You moved to Germany. Your Indian income didn't.
Rent from a flat in Pune, interest on an NRO deposit, shares held since before the move, a property you're thinking of selling — each still carries an Indian obligation, and usually tax deducted at a rate well above what you actually owe. We handle the India side, in English, without you flying back.
German filings stay with your Steuerberater. We handle everything under Indian law and coordinate with them where a treaty position spans both. Position as on 03 Aug 2026.
In Germany, the bookkeeping isn't ours to do.
Our UK and US desks keep clients' local books. Germany is the exception, and it's worth explaining why rather than leaving you to wonder.
Tax assistance is a licensed activity
Under the German Tax Consulting Act, providing commercial tax assistance to third parties is reserved to licensed professionals — Steuerberater, Rechtsanwälte and Wirtschaftsprüfer. An Indian firm cannot step into that role, and shouldn't pretend otherwise.
DATEV is built for that profession
DATEV, the system most German practices run on, is a cooperative owned by and built for tax advisors and auditors. Several of its modules require a licensed advisor to access — which is why German ledgers generally stay inside German practices.
So this desk does what an Indian firm is genuinely placed to do: everything on the India side, for people and businesses in Germany with an Indian connection. Verified against the Steuerberatungsgesetz framework and DATEV's stated licensing model as on 03 Aug 2026.
The India side, end to end.
Indian income tax return
- Rent, interest, dividends and capital gains reported correctly
- Residential status established before the return, not after
- Refund of excess tax deducted claimed and followed up
- Filed remotely, on your approval
India-Germany double taxation relief
- Which country may tax which income under the treaty
- Tax residency certificate and Form 10F
- Relief claimed in the correct return
- Position documented for both sides
Buying, selling and renting in India
- Withholding on a sale by a non-resident, handled for the buyer
- Capital gains computed on the gain, not the sale value
- Lower deduction certificate where the deduction overshoots
- Rental income and the deductions available on it
Accounts and money movement
- NRE, NRO and FCNR account structure
- Repatriation with the required certification
- Form 15CA and 15CB for outward remittance
- Position checked before the transfer, not after the bank queries it
An Indian entity owned from Germany
- Company or LLP incorporation with a non-resident director
- Monthly books, GST and payroll for the Indian entity
- Annual MCA filings and director KYC
- Repatriating profits properly
Moving back to India
- The RNOR window and what it protects
- Timing the move to make use of it
- Foreign accounts, assets and disclosure obligations
- Re-designating bank accounts on arrival
Four situations, one thing in common.
Indian professionals working in Germany with income or property left behind in India. German companies with an Indian subsidiary that needs books, payroll and filings on the ground. Indian companies with a German arm, where the India side still has to be run properly. And founders moving in either direction, where residential status changes what each country can tax. In all four, the India-side work is the same — and the four and a half hour gap means a question asked in your morning is answered before your afternoon.
Four steps, none requiring a flight.
Situation call
What you hold or earn in India, how long you've been in Germany, and the specific thing you're worried about. No obligation at this stage.
Written scope
What applies, what sits with us, what stays with your Steuerberater, and what it costs — agreed before anything begins.
Documents
A checklist built for your situation rather than a generic list. Scans by WhatsApp, email or a shared folder.
Filing & records
Prepared, explained to you in plain English, filed on your approval, with acknowledgements and working papers sent back.
What clients in Germany ask.
Do you do German bookkeeping or German tax returns?
No. In Germany, commercial tax assistance for third parties is reserved by law to Steuerberater, Rechtsanwälte and Wirtschaftsprüfer. We work on the India side and coordinate with your German advisor where a position spans both countries.
Do you work in German?
Our service is in English throughout. For most Indian professionals in Germany that's the easier language for tax discussions anyway — and it's one reason clients come to us rather than explaining Indian rules to a German advisor.
I live in Germany. Do I still file in India?
Often yes, if you have Indian income, property or certain assets. Residential status changes the scope of what India can tax, not necessarily the obligation to file — and where tax has been deducted at source, a return is the only route to a refund.
How does the India-Germany treaty help?
A double taxation treaty allocates taxing rights between the two countries, so the same income isn't fully taxed twice. Claiming relief needs documentation — typically a tax residency certificate and a declaration — in place before the income arises rather than afterwards.
I'm selling a flat in India. What happens?
Withholding on a sale by a non-resident applies to the sale consideration rather than the gain, so the amount deducted usually far exceeds the actual tax. A lower deduction certificate obtained before the transaction is what brings it down.
Do I need to visit India?
No. Everything runs remotely and has since 2017 — documents digitally, filings on your approval, acknowledgements sent back to you.
For Indians abroad.
NRI Property Sale and Withholding
Why the deduction is so large, and how to bring it down legitimately.
Setting Up a Business in India from Abroad
Structure, registrations and the sequence that works.
Outsourcing Accounting: A Germany Guide
What can and can't move across the border, and why.
Full detail for non-residents is on NRI services. Company-side coordination runs through the Global Desk. Other country desks: UK, USA, UAE.
Tell us what you still hold in India.
Income, property, an entity or all three — share the shape of it and we'll map what applies. Prefer to talk now? WhatsApp or call us directly.
Four and a half hours away.
Tell us what you earn or own in India and how long you've been in Germany. We'll tell you what India can tax, what's being over-deducted, and what it takes to put it right.