Lohnsteuerhilfeverein für Arbeitnehmer

What Lohnsteuerhilfeverein für Arbeitnehmer does

Lohnsteuerhilfeverein für Arbeitnehmer e.V. is a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1992 in Cottbus, Germany, that provides wage and income tax assistance to individual members under the licensing authority of § 4 Nr. 11 StBerG. The association serves approximately 45,000 members — primarily employees (Arbeitnehmer) and secondarily retirees and pensioners (Rentner und Pensionäre) — through a distributed network of more than 200 Beratungsstellen (consulting offices) operated by freelance Beratungsstellenleiter across 10 German states (Bayern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Hessen, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, and Thüringen). Core services include annual income tax return preparation, review of tax assessments, handling of Finanzamt correspondence, representation in tax disputes up to the Finanzgericht (financial court), and year-round advisory, with add-on coverage for vermögenswirksame Leistungen and Riester/Rürup pension applications.

The offering is service-based and human-delivered rather than technology-based: no proprietary platform, software product, mobile application, API, or AI/ML component is described in the source materials. Member acquisition is sales-led, relying on the regional physical presence of consulting offices, a regional website with a Beratungsstellensuche (office finder) tool, and a career page that recruits additional freelance advisors. The association is a member of the BVL (Bundesverband Lohnsteuerhilfevereine e.V.) umbrella body, through which it participates in legislative advocacy and claims contributed to policy outcomes such as the reintroduction of the Pendlerpauschale and favorable Bundesverfassungsgericht rulings on home office deductions.

Revenue is generated through annual membership fees on a socially tiered basis (lower-income members pay less, higher-income members pay somewhat more), with all services bundled into the single annual subscription. Pricing is published in the Beitragsordnung (membership fee schedule) and is not publicly summarized in the input data; no specific revenue figure is disclosed. The association is supervised by the Technisches Finanzamt Cottbus, holds professional liability insurance with ERGO Versicherung AG, and is GDPR-compliant under a designated Data Protection Officer. Leadership consists of Chair Gudrun Peters with deputies Andrea Krukowski and Ronny Gesellmann. There is no parent company, no external investment, and no subsidiaries.

Name

Lohnsteuerhilfeverein für Arbeitnehmer

Legal name

Lohnsteuerhilfeverein für Arbeitnehmer e.V.

Website

https://lsthv-arbeitnehmer.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lohnsteuerhilfeverein für Arbeitnehmer e.V. is a German non-profit tax assistance association founded in 1992 that serves about 45,000 employee and retiree members through 200+ regional consulting offices licensed under § 4 Nr. 11 StBerG, providing annual tax return preparation and representation in disputes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cottbus

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees (Mitgliedsbeiträge): The association generates revenue through annual membership fees. The fee structure is socially tiered ('Wer wenig verdient, zahlt wenig; wer mehr verdient, zahlt etwas mehr') - members who earn less pay less, and those who earn more pay somewhat more. The membership fee covers all services including tax return preparation, tax advice, and legal representation up to the financial court.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The association sells an annual membership that delivers professional income tax and wage tax assistance to employees, retirees, and pensioners. The membership covers preparation and submission of Einkommensteuererklärungen, review of tax assessments, handling of Finanzamt correspondence, year-round advisory, and representation in appeal proceedings up to the Finanzgericht. Services are delivered in person through a network of more than 200 Beratungsstellen across Germany.

Product overview

Lohnsteuerhilfeverein für Arbeitnehmer e.V. is a membership-based tax consultation association offering comprehensive income tax and wage tax services to approximately 45,000 members across Germany. The organization operates through a network of over 200 consultation offices (Beratungsstellen) staffed by trained advisors. The core service is annual membership that includes income tax return preparation, tax assessment verification, appeal representation, and ongoing tax advice. Additional services include assistance with government pension products (Riester/Rürup). The association operates under § 4 Nr. 11 StBerG and is affiliated with the BVL federal association.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lohnsteuerhilfeverein für Arbeitnehmer e.V. Mitgliedschaft (Annual Membership) Annual membership granting employees, retirees, and pensioners access to professional income tax return preparation, year-round tax advice, Finanzamt correspondence handling, and legal representation up to the Finanzgericht, delivered through the network of Beratungsstellen.
• Einkommensteuererklärung (Income Tax Return Preparation) Preparation and filing of annual income tax returns for members, including document collection, submission to the tax authorities, and verification of the resulting tax assessment.
• Rechtsbehelfsverfahren (Tax Appeal and Legal Representation) Representation of members in tax disputes, including filing Einspruch against incorrect tax assessments and representing the member up to the Finanzgericht level.
• Altersvorsorge-Beratung (Pension Tax Advice) Assistance with applications for government-sponsored retirement savings products such as Riester and Rürup pensions, as well as vermögenswirksame Leistungen, included as part of the annual membership.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 30% of tax assessments contain errors - the association reviews and corrects these on behalf of members

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BVL (Bundesverband Lohnsteuerhilfevereine e.V.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe association participates in legislative processes through BVL, their umbrella association (Dachverband). Through BVL, they advocate for the interests of their members in tax legislation. Their work has contributed to policy outcomes such as the reintroduction of the commuter allowance (Pendlerpauschale) and favorable home office rulings from the Federal Constitutional Court.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• ADAC e.V. Germany's largest non-profit membership association, providing subscription-based member services across mobility and consumer protection. Adjacent membership-organization comparable demonstrating non-profit e.V. scale economics, though operating in an unrelated service category.

Broad incumbents

• DATEV eG: Large German cooperative providing tax-advisory software, data, and infrastructure primarily to professional tax advisors (Steuerberater). Broad incumbent in adjacent tax-preparation infrastructure; competes indirectly through enabling Steuerberater practices that overlap with the association's member segments.

Direct peers

• VLH (Vereinigte Lohnsteuerhilfe e.V.): Germany's largest Lohnsteuerhilfeverein, also operating under § 4 Nr. 11 StBerG and serving employees with membership-based tax assistance via Beratungsstellen. Direct peer with materially larger scale (over 1 million members) and overlapping service portfolio.
• HILO Lohnsteuerhilfeverein e.V. Long-standing Lohnsteuerhilfeverein providing membership-based tax assistance to employees under § 4 Nr. 11 StBerG. Direct peer with comparable Beratungsstellen distribution and social-tiered fee structure.
• Lohnsteuerhilfe Bayern e.V. (LHB): A Bavarian Lohnsteuerhilfeverein operating under the same § 4 Nr. 11 StBerG framework, providing membership-based tax assistance to employees. Direct competitor with regional geographic focus and identical service model.
• Aktuell Lohnsteuerhilfeverein e.V. National Lohnsteuerhilfeverein operating under § 4 Nr. 11 StBerG with a Beratungsstellen network serving employees across Germany. Direct peer with comparable subscription-based tax-filing service.

Emerging players

• Taxfix SE: Mobile-first tax-filing app providing automated income-tax returns for employees in Germany. Emerging player attacking the same customer segment with a lower-friction digital alternative to Beratungsstellen-based delivery.
• Smartsteuer GmbH: Digital tax-filing platform targeting the same employee/retiree segments with online income-tax return preparation. Emerging player competing for the simple-return portion of the addressable market where the association's offline model is least differentiated.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

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 Lohnsteuerhilfeverein für Arbeitnehmer