Kontist

Automatic Tax Calculation & Reserves

Kontist's core feature is automatic tax calculation. When you receive payment for services, Kontist instantly calculates your tax obligation based on German tax law: Einkommensteuer (income tax), Umsatzsteuer (VAT), and Solidaritätszuschlag. The calculated tax amount is automatically transferred to a separate tax account, ensuring it's set aside and untouched. You can see two balances at all times: your available spending balance and your reserved tax balance. This eliminates the common freelancer nightmare of spending money freely and discovering at tax time that you owe €5,000 you've already spent.

Pricing Models & Plan Tiers

• Free: Basic IBAN account with tax calculation
• Free: Real-time tax estimate and balance
• €5-12/month: Premium plans with higher limits
• Premium: SEPA bulk transfers for invoicing
• No hidden fees or surprise charges

Integration with Accounting Software

Kontist connects with lexoffice and FastBill, allowing automatic synchronization of transactions. This means your bank activity flows automatically into your accounting software, reducing manual data entry. For German freelancers, this creates a complete financial workflow: money arrives at Kontist, taxes are automatically reserved, and transactions automatically sync to your accounting software for simplified bookkeeping and tax preparation. The integration reduces the administrative burden that many freelancers find overwhelming.

Banking Features Beyond Tax

• Full IBAN account for business banking
• SEPA transfers and standing orders
• Mobile app for real-time balance checking
• Invoice templates and payment tracking
• Expense categorization for tax reporting

Comparison with N26 & Qonto

N26 and Qonto offer business banking but lack Kontist's automatic tax calculation feature. N26 is designed for general consumers and lacks deep German tax integration. Qonto focuses on expense management and automation but doesn't automatically set aside taxes. For German freelancers, this means you must manually track tax obligations—a significant difference. Kontist's specialization in tax management for freelancers makes it uniquely valuable for Germany's substantial freelancer population. If you're a freelancer without complex organizational structures, Kontist solves a specific problem better than generalist banking alternatives.

Steuerberater Integration

Kontist integrates with Steuerberater (tax consultants) through its API and export features, allowing your tax consultant to access transaction history and prepare your tax return more efficiently. Many Steuerberater are now familiar with Kontist due to its popularity among German freelancers, making the integration into your existing tax workflow seamless. This positions Kontist as not just a banking tool, but part of your broader freelancer professional infrastructure.