Vereinigte Lohnsteuerhilfe

Name

Vereinigte Lohnsteuerhilfe

Legal name

Lohnsteuerhilfeverein Vereinigte Lohnsteuerhilfe e.V.

Website

https://vlh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tax Preparation Services

NAICS

Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Payroll & Employment Tax Services (BPAHABAD)

Keywords

• Tax preparation services
• Income tax assistance
• Tax consultation
• Wage tax association
• Tax filing support

Headquarters

HQ city

Neustadt An Der Weinstraße

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The VLH generates revenue through annual membership fees paid by its members. The fee is calculated based on the member's total annual income and covers all services provided by the association throughout the year with no additional charges. Members receive complete tax return preparation, advice on tax class selection, applications for tax deductions, and full communication with the tax office as part of their membership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Vereinigte Lohnsteuerhilfe (VLH) is Germany's largest wage tax assistance association (Lohnsteuerhilfeverein), providing individual income tax return preparation, tax class consultation, deduction applications, and full communication with the German tax office (Finanzamt) to over 1.2 million members. Services are delivered through approximately 3,000 in-person consulting locations (Beratungsstellen) staffed by qualified Steuerberater and certified advisors, complemented by an online tax filing portal, all covered by a single income-tiered annual membership fee.

Product overview

Vereinigte Lohnsteuerhilfe (VLH) operates as a tax assistance association offering a dual-channel service model combining in-person consultations at approximately 3,000 counseling locations across Germany with a digital online tax filing platform. The core product is membership-based tax return preparation and advisory services, supplemented by educational resources including the TaxChecker podcast, over 500 tax knowledge articles, and online tax calculators. The service is designed for employees, trainees, students, retirees, civil servants (Beamte), and renters, covering all aspects of income tax including tax class selection, reduction applications, and complete communication with tax authorities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beratung vor Ort (In-Person Tax Consultation) In-person tax consultation and income tax return preparation at approximately 3,000 VLH counseling locations (Beratungsstellen) throughout Germany. Members schedule appointments with certified tax advisors and Steuerberater who prepare and review the income tax return, advise on tax class selection, file deduction applications, and handle all communication with the Finanzamt on the member's behalf.
• Online-Steuererklärung (Online Tax Filing)

Quantifiable outcome

• Average tax refund of approximately €1,500 for VLH members in refund cases (year: 2025)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Taxfix: A German digital tax filing app targeting employees and salaried workers with a mobile-first self-service product. Competes with VLH's online channel for the same German employee tax returner, though focused on a digital-only experience rather than advisory services.
• Steuerbot: A German chat-based DIY tax filing app aimed at employees and simple returns. Competes with VLH's online channel for the digital-first employee segment by offering a faster, lower-cost self-service experience.
• WISO Steuer: Buhl Data Service's flagship tax software, a long-standing German DIY tax preparation product used by employees for self-filing. Represents the legacy do-it-yourself alternative that VLH's full-service model competes against.
• Smartsteuer: A German online tax preparation platform (subsidiary of Buhl Data Service) offering guided do-it-yourself tax filing for employees. Competes with VLH for the same employee persona by offering a lower-touch, lower-cost alternative to full-service assistance.

Broad incumbents

• H&R Block: A large North American tax preparation retail and software company with similar consumer tax-filing services. Comparable in business model (mass-market tax preparation via physical branches plus digital tools), though operating in a different regulatory environment than Germany.
• Steuerberater (German Tax Consultancy Firms): The broader German Steuerberater profession (regulated tax consultants), represented by the Bundessteuerberaterkammer. They handle more complex tax matters including business income, corporate taxation, and sophisticated personal tax — a segment VLH is legally restricted from serving as a Lohnsteuerhilfeverein.
• DATEV: The dominant German tax and accounting software cooperative serving Steuerberater and businesses. Adjacent to VLH in the German tax ecosystem, providing the technology backbone used by many professional advisors and competing for the higher-value tax advisory segment VLH cannot address.

Others

• ELSTER: The official German tax authority's free electronic filing portal. Represents the public-sector baseline alternative to VLH's service, and continued improvements in pre-filling and automation directly compete with VLH's value proposition.

Direct peers

• Lohnsteuerhilfe Bayern: One of the largest Lohnsteuerhilfevereine in Germany, operating a comparable membership-based model providing wage tax return preparation and advisory services to employees through a Beratungsstellen network. Directly competes with VLH for the same employee customer segment in Germany.
• Aktuell Lohnsteuerhilfeverein: A German wage tax assistance association operating a similar Beratungsstellen network and subscription membership model for employee tax returns. Direct competitor to VLH in the regulated Lohnsteuerhilfeverein category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@VlhDe
• Facebookfacebook.com/lohnsteuerhilfeverein
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vereinigte-lohnsteuerhilfe-e.v.
• Instagraminstagram.com/vlh_lohnsteuerhilfeverein
• TikToktiktok.com/@vlh_lohnsteuerhilfe
• Xx.com/steuerhelfer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vereinigte Lohnsteuerhilfe