KOMPASS course · ESF Plus
Accounting and Taxes for Solo Self-Employed People
For solo self-employed people who have been in business for at least two years and want to make their accounting and tax processes efficient, digital, and future-proof. Four course days live online, up to 90% funded through KOMPASS.
25 hours
on 4 days, 20 of them live
€125
your personal contribution with KOMPASS
Your own figures
exercises with your receipts
Online
live and throughout Germany
- For solo self-employed people with at least two years on the market
- Reviewed by a qualified body (fachkundige Stelle), provider with AZAV approval
- We support you with the application
- Free & no obligation
- Reply within 24 h
- Online and throughout Germany
up to 90%
Grant through KOMPASS
Qualifications & experience
Your project in experienced hands.
Our credentials and track record at a glance.
4.88 / 5
92 reviews on ProvenExpert
As of October 2026
750+
business plans written
Since 2018
Provider approval
AZAV-approved provider
UW Unternehmensweg GmbH, our sister company
AZAV provider approval Z-000392-2
What does this mean for you?
AVGS programs may only be delivered by approved providers. Our sister company UW Unternehmensweg GmbH, Leverkusen, takes care of this.
Our service
KfW financing support
We put together the documents for your loan application, which your house bank forwards to KfW, and prepare you for the bank meeting.
In practice: Since 2018 we have written more than 750 business plans. 99% of the start-up grant (Gründungszuschuss) applications we supported were approved (internally documented). The start-up grant is a discretionary benefit under § 93 SGB III; the Employment Agency decides on approval.
Track record & funding notes
AVGS programs through the AZAV-certified provider UW Unternehmensweg GmbH
4.88 out of 5 on ProvenExpert
Based on 92 reviews on ProvenExpert (as of October 2026).
An accounting course for self-employed people who are already on the market
Receipts pile up in the drawer, deadlines always come at the wrong moment, and things get hectic before the appointment with your tax advisor? After two or three years of self-employment, almost everyone has their own accounting routine, but rarely a good one.
Over four course days, you bring order and system into it: you review your current processes, organize receipts paperlessly, sharpen the logic of income and expenses, design legally compliant invoices, and plan deadlines, advance payments, and reserves for the whole year. You work with digital tools such as Lexoffice or sevDesk and with your own figures.
The course does not replace tax advice. It ensures that you can talk to your tax advisor on an equal footing: you know what is really needed there, deliver complete documents, and thereby reduce effort and costs.
Are you just starting your business? Then this course is not yet the right step, because KOMPASS requires two years on the market. You can find an overview of taxes, accounting, and deadlines for getting started in our guide Obligations for founders.
Current status of KOMPASS (October 2026)
Qualification vouchers (Qualifizierungsschecks) are currently scarce. The program issues only a limited number per month nationwide, and according to initial information from the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) dated April 30, 2026, issuance is additionally restricted from May until probably the end of October 2026. This means you will not always get a voucher right away.
- Reserve your place now with no obligation. We will get in touch as soon as places become available again.
- Reserving a place is not a registration. You only register bindingly once you have the voucher, because registering before the voucher is issued rules out funding.
- Contact only one KOMPASS contact point (Anlaufstelle); the ESF Plus program also recommends this.
Learning objectives: what you can do after four days
Four learning objectives that you apply to your own receipts and figures: financial management, tax confidence, routines, and digital efficiency.
- Review and optimize existing accounting processes
- Gain legal certainty and confidence in dealing with taxes
- Use digital tools purposefully and develop routines
- Clarity and structure for working with tax advisors and authorities
Financial management
You keep your accounting independently, correctly, and in a structured way.
Tax confidence
You meet your tax obligations competently and communicate confidently with authorities and tax advisors.
Routine optimization
You establish your own monthly and annual routines and thereby save time and money.
Digital efficiency
You work efficiently with digital tools such as Lexoffice or sevDesk.
Who the course is for
You do not need any prior knowledge of accounting or tax law; everything is explained in a practical way. The course is aimed at solo self-employed people who have been on the market for at least two years, employ at most one full-time equivalent, and run their self-employment as their main occupation.
Service providers and freelancers
You want to keep receipts, invoices, and deadlines under control without a backlog.
Creatives and coaches
You want to handle the small business rule (Kleinunternehmerregelung), VAT (Umsatzsteuer), and your invoices in a legally compliant way.
Retail and skilled trades as a solo business
You want to keep an eye on income, expenses, and liquidity every month.
Self-employed people with a tax advisor
You want to simplify the data handover to your tax advisor and lower your costs for it.
Typical participants are coaches, consultants, creatives, and service providers who have so far done their accounting on the side or want to coordinate it better with their tax advisor.
Requirements for KOMPASS funding
- You are solo self-employed and employ at most one full-time employee or the equivalent in several part-time employees.
- When the voucher is issued, you have been on the market for at least two years.
- You run your business as your main occupation, and you live and work in Germany.
- You have not received any KOMPASS funding in the last twelve months.
- You have not yet registered for the course or started it.
Do you employ more than one full-time employee? Then BAFA-funded business consulting is likely a better fit.
Course structure: four days from filing receipts to annual planning
The course comprises four days, each with 5 hours of live instruction and 1.25 hours of self-study.
Day 1 · Rethinking accounting: strategy, structure, and mindset (5 hours)
Situation analysis: where do you stand, what already works, what does not? Overview of cash-basis accounting (Einnahmenüberschussrechnung, EÜR), obligations, and deadlines for advanced users; optimizing receipt organization, paperless and efficient; comparing and selecting digital tools with decision support. Self-study: reflection sheet and checklist “My current accounting routine” (1.25 hours).
Day 2 · Income, expenses, and receipt capture: advanced application (5 hours)
Sharpening the income-and-expense logic; typical mistakes and how to avoid them; tools in practice: use, automation, interfaces; preparation for tax-relevant topics. Methods: tool demos, group exercises, practical examples. Self-study: practical exercise “Managing receipts digitally and categorizing them automatically” (1.25 hours).
Day 3 · Designing invoices and taxes smartly (5 hours)
Invoice design: mandatory details, branding, legal protection; small business rule or standard taxation: what suits you? Overview of income tax, VAT, and, where applicable, trade tax (Gewerbesteuer); tax pitfalls and workable solutions. Self-study: create an invoice template and analyze a tax case (1.25 hours).
Day 4 · Annual planning and working with your tax advisor (5 hours)
Deadlines, advance payments, and annual planning; data handover to your tax advisor: what is really needed? Liquidity overview and reserve strategies; tools for financial planning and monthly routines. Self-study: fill in a financial overview and plan an annual review (1.25 hours).
Each day ends with an assignment for your everyday work: a checklist, a practical exercise, an invoice template, or a financial overview. This way, you take away not only knowledge but also ready-to-use tools for your accounting.
Fact sheet: scope, costs, and funding
All key facts at a glance. The course fee and personal contribution apply to participation with a qualification voucher.
25 hours on 4 days
20 hours online (4 × 5 hours), breaks included
5 hours (4 × 1.25 hours)
4 course days with practical exercises on your own figures
€1,250
€125
up to 90% of the course fee, i.e. up to €1,125
Certificate of participation (Teilnahmebescheinigung)
UW Unternehmensweg GmbH, AZAV provider approval Z-000392-2
Tatjana Pichlmeier-Radojevic, Diplom-Kauffrau (FH)
Sample calculation with KOMPASS
Course fee €1,250 − grant €1,125 (90%) = €125 personal contribution. You apply for the reimbursement after the course with the certificate of participation, supported by your contact point.
We will give you the dates when you request a place. The KOMPASS contact point decides on the funding. As of: October 2026.
How the funding works: four steps to the course
KOMPASS is a program of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and is funded by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF Plus) and the federal government. The qualification voucher is issued by a KOMPASS contact point in your region, not by the course provider. We tell you the nearest contact point and support you with the application.
Consultation at the contact point
You arrange a free consultation at a KOMPASS contact point; we tell you the nearest one. The consultation is mandatory and takes place in person or online.
Qualification plan and voucher
The contact point draws up a qualification plan with you; if the course fits your needs, you receive the qualification voucher.
Registration and participation
With the voucher, you register with us. The course must be completed within six months; four course days fit comfortably within this time frame.
Certificate and reimbursement
After the course, you receive the certificate of participation. With the help of the contact point, you apply for reimbursement from Deutsche Rentenversicherung Knappschaft-Bahn-See via the funding portal Z-EU-S. Up to 90% of the course fee is reimbursed, at most €4,500; your personal contribution is €125.
The KOMPASS contact point decides on the funding; there is no legal entitlement.
Your instructor: Tatjana Pichlmeier-Radojevic
The course is led by a business graduate (Diplom-Kauffrau) who is an entrepreneur herself and has supported self-employed people with figures, processes, and funding for many years.
Tatjana Pichlmeier-Radojevic
Diplom-Kauffrau (FH) and entrepreneur
Diplom-Kauffrau (FH; university of applied sciences degree in business administration) and entrepreneur with more than 24 years of experience in auditing, risk prevention, and digital process optimization. Her focus areas are start-up consulting, introducing efficient digital processes, funding advice, accounting, and organizational and project management. She is listed in the BAFA register of consultants and cooperates with several educational institutions.
Areas of expertise:
- Start-up consulting and business model development
- Digital process optimization and organizational management
- Funding advice and financial planning
- Accounting and legally compliant self-employment
- Building structure and efficient business processes
Role in the course: Tatjana leads the courses “Accounting and Taxes” and “Self-Employed and Self-Confident” in terms of content and method. She structures the content in a practice-oriented way, contributes templates and tools, and guides you through all topics with expert advice, targeted exercises, and clear structure.
Frequently asked questions about the Accounting and Taxes course
Who can receive KOMPASS funding?
Solo self-employed people who live and work in Germany, are self-employed as their main occupation, have been on the market for at least two years, and employ at most one full-time employee. The KOMPASS contact point checks whether you meet the requirements.
How much is my personal contribution?
The course fee is €1,250. KOMPASS reimburses up to 90% of the course fee, i.e. up to €1,125. Your personal contribution is therefore €125.
How do I get the qualification voucher?
You arrange a consultation at a KOMPASS contact point. There you draw up a qualification plan; if the course fits it, the contact point issues the voucher. Only then do you register with us. We tell you the nearest contact point and support you with the application.
What happens if no vouchers are being issued at the moment?
Issuance is limited nationwide, according to the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs probably until the end of October 2026. Some contact points only offer new appointments in spring 2027, for example the IHK Bonn/Rhein-Sieg (Chamber of Industry and Commerce) from March 2027 (as of October 1, 2026). Reserve your place with us; we will get in touch as soon as places become available again.
Does the course replace my tax advisor?
No. You learn to keep your own accounting properly and to know your obligations and deadlines. Advice on your individual tax situation remains reserved for tax advisors. Many participants, however, work together much more efficiently with their tax advisor after the course.
I am just starting my business. Is the course right for me?
Not yet with funding: KOMPASS requires that you have been on the market for at least two years when the voucher is issued. For getting started, we recommend our guide Obligations for founders on taxes, accounting, and deadlines.
Do I need prior knowledge?
No. The course does not require any knowledge of accounting or taxes; it builds on your current routine and introduces the tools step by step. If you already use accounting software, bring your access details with you.
Which software do we work with?
On the first day, you compare digital tools with the help of decision support; in the exercises, you work with Lexoffice or sevDesk, for example. The course takes place live online, so all you need is a computer with internet access. After the course, you receive a certificate of participation.
Official sources on KOMPASS funding
For further reading: the ESF Plus program page, the federal funding database, and the current notice from a KOMPASS contact point.
External links to official bodies, checked on October 18, 2026. Content and conditions may change; the source itself is always authoritative.
More KOMPASS courses
Both courses are coordinated with one another, reviewed by a qualified body, and eligible for funding through KOMPASS. KOMPASS funding is possible once within twelve months; we are happy to work out with you which course would make the biggest difference right now.
Finally get on top of accounting and taxes
Request a place now with no obligation. Together we will clarify dates, funding, and the way to the contact point.