Data & Research
Recurring, citable analyses of self-employment, based on anonymized, aggregated data from thousands of self-employed people in Germany. The methodology documents how the numbers are produced.
What Entrepreneurs Actually Spend Money On: The Biggest Cost Is Other Freelancers
We analyzed twelve months of business expenses of entrepreneurs in Germany, from solo freelancers to small limited companies. The largest block of money is not software, rent, or taxes, but subcontractors and freelancers. And almost none of it carries a brand name. Edition 1 of the Cost Structure Report.
After-Hours Bookkeeping: Half of Self-Employed Accounting in Germany Happens Outside Business Hours
We analyzed about 5,000 active bookkeeping hours of nearly 1,000 self-employed people in Germany. Half fall in the evening, at night, or on the weekend, more bookkeeping happens at 9pm than at 9am, Sundays see one and a half times as much as Saturdays, and invoices follow the turn of the month: the first working day is the strongest invoicing day. Edition 1 of the Work-Rhythm Report.
The Hausbank of the Self-Employed Is No Longer a Sparkasse. It Is N26
We analyzed more than 1,000 bank connections that German freelancers linked to their accounting. Two in three lead to a neobank, N26 is the runaway leader, and all Sparkassen combined reach only about one in ten. Edition 1 of the Banking Monitor.
One and a Half Years of the E-Rechnungspflicht: Only One in Ten Invoices Reaching the Self-Employed Is a Genuine E-Invoice
Since January 2025, every business in Germany must be able to receive e-invoices. Our analysis of more than 10,000 incoming invoices shows: the share of genuine e-invoices has grown tenfold, to just one invoice in ten. Edition 1 of the monthly E-Invoicing Monitor.
Self-Employed Professions in Germany 2026: What 4,423 Founders Actually Register
Norman analyzed 4,423 registrations from 2025. IT leads at 20.1%, one in three marketing founders is a creator, nearly 30% in transport work gig jobs. The real numbers.