Influencer business registration in Germany: Gewerbe or freelance?

If you regularly earn money from collaborations in Germany, you need to clarify whether your work counts as a business (Gewerbe) or as freelance work — registration and trade tax depend on it. This article gives a general orientation; binding answers come from the tax office, the chamber of commerce (IHK) and your tax advisor.

Are influencers self-employed as a business or as freelancers?

In Germany, tax law distinguishes between commercial (gewerblich) and freelance (freiberuflich) activity. Freelancers do not register a business and do not pay trade tax. The liberal professions include, among others, artistic and journalistic work. Influencer work with paid advertising for brands, affiliate links or selling your own products, on the other hand, is often classified as commercial. There is no blanket answer; what matters is what you actually do. In the end, the tax office makes the classification. Get advice before you commit, because a wrong classification can lead to back payments later.

How to register an influencer business in Germany

If your work is commercial, you register a business (Gewerbe) with the trade office (Gewerbeamt) of your municipality, in many cities online as well. You describe what you do, for example advertising services on social media or content production. The trade office notifies other bodies, including the tax office and the chamber of industry and commerce (IHK), which you then become a member of. You then submit the tax registration questionnaire to the tax office, usually via ELSTER. In it you state, among other things, your expected revenue and decide on the small business rule (Kleinunternehmerregelung). After that you receive your tax number.

Trade tax for influencers

Trade tax (Gewerbesteuer) is levied on the profit from commercial activity and collected by the municipality, which sets its own multiplier (Hebesatz). Sole proprietors get an allowance, so small profits often trigger no trade tax. You can find out the current amount of the allowance from the tax office or your tax advisor. If trade tax is due, sole proprietors can partly credit it against their income tax. Whether and how much this affects you depends on your profit and your municipality and can only be calculated case by case.

Income tax, VAT and insurance

You pay income tax on your profit, whether your work is commercial or freelance. On top of that comes VAT. If you stay below a certain revenue threshold, you can use the small business rule and then do not have to charge VAT; check the current threshold with the tax office or the IHK. Products you are allowed to keep can also count as income. As a self-employed person, you take care of health insurance and retirement savings yourself. Whether the artists’ social insurance fund (Künstlersozialkasse) is also an option for you is assessed case by case and depends on the kind of work you do.

What this means for your orders on creatordeal

On creatordeal you act as a self-employed business owner. During verification you choose whether you bill as a private individual or as a company. Your tax number is required. You need a VAT ID if you are not a small business or if you work for companies in other EU countries; it then appears on your credit note and is checked by us. As a small business without cross-border sales, it is optional. You set once in your settings whether you are a small business. You don’t write an invoice: creatordeal settles through self-billing and provides you with a credit note for every payout. creatordeal does not check whether you have registered a business and does not pay any taxes or contributions on your behalf. As a platform, creatordeal is legally required (DAC7) to report your income to the tax office; for that, we need your date of birth, tax number and country before the first payout.

What this article does not replace

This article gives a general overview and is not tax or legal advice. Whether your work is commercial or freelance, which taxes apply and how you protect yourself depends on your personal situation and can change with new rules. Binding information comes from the trade office, the tax office and the chamber of industry and commerce (IHK), and for questions on artists’ social insurance, the Künstlersozialkasse. For your personal planning, a tax advisor is the right contact, especially if you also have a job, work abroad or sell your own products.

Questions

Frequently asked.

Key answers at a glance. Everything else is in the guides and in the FAQ.

Do I need to register a business as an influencer in Germany?

If your work is commercial, yes. Advertising for brands, affiliate links and your own products are often classified as commercial; the tax office decides case by case.

Is an influencer a business owner or a freelancer in Germany?

That depends on what you actually do. Artistic or journalistic work can be freelance, while advertising work is often considered commercial.

Do influencers pay trade tax in Germany?

Only for commercial activity and only once your profit exceeds the allowance. The amount depends on your municipality’s multiplier.

Where do I register an influencer business in Germany?

With the trade office of your municipality, in many places online as well. You then submit the tax registration questionnaire to the tax office.

Does creatordeal check my business registration?

No. creatordeal asks for your tax number and your tax status, but does not check any business registration and does not pay taxes on your behalf.

Get paid without writing your own invoice

On creatordeal you get a credit note for every payout — you enter your tax details just once.

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