Tax advice for founders: start-up packages, fixed prices and content that convinces start-ups

Why founders are a target group of their own

Founders differ from other clients in three ways. They have no tax adviser yet and therefore nothing to compare with. They have a small budget and many questions. And they search almost exclusively online, often in the evening and on their phone, with search terms such as “Steuerberater für Gründer”, “Steuerberater Startup Kosten” or “Steuerberater Gründerberatung Wien”. If you give a clear answer at this point, you win clients who grow with their business: today's sole trader becomes, three years later, a GmbH with five employees and ongoing payroll.

For young firms in particular, this is an obvious focus. Founders don't expect a firm with thirty years of history, but a contact person who works digitally, answers quickly and takes the questions of the first months seriously. The flip side: they compare prices hard, ask lots of questions for free by email and move to online tax advisers or bookkeeping apps if the value of your work isn't visible on your website. So the website has to do two things at once: build trust and set the frame for what advice costs.

• What do I have to do now? Trade or liberal profession, registration with the tax office, social insurance, invoices.
• Which legal form suits me? Sole trader, partnership or GmbH or UG.
• What does the tax adviser cost, and what is included? Ideally as a package with a fixed price.
• Can I get funding, and will the firm help me with it?
• How does working together work? Receipts by app, portal, a dedicated contact person, response times.

The founders page: a structure that answers questions

A line saying “start-up advice” in the list of services is not enough. Founders need a page of their own that speaks to their situation and shows the way from the first meeting to the first tax return. How to structure services by target group in general is described in the guide Website for tax advisers; how a single service page is built is shown in the article Pages for practice areas. For the founders page, this order has proven itself:

Many founders are freelancers: doctors, designers, IT consultants. They have questions of their own, for example whether they have a trade at all or how social insurance works. If this is an important group for you, a second page is worthwhile; what belongs on it is described in the guide Tax advice for freelancers.

Presenting start-up packages and fixed prices

The question “What does a tax adviser for founders cost?” is one of the most frequent searches of this target group. Anyone who finds no answer makes their own estimate, usually too high or too low. A package with a fixed price creates predictability for both sides: the founder knows what to expect, and you define the scope instead of billing every follow-up question separately. What matters is that every package says clearly what is included and what is not.

Good wording is concrete and honest, for example: “Start-up kick-off: 690 euros plus VAT, one-off. Includes an initial meeting of up to 60 minutes, a comparison of sole trader and GmbH for your plans and registration with the tax office. Not included: bookkeeping and annual accounts, which are covered by the First year package.” The figure is only an example. Avoid “from” prices without explanation, asterisks with small print and teaser prices that rise after the first month.

A word on the free initial meeting: in Austria a non-binding introductory meeting is common. In Germany, a cap of 190 euros applies to the first consultation of consumers (§ 21(1) StBVV); it is best to discuss with your Steuerberaterkammer (chamber of tax advisers) beforehand how you advertise a free appointment. In both countries, a clear frame helps against the many free questions by email: “The introductory meeting is free of charge and takes 20 minutes. We prepare specific calculations as part of a package.”

Content founders search for

Founders don't search for a firm first, they search for their questions. If you answer these questions on your own website, you are found before the search for a “Steuerberater” even begins. Four topics reach particularly far.

Choice of legal form

“Sole trader or GmbH?” is the classic question of every start-up. An article that sets liability, tax burden, social insurance, accounting duties and formation costs side by side is read often and shared readily. Name the legal forms of your country: in Austria the sole trader, OG, KG, GmbH and the Flexible Kapitalgesellschaft (FlexKapG, flexible limited company) available since 2024; in Germany the sole trader, GbR, UG (haftungsbeschränkt) and GmbH. Keep it general and make clear that the right choice depends on the individual case. That is exactly the bridge to your package.

Registration with the tax office

In Germany, founders must notify the tax office within one month of starting their activity and submit the Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung (tax registration questionnaire) electronically via ELSTER (§ 138 AO). The form asks for expected turnover and profit, the small business scheme and advance payments, and many founders are overwhelmed by it. In Austria, registration is done with the tax office's questionnaires, such as Verf 24 for sole traders, also within one month. A step-by-step explanation with typical mistakes is an ideal topic for an article and an obvious part of your start-up package.

Small business scheme

Hardly any question is googled by founders as often. New thresholds have applied in both countries since 2025, and many texts online are out of date. A current, dated article is therefore valuable.

Put the date above the table and update it as soon as something changes. For founders in Austria, social insurance with the SVS belongs here too, especially the back payment in the third year that surprises many. In Germany, health insurance and advance tax payments are the typical stumbling blocks.

Starting a business on the side

Many businesses start alongside a job. Questions about tax, social insurance and additional income are correspondingly frequent, and if you explain them well, you win clients who later go full-time. An article “Self-employed on the side: what you need to consider for tax” with separate sections for Austria and Germany is a good start.

Funding as an article topic: Gründungszuschuss, KfW, NeuFöG and aws

Funding is a strong reason for founders to search: “Gründungszuschuss Steuerberater” (start-up grant tax adviser), “Gründerkredit Steuerberater” (start-up loan tax adviser), “NeuFöG”. Articles on these topics bring visitors in exactly the phase in which they need advice. At the same time, programmes, maximum amounts and conditions change often. So write about principles and processes, not about amounts that will no longer be correct in six months, and link to the official programme page.

For the Gründungszuschuss, the law names as qualified bodies for the viability statement in particular chambers of industry and commerce, chambers of crafts, professional chambers, trade associations and banks (§ 93(2) SGB III). In practice, statements from tax advisers are often accepted as well; phrase this cautiously and refer readers to their local Agentur für Arbeit. For the NeuFöG: the advice is confirmed by the statutory professional body, such as the Wirtschaftskammer (chamber of commerce), not by the tax adviser. Your role is to point founders to it in time, because the exemptions only apply once the NeuFö 2 form is submitted to the authority concerned.

How to structure such articles, with the answer first, a date and a note instead of individual advice, is described in the guide Articles for law and tax firms. Link every funding article to your founders page and vice versa, so readers find their way from the topic to the offer.

From first contact to engagement

Founders often write in the middle of the night and want an answer the next day. A short enquiry form with a few fields helps you assess enquiries and politely decline unsuitable ones early: planned activity, legal form (if already known), planned start, expected turnover in the first year, full-time or on the side, funding planned yes or no. Tax assessments or payslips don't belong in the first form, but in the portal after the meeting.

You can put together the list of documents for the first appointment with the document checklist and offer it for download on the founders page. This saves follow-up questions and shows that you work in a structured way. Anyone who already has a tax adviser and wants to switch has different questions; a separate page as described in the guide Switching tax advisers works well for them.

What professional rules require for founder offers

Start-up packages are advertising, and for tax advisers the rule of factual information applies: in Austria under the WTBG 2017 and the rules of the Kammer der Steuerberater:innen und Wirtschaftsprüfer:innen (chamber of tax advisers and auditors), in Germany under § 57a StBerG and the BOStB. For founders pages, this means above all: titles like “start-up specialist” only if you can prove knowledge and experience (in Germany expressly required by § 9(3) BOStB), no guaranteed tax savings and no promises of funding. Naming well-known start-ups as references requires a written waiver of confidentiality. The details are in the guides Advertising for tax advisers in Austria and Advertising for tax advisers in Germany.

Founders often ask whether they should build their own website with a website builder, and firms that are just starting out face the same question. You can work out in a few minutes what a professional firm website costs and which items come on top. How to be found in search afterwards is described in the article SEO for tax advisers.