Setting up as a freelancer or self-employed

Can anyone tell me what the procedure is for working as a freelance or setting up as 'self' employed here in Germany?

I originally came here due to full time job offer and work which was ok for a number of years until it went pear-shaped.
I was then out of work and got some money from the Arbeitsamt but the last few years zilch...

Now I am hopefully going to start a new phase of my existence here and I may be offered some work as freelance beginning in the new year.

So I need to know what I should do in relation to operating in this capacity:-

What do I need to do specifically?

Do I need to set up as a company?

Do I need to register in any special way?

Tax situation etc.?

How do I bill someone for my work etc.?

Anything else I should consider?

I am just trying to make sure I start out on the right foot.

Any help, ideas gratefully received as usual.

Greg

Make sure you have a good solicitor ready 'cos all they really wanna do is sue your arse for breaking petty German laws.

Yours,

Bitter and Twisted of Landsberg.

A few random hints:
- If you speak german there is a good website by the ministry of commerce for "Existenzgründer".
- You will need a tax consultant, because the way you have to handle this depends on so many details.
- You might get some startup money by the "Arbeitsagentur" and/or cheap loans by the KfW Bank.
- If you go the easiest way and be a "Einzelunternehmer", you will at least need a tax number from the "Finanzamt", but speak with your tax consultant first...

I think all aspects of freelancing have already been covered; a medium-term aim of mine is to collate all the information into a single wiki page, but until then typing "freelance" into the search box will provide you with plenty of reading and most of your answers.

I did not want to wade through all the waffle to find the useful and genuine stuff.
I just hoped that somebody out there who has been through it, done and got the'T'shirt could give me the gen and save me the hassle of scr..wing up as usually happens to me and kraut system.
I was recently presented with a contract in relation to some work which i was expected to do as a 'freelance or self-employed if someone can explain even this difference?
They wanted me to sign and agree to €10,000 penaty if i was responsible for things not happening the way they should, deadlines not being met!
Is this normal and acceptable? Should I steer clear of such things or are they the norm?

Some one out there must have the bumpf for me to read and digest, preferably English!

Ah, I see, you want people to spend time providing you with information that they've already spent time providing to others. Fair enough. In which case you should provide more relevant information (such as field of work) and ask more specific questions (as opposed to "Tax situation etc.?").

I personally would not agree to any penalty, but if you talk to a lawyer or tax adviser they may tell you that you can get professional Haftpflichtversicherung to cover your back.

As for the difference between freelance and self-employed, well I realise it's a lot of work but you could read the thread entitled "Freelancer vs. self-employed, what is the difference?". Only if you have time though.

Let's start with some important information:

What is your nationality? Do you hold an EU Passport?

I've done it, am doing it and will continue to do it for the forseeable. I've also given information and advice on the subject on previous threads as have many, many other people. Why should I type it in again just because you are too lazy to do a bit of research? Fuck that for a game of soldiers! Stupidity is one thing, but outright bare-faced laziness is another story entirely.

I don't think I've ever said this here before, but I hope that nobody provides you with any further information until you've done a bit of legwork yourself.

ooh had a bad day have we dear!

...and guess what? if this thread is allowed to continue, it'll be just as bad to wade through to get any information as the original threads. ...made even worse by all the bitching about it being a repeat thread.

Just add beer and it gets fun.

Not particularly. You? How're things going? We missed you at the thing the other night.

If everyone demands individual answers on their own thread then the website becomes a mess for future users. Forum etiquette demands that you read existing threads and then, if your questions remain unanswered, you add your specific question to the most relevant existing thread. A basic search for "freelance" already brings up 46 threads, so adding a 47th and then a 48th makes things even more confusing for future users.

I will in due course write a wiki page that will hopefully offer a one-stop shop for at least the basics of freelancing in Germany, but in the meantime users will have to read through what has already been written. This thread should now be deleted as it offers no useful information and hopefully it won't either.

Advert closed.