What ETL does

ETL, founded in 1972 and headquartered in Berlin, is Germany's leading tax advisory and multi-discipline professional services group (ETL-Gruppe / ETL Steuerberatungsgruppe). It delivers integrated advisory across tax consulting, legal consulting, auditing, business consulting, and financial services to small and medium enterprises, self-employed professionals, freelancers, and select verticals including healthcare (ETL ADVISION), agriculture (ETL Agrar & Forst), hospitality (ETL ADHOGA), and franchise systems (fynax / ETL Franchise). ETL positions itself as offering lückenlose Rundum-Beratung — comprehensive advisory coordinated through a single point of contact — eliminating the fragmentation clients typically face when engaging multiple independent advisors across disciplines.

The group's delivery model is built on a partner-firm network: over 1,500 licensed professionals (tax advisors, lawyers, auditors, business consultants, and financial advisors) operate from more than 970 partner offices across Germany, while ETL GLOBAL extends coverage to more than 1,470 locations across over 60 countries for cross-border engagements. The technology layer consists of three core proprietary digital platforms: ETL PISA for secure client-advisor data exchange and communication, capitain (delivered via the eurodata subsidiary) for mobile receipt capture and document processing, and eMitarbeiter for GDPR-compliant employee payroll document access. ETL MATCH adds a commission-free B2B marketplace for business succession and investment matching.

Revenue is generated through professional services fees from tax, legal, auditing, business consulting, and financial advisory engagements, with pricing tailored to engagement scope and complexity and no standardized public pricing. The go-to-market is partner-led, supported by an extensive content and thought-leadership engine (six specialized newsletters, two podcasts, webinars, an annual partner congress, and SEO-driven article publishing). The company operates as a private network under ETL Service GmbH (AG Berlin-Charlottenburg, HRB 44462), with no public listing, external parent, or disclosed PE/VC ownership. The data signals 10,000+ affiliated professionals, GDPR and WCAG 2.2 AA compliance certifications, and recognition of 39 offices in the FOCUS Money TOP Steuerberater 2026 ranking.

Name

ETL

Legal name

ETL Service GmbH

Website

https://www.etl.de/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

ETL is a German tax, legal, auditing, and business consulting network founded in 1972, serving SMEs, self-employed professionals, and freelancers through 970+ partner offices across Germany and 1,470+ locations in 60+ countries via integrated multi-discipline advisory and digital platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tax Advisory Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54), Other Legal Services (54119)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Transfer Pricing & International Tax Services (BPAHABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Onboarding, Offboarding & Employee Lifecycle Administration (BPACAHAL), Local Entity Setup & Expansion Advisory (Market Entry, Subsidiary Formation) (BPACAHAM)

Keywords

• Business consulting
• Financial advisory
• Tax advisory services
• Audit and assurance
• Legal consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services Fees: ETL earns revenue through professional service fees charged to clients for tax advisory, legal consulting, auditing, business consulting, and financial services. Services are delivered through a network of partner firms operating under the ETL brand.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ETL operates as Germany's leading tax advisory group, delivering tax consulting, legal consulting, auditing, business consulting, and financial services through a partner network of more than 970 offices across Germany and over 1,470 locations in 60+ countries via ETL GLOBAL. Services are complemented by digital platforms (ETL PISA for client communication, capitain for document processing, eMitarbeiter for payroll access) and an online business succession marketplace (ETL MATCH).

Product overview

ETL is a tax advisory and consulting group offering professional services through a network of over 970 offices in Germany and more than 1,470 locations in over 60 countries globally. The company operates as a multi-service firm providing tax consulting, legal consulting, auditing, business consulting, and financial services. ETL's digital product portfolio centers around three core platforms: capitain (document management and processing), ETL PISA (client communication), and eMitarbeiter (employee self-service). Additional offerings include ETL MATCH (business succession platform) and various industry-specific solutions for sectors such as healthcare, franchises, agriculture, and hospitality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ETL MATCH: Platform for business succession, sale, and investment matching
• ETL PISA
• capitain
• eMitarbeiter
• Das Grüne Mandat
• Women's Networking Lounge

Products and services

• Tax Advisory (Steuerberatung) Tax advisory services covering financial accounting, balance sheets and tax returns, payroll, and operational business consulting for SMEs, self-employed professionals, and freelancers.
• Legal Consulting (Rechtsberatung) Legal advisory delivered through dedicated subsidiaries including ETL Rechtsanwälte (general legal counsel) and ETL Kanzlei Voigt (traffic law and insurance law specialization) for SMEs and individuals.
• Auditing (Wirtschaftsprüfung) Audit and assurance services provided to companies through ETL Prüfung & Beratung, including statutory and voluntary audits.
• Business Consulting (Unternehmensberatung) Management consulting services including mergers & acquisitions advisory, delivered through ETL Unternehmensberatung for SMEs and corporate clients.
• Financial Services (Finanzdienstleistungen)

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Viktoria KölnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerETL Group served as main sponsor (Hauptsponsor) and jersey sponsor for Viktoria Köln, a 3. Liga (third division) football club. The partnership provides brand visibility and community engagement aligned with ETL's regional presence and commitment to corporate social responsibility.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DATEV: Germany's largest cooperative providing tax software, IT, and advisory infrastructure for tax professionals. Directly comparable to ETL as both serve the German tax advisory market, though DATEV is software/infrastructure-led and ETL is a partner-led advisory network.
• HLB International: Global accounting and advisory network with mid-market focus and country-level member firms. Comparable to ETL's partner network model for multi-discipline tax, audit, and advisory services across borders.
• RSM International: Global mid-market accounting network offering audit, tax, and consulting. Closely comparable to ETL's positioning around SMEs and mid-market clients with international reach.
• Baker Tilly: International accounting and advisory network focused on mid-market clients. Comparable to ETL in serving SMEs with multi-discipline advisory across borders.
• Rödl & Partner: German-origin international advisory firm offering tax, legal, audit, and consulting — directly comparable to ETL in integrated multi-discipline mid-market services with global footprint.
• Flick Gocke Schaumburg: Leading German tax advisory firm with deep specialization in international tax and corporate tax. Closely comparable to ETL's tax advisory core and partner-quality positioning in Germany.

Broad incumbents

• BDO International: Top-five global accounting network with full tax, audit, and consulting services. Competes with ETL for German mid-market and internationally active clients but operates at much larger global scale.
• Grant Thornton International: Global accounting and advisory network targeting dynamic mid-market and growth-stage clients. Overlaps with ETL's SME and mid-market positioning across multiple geographies.
• Mazars: International audit, tax, and advisory firm with strong European presence. Competes with ETL for cross-border German Mittelstand clients and integrated advisory mandates.
• KPMG Germany: Big Four firm with substantial German mid-market practice. Represents the top-end competitive threat to ETL for integrated tax, audit, and advisory mandates from larger SMEs and family-owned enterprises.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ETLGruppe
• Instagraminstagram.com/etl_deutschland
• Xx.com/ETLGruppe

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries16 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 ETL