I'm going self-employed – trade business or liberal profession, full-time or on the side
The heart of the matter
- Trade business or liberal profession? You register a trade business (Gewerbe) with the Gewerbeamt (trade office). Membership of the IHK (chamber of commerce) or Handwerkskammer (chamber of crafts) follows, and possibly trade tax. Liberal professions such as teaching, art, translating or healthcare professions register only with the Finanzamt (tax office). In case of doubt, the Finanzamt classifies the activity.
- Full-time or on the side? Health insurance, unemployment insurance and funding depend on this. If you stay employed, you generally remain compulsorily insured through that job. If you are self-employed full-time, you have to insure yourself and pay the contributions alone.
- Funding first, then start. You must apply for the start-up grant (Gründungszuschuss) from the Agentur für Arbeit and the entry allowance (Einstiegsgeld) from the Jobcenter before your first working day. If you start first and ask afterwards, you risk that the funding is no longer possible.
- Deadlines run after the start. Questionnaire for tax registration: 1 month. Application for voluntary unemployment insurance: 3 months. Registration with the pension insurance if you belong to a compulsory group: 3 months.
- Only one client? Look closely. If you work under instructions and almost only for one client, this may be false self-employment (Scheinselbstständigkeit) or you may be subject to compulsory pension insurance. A status determination by the Deutsche Rentenversicherung (German pension insurance) provides clarity.
How the roadmap works. Answer the questions. Your roadmap is built from them. It shows what you should do before the start, which registrations are required and by when, and how you protect yourself. The most important point up front: you apply for funding from the Agentur für Arbeit or Jobcenter before the start, and after the start you have only one month for the Finanzamt. Free initial advice is offered by the IHK, the Handwerkskammer, start-up centres and the Agentur für Arbeit. This roadmap is general information and is not a substitute for legal advice.
Your answers are not stored or transmitted; they only appear in your browser's address bar. Anyone who shares the link also shares the answers. Legal status as of November 2026: GewO § 14; AO §§ 138, 141, 149; UStG § 19 as amended since 1 January 2025 (€25,000 previous year, €100,000 current year), § 18; EStG §§ 4 para. 3, 37; GewStG §§ 11, 19; SGB III §§ 28a, 93, 94, 138, 155, 324; SGB II §§ 16b, 16c as amended since 1 July 2026 (Grundsicherungsgeld, formerly Bürgergeld); SGB V §§ 5 para. 5, 9, 44, 240 (minimum assessment basis 2026: €1,318.33 per month); SGB VI §§ 2, 6, 190a; SGB IV § 7a (parts limited until 30 June 2027); SGB VII § 192; KSVG § 3; HwO; IHKG § 2.
Your situation
Your roadmap
As of November 2026. The roadmap arranges general information according to your answers. It does not review an individual case, does not replace legal advice and does not assess your dismissal or any deadline as valid, met or missed. Whether an entitlement exists is decided by the responsible office; deadlines and amounts change often – check important details with an advice centre.
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On a decision, deadline, application or responsibility. You get an answer with the matching page, the responsible office and the next step, usually within two working days. No legal advice in individual cases, no sharing of your data.