Skip to content

Insurance broker / Business types / Professional services

Insurance for freelance bookkeepers and accountants in Germany

You keep the books for German businesses as one of the freelance bookkeepers and accountants here, perhaps with a qualification from the UK or elsewhere. In Germany, tax advice is reserved for tax advisers, and what bookkeepers may do is set out in section 6 of the Tax Advisers Act (StBerG). Within that scope, a wrong code or a late payroll filing can cost your clients surcharges and back payments, and they will look to you. This page explains which insurance you need and what it costs.

Insurance for bookkeepers and accountants in Germany

The question almost everyone asks first

Do I need professional indemnity or is general liability enough?

General liability pays for injury to people and damage to property. Your typical mistakes cause pure financial loss: surcharges, back payments, missed refunds. For that you need professional indemnity (Vermögensschadenhaftpflicht) that names your activities under section 6(1) StBerG, namely bookkeeping, payroll and payroll tax returns.

What goes wrong in this trade

  1. 01

    Payroll errors

    Wrong contribution categories or missing supplements lead to social security back payments, often found in an audit years later.

  2. 02

    Deadlines

    A payroll tax return goes in late and surcharges follow.

  3. 03

    Going beyond your scope

    Annual accounts and tax returns are for tax advisers. If you prepare them, insurers will usually not pay.

  4. 04

    Data breach

    A hacked mailbox or lost laptop exposes payroll data for entire workforces.

  5. 05

    Payment fraud

    A fake email in your client's name tricks you into releasing a transfer.

  6. 06

    Fee disputes

    Clients do not pay or set off alleged losses against your invoice.

Risk radar
Liability 4Fire and water 2Theft 1Cyber 4Downtime 3Health 2

Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.

The insurance you need

Essential

Professional indemnity

As professional indemnity it pays when your mistake costs a client money, and defends you against unfounded claims.

Strongly advised

Cyber insurance

Pays for forensics, notifying those affected and restoring systems after an attack, often also fake payment instructions.

Depends on the business

Business liability

For injury and property damage, for example if a visitor falls in your office; often combined with professional indemnity.

What it costs: example prices

Professional indemnity for bookkeepers costs less than for tax advisers because the scope is narrower. Turnover, staff, payroll volume and the sum insured drive the premium.

InsuranceExampleTypical range
Professional indemnitySole trader, 250,000 euros per claimaround 200 to 400 euros a year
Professional indemnityOffice with two employees and payroll, 500,000 eurosaround 400 to 800 euros a year
Cyber insuranceSmall office, 250,000 euros sum insuredaround 300 to 700 euros a year
Business legal expensesSole trader with contract legal coveraround 250 to 450 euros a year
Electronic equipmentOffice IT worth 10,000 eurosaround 80 to 180 euros a year

For comparison: Professional indemnity and cyber cover cost about as much a year as a few months of payroll for a small client.

Guide values from our quoting experience, as of October 2026,

excluding German insurance premium tax.

Your premium depends on your activities and the insurer; we obtain the exact quote for you.

Sources of the price examples

Our suggestions: three packages

01

Start

For: Freelance bookkeeper working from home, financial bookkeeping

  • Professional indemnity
  • Cyber insurance

Together around 500 to 1,100 euros a year

Request this package

02

Office

For: Bookkeeping office with payroll and staff

  • Professional indemnity
  • Cyber insurance
  • Business legal expenses
  • Business liability

Together around 1,100 to 2,200 euros a year

Request this package

03

Complete

For: Office with own IT and income protection

  • Professional indemnity
  • Cyber insurance
  • Business legal expenses
  • Business liability
  • Electronic equipment
  • Occupational disability

Together around 2,200 to 4,000 euros a year

Request this package

The worst day in a bookkeeping office

Six things that really happen to bookkeepers. Here they all hit on a single Monday. Tap through the day and see who pays.

Damage so far€49,300
  1. A pension insurance audit finds wrong contribution categories for a client's mini-jobbers. Back payments for four years.

    €14,000 · Paid by: Professional indemnity

  2. A payroll tax return was never sent. Surcharges and trouble with the tax office.

    €1,500 · Paid by: Professional indemnity

  3. An email in your client's name changes a supplier's bank details. The payment is gone.

    €23,000 · Paid by: Cyber insurance

  4. A client refuses to pay three monthly invoices and claims mistakes that never happened.

    €4,000 · Paid by: Business legal expenses

  5. A courier trips over a cable in your office and breaks a wrist.

    €5,000 · Paid by: Business liability

  6. Coffee over the laptop with all client log-ins.

    €1,800 · Paid by: Electronic equipment

Which package would you have had?

Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €49,300

Illustrative amounts before any excess.

What is paid depends on the policy terms.

Practical tips from your broker

  1. Have your activities under section 6(1) StBerG named precisely in the policy, especially payroll.
  2. Stay within scope: annual accounts and tax returns are for tax advisers, and insurers usually exclude them.
  3. Choose the sum insured by your largest client, not by your turnover.
  4. Check run-off cover: payroll errors often surface in audits years later.
  5. Agree in writing with each client who watches which deadline.
  6. Two-factor log-in for banking and payroll software lowers the cyber risk and often the premium.

Why NAMMERT for your business

We read the activity wording

As an insurance broker, Norman Nammert compares several insurers and checks that bookkeeping, payroll and filings are really covered.

We know claims handling

In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. We know what an insurer wants to see when a client demands money.

German wording explained in English

We walk you through German policy terms in plain English before you sign.

Brokering since 1989

Our advice costs you nothing, as the insurer pays our commission.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Is professional indemnity compulsory for bookkeepers in Germany?

The StBerG requires it for tax advisers, not for bookkeepers under section 6.

Without it, though, you are personally liable, and many clients ask for proof before they hire you.

What may bookkeepers do under section 6 StBerG?

Set up charts of accounts, book ongoing transactions, run payroll and prepare payroll tax returns.

You need a commercial qualification or equivalent and at least three years of bookkeeping practice

of at least 16 hours a week.

Is my UK accounting qualification recognised?

Section 6 asks for a commercial qualification or equivalent prior training plus three years of

practice.

Whether yours counts as equivalent depends on the individual case;

insurers then look at what you actually do.

What does professional indemnity cost?

As a guide from our quoting experience,

around 200 to 400 euros a year for a sole trader with 250,000 euros cover;

with payroll and staff more like 400 to 800 euros.

Am I covered if I prepare annual accounts?

Usually not.

Insurers cover the activity you are allowed to carry out,

and anything beyond it is normally excluded.

Does cyber insurance pay for fake payment instructions?

Many policies include this, often with a separate limit.

Check the module before you sign.

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request quotes for Bookkeepers

The recommended covers are ticked.

Change what does not fit; we compare quotes, in English.

1Who is it for?
2Which insurance?

Choose as many as you like. For each one, the details an insurer needs for a quote appear below.

Personal

Business

3Details

Occupational disability insurance (Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung)

For example data analyst in an office, or civil engineer with site visits

We discuss details personally for an anonymous enquiry

For example how long you plan to stay in Germany, self-employment, existing policies

Professional indemnity insurance in Germany (Berufshaftpflicht)

For example tax adviser with payroll, freelance software developer,

architect for residential buildings

For example current policy abroad, clients in the US, side activities,

expiry date of existing cover

Business legal expenses insurance in Germany (Firmenrechtsschutz)

For example plumbing business, tax practice, online shop for electronics

Existing disputes cannot be insured, but knowing about them helps us advise you

Cyber insurance for businesses in Germany

Rule of thumb: cost of three to four weeks of downtime plus recovery

4Your current policy
5How can we reach you?

Related trades

Tax adviser

Tax adviser

Are my payroll and bookkeeping staff covered?

Office services

Office services

Which insurance pays if my mistake loses a client one of their customers or causes a missed…

Boat or yacht? NAMMERT has its own cover concepts for boats, arranged by the same broker.

Boat insurance

Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT.

Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act.

Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company.

It does not arrange your contract.

Statutory disclosure (German) · Updated