# 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.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-bookkeeper-and-accountant.php  
Updated: 2026-10-14

## 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.

## At a glance

- **What you may do:** Section 6(1) StBerG allows setting up charts of accounts, booking ongoing transactions, running payroll and preparing payroll tax returns, if you have a commercial qualification and three years of bookkeeping practice
- **Compulsory:** Unlike tax advisers, bookkeepers have no professional indemnity duty under the StBerG; clients often ask for it anyway
- **Biggest risk:** Financial loss to clients from errors and missed deadlines in bookkeeping and payroll
- **Basic cover from:** around 200 euros a year for professional indemnity with 250,000 euros, a guide value from our quoting experience
- **Often forgotten:** Cyber: you hold bank details, payroll data and log-ins for many businesses

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Payroll errors:** Wrong contribution categories or missing supplements lead to social security back payments, often found in an audit years later.
- **Deadlines:** A payroll tax return goes in late and surcharges follow.
- **Going beyond your scope:** Annual accounts and tax returns are for tax advisers. If you prepare them, insurers will usually not pay.
- **Data breach:** A hacked mailbox or lost laptop exposes payroll data for entire workforces.
- **Payment fraud:** A fake email in your client's name tricks you into releasing a transfer.
- **Fee disputes:** Clients do not pay or set off alleged losses against your invoice.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 4, Fire and water 2, Theft 1, Cyber 4, Downtime 3, Health 2

## The insurance you need

- **Professional indemnity** (Essential): As professional indemnity it pays when your mistake costs a client money, and defends you against unfounded claims. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-professional-indemnity.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Strongly advised): Pays for forensics, notifying those affected and restoring systems after an attack, often also fake payment instructions. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Strongly advised): For disputes with clients over fees and contracts. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Occupational disability** (Strongly advised): As a freelancer you protect your own income. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-occupational-disability.php
- **Business liability** (Depends on the business): For injury and property damage, for example if a visitor falls in your office; often combined with professional indemnity. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Depends on the business): For laptops, scanners and servers, including operating errors. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php

## 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.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Professional indemnity | Sole trader, 250,000 euros per claim | around 200 to 400 euros a year |
| Professional indemnity | Office with two employees and payroll, 500,000 euros | around 400 to 800 euros a year |
| Cyber insurance | Small office, 250,000 euros sum insured | around 300 to 700 euros a year |
| Business legal expenses | Sole trader with contract legal cover | around 250 to 450 euros a year |
| Electronic equipment | Office IT worth 10,000 euros | around 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._

- [Section 6 StBerG: exceptions for bookkeeping and payroll](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stberg/__6.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Start** (Freelance bookkeeper working from home, financial bookkeeping): Professional indemnity, Cyber insurance. Together: around 500 to 1,100 euros a year
- **Office** (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
- **Complete** (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

## 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.

- 08:30: 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)
- 10:00: A payroll tax return was never sent. Surcharges and trouble with the tax office. (€1,500, Paid by: Professional indemnity)
- 11:45: An email in your client's name changes a supplier's bank details. The payment is gone. (€23,000, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 14:00: A client refuses to pay three monthly invoices and claims mistakes that never happened. (€4,000, Paid by: Business legal expenses)
- 16:30: A courier trips over a cable in your office and breaks a wrist. (€5,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 18:00: Coffee over the laptop with all client log-ins. (€1,800, Paid by: Electronic equipment)

**Damage so far:** €49,300

## Practical tips from your broker

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

## FAQ

### 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.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-bookkeeper-and-accountant.php#anfrage

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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.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.