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For foreign Amazon FBA sellers

Facing an Amazon VAT audit in Germany?

Send us the notice from the Finanzamt (German tax office). A licensed German tax advisor reads it and replies with a per-case quote within 4 hours (weekdays 9-18 CET). We handle the German correspondence and represent you through the audit. Nothing to pay until you accept.

Get my quote in 4 hours
4 hours to a quote, weekdays 9-18 CET.
Umsatzsteuer-Sonderprufung (VAT special audit) or Betriebsprufung (field audit).
You pay nothing until you accept.
What arrives

Three notices cover most Amazon audit cases.

If your letter mentions any of these, you are in the right place. Not sure what you have received? Send it anyway, and a licensed German tax advisor will tell you exactly what it is and what it means for you.

01 · Most common for Amazon

VAT special audit

Umsatzsteuer-Sonderprufung · VAT-only audit

The Finanzamt examines your German VAT for specific periods, usually because Amazon's reported sales do not line up with the returns you filed, or because FBA stock was held in Germany. We review the notice, prepare the reconciliation and documentation the auditor needs, and represent you through the audit in German.

02 · Broader scope

Field audit

Betriebsprufung · tax audit / field audit

A wider audit that can span several tax types and multiple years. It often follows a VAT mismatch but reaches further into your records. We coordinate the document requests, manage the auditor relationship, and keep you copied on every exchange so there are no surprises.

03 · Before the audit

Information request

Auskunftsersuchen · "explain this mismatch"

Sometimes the Finanzamt asks questions before a formal audit is ordered, often after marketplace data flagged your account. A clear, correct response at this stage can resolve the matter before it escalates to a full Umsatzsteuer-Sonderprufung. We draft the response and file any missing returns.

Why this happens

Why Amazon FBA sellers get audited in Germany.

A VAT audit on a foreign seller is rarely random. Four things tend to put an Amazon account on the auditor's desk.

  • Your stock sits in a German warehouse

    When Amazon stores your inventory in an FBA fulfilment centre in Germany, you have a German VAT obligation from the first unit. That physical presence is exactly what an Umsatzsteuer-Sonderprufung (VAT special audit) looks for, and it is visible to the Finanzamt.

  • Marketplace data is shared with the Finanzamt

    Under sections 22f and 25e UStG, marketplaces report seller transaction data to the German tax authorities, and the marketplace can be held liable for a seller's unpaid VAT. The Finanzamt cross-checks Amazon's reported sales against the returns you actually filed. A gap is the single most common audit trigger.

  • Import VAT and cross-border movements

    Goods imported into Germany, or moved between EU fulfilment centres, create import VAT and intra-EU records that have to reconcile. Auditors frequently focus on whether import VAT was claimed correctly and whether stock movements were declared.

  • Registration timing

    Many foreign sellers register for German VAT later than they should have. The audit then looks back at the period before you registered, which is where retroactive assessments and penalties come from.

What is at stake. An audit can lead to back-assessed VAT across several years, interest under section 233a AO, and late-filing penalties (Verspatungszuschlag). Audit deadlines are firm, and ignoring the notice rarely makes it better: the auditor can estimate your figures and assess on that basis. Responding early, with the right documentation, is what keeps the outcome proportionate.

How it works

Three steps, no surprise charges.

1

Send us the notice

Upload the audit letter (PDF, PNG, JPG) and a few sentences of context. Two minutes.

Takes ~2 min
2

We review and quote

A licensed German tax advisor reads the notice, scopes your case, and emails a per-case quote.

4 hours (weekdays 9-18 CET)
3

You accept, we represent you

You accept the quote and a licensed German tax advisor handles the Finanzamt correspondence and represents you through the audit. You are copied on everything.

Through to resolution
Who we help

Foreign Amazon sellers with German VAT obligations.

We work almost exclusively with non-German companies: Amazon FBA sellers, other marketplace sellers, and direct-to-consumer brands that hold a German VAT registration and have started receiving audit notices.

  • All correspondence with you in English. We handle the Finanzamt in German.
  • A licensed German Steuerberater (tax advisor) handles your case in-house. No outsourcing.
  • Foreign clients in 14+ countries. You are not our first non-German company.
  • Frankfurt-hosted, EU data residency. Your documents stay on EU soil.
  • Records kept 10 years per § 147 AO, audit-grade.
Audit defense, plus ongoing compliance
Audit handling by per-case quote, ongoing filings from €79/mo

Audit work is scoped to your case, because no two audits look alike: how many years the auditor covers, how much reconciliation Amazon's data needs, and whether returns are missing all change the effort. So we scope your case and send a per-case quote. You see the number before you commit, you pay nothing to receive it, and nothing until you accept. For ongoing compliance once the audit is behind you, the subscription is €79/month if you already have a Steuernummer, or our €1,199/year all-in plan with German VAT registration included. Many sellers who come to us through an audit stay on the subscription so the cycle does not repeat: you decide, separately, once you have seen both.

Quote in 4 hours (weekdays 9-18 CET) · You pay nothing until you accept
Step 1 of 3

Send us your audit notice.

We will respond with a per-case quote within 4 hours (weekdays 9-18 CET). You do not need the notice PDF to start. Describe what is happening (or what you think might be coming) and we will quote either way. You pay nothing to receive the quote, and nothing if you decide not to proceed.

  • Reply from a real licensed advisor
  • Per-case quote, no payment required to receive it
  • EU data residency, Frankfurt-hosted
  • Deleted on request, anytime

Audit notices carry firm deadlines, and many are tight. The clock started when the letter was dated, not when you opened it.

If you have one. Speeds up our quote, but not required to submit.
1-3 sentences is fine. We quote on questions too, not just notices. We will ask follow-up questions if we need more.
    No PDF? No problem. Skip this upload and describe your situation in the box above. We quote on questions too, not just notices.
    New to German VAT for Amazon? Read how Amazon VAT audits work in Germany, what to do when an audit notice arrives, or our Amazon FBA VAT guide.
    SSL · EU hosted
    ✓

    Submitted. We have your audit notice.

    A licensed German tax advisor will review your case and email a per-case quote within 4 hours (weekdays 9-18 CET). We will send it to your inbox.

    Your reference number: VTX-XXXXXXXX

    Audit deadline close? If it is within 48 hours, email [email protected] directly with your reference number and we will move it to the top of the queue. Submitted after 18:00 CET, on a weekend, or a German public holiday? Your quote arrives by the end of the next business day morning.

    Common questions

    Before you send.

    Since 2019, marketplaces report seller transaction data to the German Finanzamt (tax office) under sections 22f and 25e UStG. The Finanzamt cross-checks that data against the VAT returns you filed. When FBA stock sits in a German warehouse, or when reported sales do not match your declared returns, that mismatch frequently opens a VAT special audit (Umsatzsteuer-Sonderprufung). Most of the audit cases we see are Amazon sellers, and the pattern repeats.

    An Umsatzsteuer-Sonderprufung is a VAT special audit: it looks only at your VAT, usually for specific periods, and is the most common notice Amazon sellers receive. A Betriebsprufung is a broader field audit that can cover several tax types and years. Both arrive as a formal letter from the Finanzamt with an auditor named and a date set. We handle both.

    Typically: Amazon transaction reports and settlement data, import VAT documents, evidence of when and where your stock was held, your VAT registration timeline, invoices, and a reconciliation between Amazon's reported sales and the returns you filed. The auditor checks whether you registered on time, charged the right VAT, and reported the correct figures.

    A licensed German tax advisor reviews your audit notice, manages the Finanzamt correspondence in German, prepares the documentation the auditor needs, and represents you through the audit. Because audit scope varies case to case, we scope your case and send a per-case quote. You pay nothing to receive it and nothing until you accept. For ongoing compliance afterwards, it is €79/month if you already have a Steuernummer, or €1,199/year all-in with German VAT registration included.

    No. All our correspondence with you is in English. We read the notice, explain in plain English what the auditor wants and what is at stake, and we handle the German Finanzamt correspondence ourselves on your behalf.

    Yes. Audit deadlines are firm, so submit the notice now and mention the date in the "What is happening" field. If your deadline is within 48 hours, also email [email protected] directly with your reference number after you submit, and we will move it to the top of the queue. In many cases a deadline extension can be requested from the auditor, and we can ask on your behalf.