Registering a business is not that difficult. Here you can find out what is necessary for a business registration for landscaping and horticulture.
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Evidence to be submitted when registering a business
In order to receive the so-called ” trade license” (approved trade registration form), one must officially register his trade with the responsible municipality or city administration. The personal data is recorded in the form and the planned activities are described as precisely as possible. If special advisory services are to be offered, this should be specified separately when registering a business.
No special permits are required when registering as a gardener or landscaper ; different to a business registration that requires authorization, e.g. as a baker or hairdresser. There are also so-called trades that require surveillance , for which a police clearance certificate and an extract from the central trade register must be presented.
However, exceptions apply if a gardener or landscaper wants to carry out tree felling work, for example. Since strict safety regulations have to be observed and special machines (chainsaws, lifting platforms) are operated, you have to prove when registering the trade that you have the appropriate knowledge to operate such machines. When driving large vehicles and heavy loads (tree trunks, etc.), additional evidence ( specialist examination for freight transport ) is required.
A master’s title is not required for business registration as long as no apprentices are to be trained. In addition, “gardener” (and its variations) is a protected term . This means that only those people can call themselves gardeners who can prove their expertise in this area – e.g. through appropriate training or relevant professional experience.
Possible legal forms if you are self-employed as a gardener and landscaper
As with many other types of business, you can become self-employed with different legal forms. The legal form is relevant for a later liability:
- A one-man business is usually a sole proprietorship . You are then counted as a registered merchant.
- In the event of a merger with other gardeners, a decision can be made between a limited liability company (GmbH) or a company under civil law (GbR). When founding such a company, further steps are necessary: A GmbH is usually required to register in the commercial register.
- No entry in the commercial register is required for a GbR , but a notarized articles of association must be present when registering the business.
Legal aspects in the field of accounting and taxes
Self-employment comes with numerous obligations, regardless of whether you work in gardening and landscaping or in another industry. Invoices and other accounting tasks have to be carried out, retention obligations have to be observed and tax-related duties have to be paid.
- For accounting include many administrative activities such as the billing of orders as well as the calculation and discharge of taxes. If employees are employed in the company, proper payroll accounting is mandatory. In order to save time and money, traders should find out about purchasing payroll software .
- In addition, accounting documents must be archived properly for a long time. Depending on the type of receipt, retention periods of 6 to 10 years are common. Shorter periods only arise in exceptional cases.
- As a rule, sales tax must be paid from an expected annual turnover of 17,500 euros. If the turnover is below this amount and will probably not exceed an amount of 50,000 euros in the following year, the small business regulation applies .
- The administration software lexoffice is particularly suitable in order not to forget any items when calculating the tax and to save time in organizing your own business . It can be used, among other things, to create a sales tax advance notification yourself and send it to the tax office.
Further advice and financing options
In order to clarify all questions relating to the formalities in good time and to avoid delays due to these bureaucratic processes, advice from the nearest IHK ( Chamber of Commerce and Industry ) is recommended.
The Federal Employment Agency offers a comprehensive range of advice for start-ups (creating a business plan, tips on financing and marketing strategy, legal aspects, etc.).
When starting a business, there should be a certain amount of equity in order to bridge the time until one can live on the profits. Many traders are dependent on outside capital for larger investments. Under certain conditions, promotional loans (e.g. from KfW) are possible. These usually offer more favorable repayment terms than house bank loans.
