Gibt es eine Frist für den Wechsel?

Nein, kündigen kannst du jederzeit. Was zählt, sind deine Steuerfristen, nicht ein Wechseldatum. Ein Quartalsende ist praktisch, aber keine Pflicht.

Muss der alte Berater die Unterlagen herausgeben?

Ja, deine Unterlagen bekommst du zurück. Nicht dazu gehören seine internen Arbeitspapiere. Wir fordern alles an, was wir brauchen.

Kann er die Herausgabe wegen offener Rechnungen blockieren?

Bis offene Honorare bezahlt sind, darf er Unterlagen zurückhalten, aber nicht, wenn dir dadurch Fristen platzen. In der Praxis löst eine Zahlung das schneller als jeder Streit.

Macht ein Wechsel unterjährig Sinn?

Ja, vor allem wenn du merkst, dass du mit der alten Kanzlei nicht weiterkommst. Ein Wechsel mitten im Jahr ist völlig unproblematisch, wir übernehmen die laufende Buchung nahtlos.

Wie erfährt das Finanzamt vom neuen Berater?

Über die Vollmacht, die du uns digital in wenigen Minuten erteilst. Wir hinterlegen sie beim Finanzamt und widerrufen die alte.

Wie lange dauert der Wechsel bei euch?

Typischerweise innerhalb von 4 Wochen, dein Aufwand liegt unter 30 Minuten. Wir übernehmen die Kommunikation mit deinem alten Steuerberater. Laufende Voranmeldungen gehen während des Wechsels weiter raus.

Switching tax advisors | E-commerce | BWA

Switch tax advisors when your e-commerce business is no longer understood

When settlement reports, Shopify Capital, Amex, VAT or inventory are left unhandled by your previous advisor, switching becomes a growth lever. You can terminate at any time. The switch typically takes 4 weeks, your effort is under 30 minutes.

Book an introductory call

Free & no obligation

15 minutes

No preparation required

200+ clients. 100% e-commerce focus on Amazon, Shopify, D2C and multichannel.

When is switching tax advisors overdue?

The switch is overdue when e-commerce topics are left undone, deadlines slip or nobody answers your questions any more.

E-commerce topics are left undone.

Settlement reports, Shopify Capital, Amex or payment data are not understood or are pulled together by hand. Combined payouts stay one single entry, and you only notice when an auditor asks about an individual order.

BWA (monthly management report), deadlines and annual financial statements come too late.

Without current monthly figures, decisions, financing and tax dates become a risk. Anyone who calculates VAT only on the due date calculates too late.

Communication and availability break down.

Questions go unanswered or get passed on without a solution. If you file late repeatedly, the tax office sets shorter deadlines and you lose the buffer for the following years.

How does switching tax advisors work for Amazon, Shopify and multichannel?

We check deadlines, open years, interfaces and data quality before we take over your ongoing bookkeeping. That way it is clear what has to be sorted first. A switch without this overview only moves the problems to another tax firm.

Overview before power of attorney

First we clarify which deadlines, open years, open questions and data sources count. You can terminate with your previous advisor at any time, there is no notice period.

Connect Shopify, Amazon and payments
Get rid of manual lists
Assess the BWA and financial statement status

Structure the data handover cleanly

We take over DATEV, receipts, marketplace data, payment providers and bank accounts so that nothing falls through the cracks. Your previous advisor has to hand over your documents, and we clarify beforehand what belongs to them. We handle the communication with him completely.

Secure access and data sources
Check interfaces
Factor in PAN-EU and OSS

Set up a new monthly routine

After the switch it is about more than taking over. The goal is bookkeeping that reflects Amazon, Shopify and multichannel every month. We revoke the old power of attorney together with you, so tax assessments no longer land with your previous advisor.

"A switch rarely fails because of tax, it fails on the data handover. We coordinate that, which is why it takes 4 weeks instead of 4 months." - Marius Gotzen, SPIELMANN Steuerberatung GmbH

Who does what by when, firmly agreed
Prepare the first BWA
Clear up questions before deadlines

Status check in 15 minutes

We review the situation, prioritize open topics and show you how the switch runs cleanly. Free, 15 minutes, no preparation.

Book an introductory call

Free & no obligation

15 minutes

No preparation required

Smiling man with glasses and beard wearing a blue suit jacket and white shirt, sitting at a table with an open book and laptop.

Waiting, standard tax firm or SPIELMANN?

A switch needs more than a new power of attorney. What matters is who brings Shopify, Amazon, payments, inventory and DATEV together afterwards. That shows in the first monthly close, not in the first meeting.

Waiting

Can make sense if only small questions are open. With permanent e-commerce gaps it gets expensive.

Standard tax firm

Can take over, but is often not deep enough in the setup when it comes to marketplace data, payments and backlogs.

SPIELMANN

Reviews the switch, open topics and e-commerce data with you before the new routine starts.

Smiling man with glasses and beard wearing a light blue dress shirt looking to the right.

Transition in 4 weeks, without interruption

Open topics are prioritized, data sources are in order, ongoing bookkeeping runs on an e-commerce structure. Advance VAT returns keep going out on time during the switch.

"Most merchants do not have bad bookkeeping, they have bookkeeping that records the Amazon payout as one single entry. Then no order can be traced any more, and that is exactly what the auditor asks about first." - Marius Gotzen, Partner

Here is how it works: the switch typically takes 4 weeks, your effort is under 30 minutes. We handle the communication with your previous tax advisor.

Questions about switching? We will clear that up in 15 minutes in an introductory call.

Clear overview

Clean data handover

New monthly routine

Bookkeeping becomes control,
with figures that are traceable every month.

FAQs about switching tax advisors in e-commerce

The most important questions about switching, data handover and ongoing bookkeeping, answered briefly.

Book an introductory call

Is there a deadline for switching?

No, you can terminate at any time. What counts are your tax deadlines, not a switching date. The end of a quarter is practical, but not required.

Does the previous advisor have to hand over the documents?

Yes, you get your documents back. His internal working papers are not part of that. We request everything we need.

Can he block the handover because of unpaid invoices?

Until outstanding fees are paid he may hold documents back, but not if that makes you miss deadlines. In practice a payment solves this faster than any dispute.

Does it make sense to switch mid-year?

Yes, especially when you notice that you are not getting anywhere with the old tax firm. Switching in the middle of the year is completely unproblematic, we take over the ongoing bookkeeping seamlessly.

How does the tax office find out about the new advisor?

Through the power of attorney that you grant us digitally in a few minutes. We file it with the tax office and revoke the old one.

How long does a switch take with you?

Typically within 4 weeks, your effort is under 30 minutes. We handle the communication with your previous tax advisor. Ongoing advance VAT returns keep going out during the switch.

Technical Background: Changing Tax Advisors

The legal ground rules for changing tax advisors, summarized briefly.

Termination of an ongoing engagement, Section 627 BGB

A tax advisory engagement is a service of a higher nature based on special trust. It can be terminated at any time without notice and without stating reasons.

Return of documents, Section 66 (2) and (3) StBerG

The previous advisor must hand over documents received from or on behalf of the client, but not internal working papers. If fees are outstanding, retention is permitted unless it would be unreasonable.

Retention of client files, Section 66 StBerG

Client files must be retained for ten years, counted from the end of the calendar year in which the engagement ended. This also applies to electronic files.

Power of attorney, Section 80 AO and Section 80a AO

The power of attorney covers all procedural acts, but not the receipt of refunds. It does not end automatically upon termination; without revocation, the former advisor remains authorized to receive tax assessments.

Filing deadlines, Section 149 (3) and (4) AO

With an advisor, the filing deadline runs until the last day of February of the second following year. In case of repeated delays, the tax office may set its own earlier deadline.

Late filing and late payment surcharges, Section 152 (5) AO and Section 240 (1) AO

The late filing surcharge is 0.25 percent of the tax for each month or part thereof, at least 25 euros. A late payment surcharge of 1 percent per month is added to overdue taxes.

Switch tax advisors when your e-commerce business is no longer understood

200+ clients. 100% e-commerce focus on Amazon, Shopify, D2C and multichannel.