When does the monthly fee start, and when does my filing obligation begin?

Two separate clocks. The monthly filing plan (Standard, €99/month) is for businesses that already hold a German tax number (Steuernummer): it starts the day you sign up, and we file from the first period you give us. If you do not have a Steuernummer yet, registration belongs to the all-in plan (Standard €1,299/year): it is charged at signup, and we use the first 4 to 8 weeks to prepare and submit your tax registration questionnaire (Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung) and answer the German tax office's (Finanzamt) follow-up questions until your number is issued. In that window there are no VAT returns yet, but real work is happening on your file.

The filing obligation itself begins with the start of your business activity in Germany, not automatically with the number being issued. Your activity start date is something you declare yourself in the Fragebogen: if your goods, stock, or operation will not be live in Germany for several months, you put that later date, and monthly VAT returns (UStVA) begin from that date. In practice you control when the filing clock starts, and we help you set it correctly so you are not filing for months you were not yet active. Our VAT check takes about a minute and helps you decide whether registering now or later makes sense.