ELSTER (short for Elektronische Steuererklärung ) is Germany's official, free electronic tax portal — every self-employed person files through it eventually, whether directly or via software that connects to it. The catch: ELSTER itself is functionally comprehensive but widely rated as too complex for non-specialists, consistently scoring around "3.4" (satisfactory, not good) in independent comparisons for ease of use. That gap is exactly what the tools below are built to close. Freiberufler or Gewerbetreibender? It matters less than you'd think for bookkeeping Whether you're a Freiberufler (liberal professional — writers, designers, consultants, IT freelancers, etc.) or a Kleingewerbetreibender (small trade business), both are legally Einzelunternehmer (sole proprietors) and both calculate profit the same way: via EÜR (Einnahmenüberschussrechnung — a simplified income/expense statement), not full double-entry bookkeeping. The tools in this guide work the s...