Question 1

What is ELSTER and which returns do I file through it?

Accepted Answer

ELSTER is the official German tax administration online portal for electronic tax returns, run by the Bavarian State Office for Taxation. You use ELSTER to file your VAT advance return (UStVA), annual VAT return, EÜR, income tax return with annexes (S, G, EÜR), trade tax, and — for corporations — corporate income tax and balance sheet data. Electronic filing via ELSTER has been mandatory for businesses with profit income since 2011 (§87a AO, §25 EStG, §18 UStG).

Question 2

How do Norman's numbers get into the ELSTER form?

Accepted Answer

Norman prepares the ELSTER-relevant values for UStVA, EÜR, and tax annexes from live bookkeeping — split by line items and tax type. You transfer the checked values into the ELSTER form, or send them to your tax firm via DATEV-compatible export, which they load into their ELSTER or DATEV software. Norman isn't a silent ELSTER interface that files in the background — the final submission stays with you or your firm.

Question 3

Which ELSTER data does Norman prepare for solo traders, UGs, and GmbHs?

Accepted Answer

For Freiberufler and sole traders, Norman prepares the UStVA, annual VAT return, EÜR (Anlage EÜR), and the profit values needed for Anlage S or Anlage G — including input VAT, reverse-charge, and §13b. Kleinunternehmer skip the UStVA, but Norman still tracks the §19 threshold and prepares the EÜR plus income tax annexes. For UGs and GmbHs, Norman prepares VAT returns, the annual VAT filing, and the bookkeeping basis for corporate income tax, trade tax, and the E-Bilanz that you or your firm submit via ELSTER.

Question 4

Do I need an ELSTER certificate, and does Norman file on my behalf?

Accepted Answer

To submit electronically to ELSTER you need a certificate — your own (certificate file or ELSTER-Stick) inside the Mein ELSTER portal, or your tax firm's. Norman itself does not submit to ELSTER: you type the checked values into the ELSTER form, or the firm files via their own DATEV/ELSTER software using a DATEV export from Norman. That keeps submission responsibility clear, and you can always check what's actually being sent.

	Norman	ELSTER + manual Excel
VAT return prep	Revenue, input VAT, and edge cases stay ELSTER-ready continuously	Month-end spreadsheets and bank PDFs before every deadline
EÜR + Anlage S/G	Income, expenses, and depreciation from live bookkeeping	Pieced together from cards, inbox, and spreadsheets
Receipts on queries	Linked to posting and payment, findable instantly	PDFs in the inbox, originals in a binder
Filing & handoff	Enter values in ELSTER or hand off via DATEV export	Type values into the form by hand and hope nothing's missing

ELSTER-ready tax data — no Excel rebuild before the deadline

Built for anyone who doesn't want to open ELSTER in the deadline hour

VAT returns from live bookings

Spot deductions earlier

Declarations with status, not guesswork

Deadlines stay visible

ELSTER-ready handoff

How your ELSTER prep gets built in Norman

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What Norman removes before you log into ELSTER

Norman instead of the ELSTER form on raw Excel data

Plans that grow with your workflow

Start ELSTER tax portal with Norman

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