small business rule instead, there would be no VAT line, the total would be €1,200, and one sentence would go above the total:
Gemäß §19 UStG wird keine Umsatzsteuer berechnet.
Packages, refunds and cancelled sessions
Paid upfront? That is completely fine. One invoice for the whole package, with the period it covers, is all you need.
A client cancels and you give money back? Do not delete or edit the old invoice. Instead, you create a cancellation invoice (in German: Stornorechnung) that reverses it, and then a new invoice if needed. It keeps your records clean, and that is what the tax office cares about.
Payment platforms. A receipt from your payment provider or booking tool is usually not a full German invoice. It is fine to use those tools to get paid. Just make sure you also have a proper invoice for each payment.
Clients outside Germany
Coaching online means your clients can be anywhere. A short, calm overview:
- A business in another EU country (for example, a company in the Netherlands paying for leadership coaching): usually no German VAT. A short note on the invoice says the client handles the tax. Our guide to EU clients walks you through it.
- A private person in another EU country, coached live by video: usually the same as a German client. German VAT if you charge VAT, or the §19 sentence if you use the small business rule.
- Clients outside the EU: this depends on who the client is and what exactly you do. It is worth asking a tax advisor once, and then you know for good.
Selling pre-recorded courses is a different topic with its own rules. Live coaching is what this guide covers.
One thing worth knowing (that is not on the invoice)
Germany has an old rule that self-employed teachers without employees usually pay into the state pension system (Rentenversicherung). If most of your work is teaching, like running trainings and workshops, the pension office may count you as a teacher too. If your work is mostly one-to-one coaching, this usually does not apply. If you are unsure, the Deutsche Rentenversicherung can tell you. It is a calm question to ask early, not a reason to worry.
Small slips, easy to avoid
Forgetting the period. An invoice for a package without dates leaves your client and the tax office guessing. Always add when the sessions run.
Editing a sent invoice. Once sent, an invoice stays as it is. Corrections go on a new one.
Mixing up the client. When a company pays for coaching, the invoice goes to the company, even if you coach one of its people.
What this means for you
Invoicing as a coach in Germany comes down to a small, steady routine: register once, decide about VAT once, and send one clear invoice per package or session. The unfamiliar words are the scariest part, and now you know them.
This is what Kikiform is built for. You save your clients once, choose your VAT setting once, and Kikiform fills in the numbering, the period, the VAT or the §19 sentence, in English or German. If a client cancels, it creates the cancellation invoice for you. You focus on your clients, not your paperwork. You can try it for free.
German words in this guide
| German | What it means in plain English |
|---|---|
| Finanzamt | Your local tax office |
| Gewerbeamt | The local trade office |
| Gewerbeanmeldung | Registering a trade |
| Gewerbesteuer | Trade tax, only above €24,500 profit a year |
| Steuernummer | Your tax number, it goes on every invoice |
| Umsatzsteuer / Mehrwertsteuer | VAT, the tax added on top of a price |
| Kleinunternehmerregelung | The small business rule: no VAT under €25,000 |
| Stornorechnung | A cancellation invoice that reverses an old one |
| Rentenversicherung | State pension insurance |