Managing your finances as a self-employed hairdresser or beautician in Germany comes with its own set of challenges: mixed income (services + product sales), VAT rules, cash payments, and many deductible professional expenses.
With Accountable, you can simplify your bookkeeping and stay compliant - without losing time you’d rather spend with your clients.
This practical guide answers the most common questions we receive from German self-employed beauty professionals and helps you get the most out of the app.
✅ Beauty & hairdressing specific accounting basics
How to encode your revenue
Cash payments and daily turnover
VAT in Germany (subject to VAT or small business owner)
Transport
Training & certifications
✅ List of deductibles and categories to use
Typical deductions for hairdressers & beauticians
Sharing costs with collaborators or salon partners
✅ FAQ
By following this guide, you’ll save time, avoid common mistakes, and keep your accounting accurate - while focusing on what really matters: your clients and your craft. ✂️✨
🌟 Prefer following a webinar? Pre-register now to receive all the details live from a tax coach!
As a self-employed hairdresser or beautician, your income usually comes from services, product sales, or a mix of both.
Group your daily revenue
Keep track of your daily turnover using:
A cash register
A POS system
Or a simple sales journal
You can group transactions per day or week instead of entering every single client separately.
Go to the green “Revenue” screen
Click “Add another revenue”
No client names are required (ideal for cash-based businesses)
Group multiple payments together (daily or weekly)
We also have a step-by-step-guide for you:
📂 How to properly record your cash income in Accountable
💡 Tip:
Haircuts, treatments, styling, beauty services → Service income (Category: Sales of Services)
Haircare products, cosmetics → Product sales (Category: Sale of goods - may be VAT-liable)
If you:
Rent a chair in a salon
Or receive a percentage of turnover from a salon owner
You should:
Create an invoice for your share of the income
Use the salon as your customer
Clearly indicate the agreed percentage or fixed amount
This ensures your income is fully justifiable in case of a tax audit.
Many self-employed hairdressers and beauticians in Germany fall under the Kleinunternehmerregelung (§19 UStG).
This means:
You do not charge VAT (USt) on your invoices
You do not submit VAT declarations
Your turnover must stay below the legal threshold (of €25.000)
In Accountable:
Go to Settings > Taxes
Select Kleinunternehmer if applicable
⚠️ Important:
You still pay VAT on your purchases
You cannot reclaim VAT
VAT paid becomes part of your deductible business expense
If you exceed the Kleinunternehmer thresholds or opt out voluntarily:
You must charge 19% VAT (or 7% where applicable)
Submit VAT declarations and VAT pre submissions
Accountable helps you manage both situations correctly.
You can only deduct an allowance for the kilometres you drive to the workspace and for business trips:
Commuter allowance (trips to your workplace)
Mileage allowance (business trips)
You can deduct:
Fuel
Insurance
Maintenance & repairs
Depreciation
Parking fees
Deductibility depends on:
Professional use percentage
Vehicle ownership type (1%-Rule or mileage log)
In Accountable:
Add your vehicle
Record each expense
Indicate professional use
Check out our article:
📂 How can I deduct my car expenses?
If you use a bicycle for business:
Deduct actual expenses (repairs, accessories, depreciation)
Keep proof of professional use
Tickets and subscriptions used for business purposes are deductible under:
Travel > Other travel costs
As a beauty professional, staying up to date is essential and fully deductible.
Don’t forget to include:
Hairdressing or beauty courses
Hygiene certifications
Trade fairs & workshops
Online trainings
Associated costs:
Transport
Meals (meal allowance > 📂 How to deduct your travel expenses?)
Tools or equipment required for training
💡 Tip to maximise deductions:
Training fee → Category: Professional Training
Food → Category: Canteen & reception
Deductible expenses lower your taxable income, meaning:
You pay less income tax
You keep more cash for your business
You can reinvest in better tools, products, or training
Here are common expenses and how to encode them in Accountable:
Item | Category |
Professional clothing (aprons, gloves, protective wear) | Office supplies |
Hairdressing tools (scissors, clippers, brushes, lamps) | Machines & tools |
Beauty products used on clients | Raw material |
Retail products for sale | Goods for resell (Goods and Materials) |
Training & certifications | Training |
Booking software / POS system | Software subscription |
E-invoicing software (Accountable) | Software subscription |
Salon furniture (chairs, mirrors, trolleys) | Shop furniture |
Professional liability insurance | Business insurance |
Other business insurance | Business insurance |
Website, social media ads | Marketing |
Trade associations & memberships | Membership fees |
Renting a chair | Subcontracting |
If you share:
A salon space
Equipment
Utilities
You can:
Pay the expense yourself
Invoice your collaborator for their share
Your collaborator can then deduct their part correctly.
For most self-employed hairdressers and beauticians - especially those under the Kleinunternehmerregelung - the Bookkeeping-Plan is usually sufficient.
If you are subject to VAT, we recommend the Taxes-Plan.
Check out our article:
📂 I'm not sure which plan to go for, what is the difference?
For cash payments, a daily or weekly turnover record is usually sufficient.
Invoices are required mainly for:
Business clients
Collaborations
Salon agreements
Yes! Accountable is ideal for part-time self-employment and side businesses, as well as full-time self-employment.
Then you may be a mixed taxpayer:
Services (haircuts, treatments)
Product sales (VAT-liable)
These must be clearly separated in your accounting and VAT handling.
You can still use Accountable to create invoices for your GmbH, but please be aware of the following:
No tax declaration submission: Accountable does not support the submission of tax declarations for GmbH entities.
Different Accounting and Tax Requirements: GmbHs have different accounting and tax obligations compared to sole proprietorships.
No problem, you can enter your profession manually in the app in your settings > personal details.
💡 Want to make the most of Accountable as a self-employed hairdresser or beautician?
Join our upcoming webinar, where we’ll:
Walk you through the app
Explain VAT & deductions
Answer your profession-specific questions
👉 Pre-register now and get all the insights you need!
If you have any questions about this, just drop us a message via tax-coach@accountable.eu. We’re happy to guide you 💬✨
Author - Valesca Wilms
As content marketing lead at Accountable Belgium, Valesca writes about freelancing, self-employment, and taxes based on her own experience as a freelancer.
Who is Valesca ?Thank you for your feedback!
Useful
As a self-employed individual with a sole proprietorship, your income is taxed under the personal in...
Read moreStarting from 2026, all self-employed individuals will need to send their invoices electronically in...
Read moreThe VAT reverse charge is a complicated word for a simple concept. It helps you purchase and sell sm...
Read moreThey always answer right away to any question I have, they provide clear answers, and they are very patient even when I struggle to understand. They try to explain in different ways. They are very helpful, responsive and friendly.
Chiara Marradi
01/05/2026
Everything was great! All my questions were answered quickly and in a friendly manner.
Wenzeslawa Wegener
04/05/2026
In the world where everyone seems to be out to get small entrepreneurs and overwhelm them with new rules, more taxes and reporting obligations, Accountable often feels like the one steady partner that actually wants you to succeed, providing quick, clear and personalised support. Thank you!
Janina Arsenjeva
10/04/2026
This is an amazing application with great support on issues. In short as in day I am addicted to it (in a positive way). I myself is from IT project management and the way they have captured the user requirement, it’s phenomenal.
Sumit Tewary
01/12/2024
UI is great. Feature packed and very easy to use. The team at Accountable were VERY quick to respond and their team of technicians soon had a fix in place. Very happy with the level of service so far. Thumbs up from me!
Dean Osborne
14/06/2023
This program is a lifesaver, and it is always improving. Plus, it has an AI chat feature that is actually useful.
Jeffrey Humble
14/01/2026
The coaching session on tax management was excellent, good material, excellent explanations and very insightful. Combined with the AI I never feel alone with Accountable.
Sergio Barbarino
23/04/2026
The availability of your team to help and guide people to understand their finances better is what really makes Accountable valuable. While the AI is able to give answers to most basic questions, specific scenarios need counsel from a human which your team performs beautifully.
Sofiya Bogdan Neves
18/04/2026
Fast and careful answers from Alina. Top service. Thank you.
Anonymous
15/04/2023
They always answer for questions wherever is via direct e-mail or through app. If they can’t answer fully they will forward you to the right place. Documents were always prepared well and ready to send further to government. Everything is intuitive in the app and easy to sort out even for someone completely green in this field.
Anonymous
22/03/2026
