EÜR Software 2026: 7 Tools for the Self-Employed Compared

If you are a freelancer or sole trader in Germany, you need an income-surplus statement every year – the famous Anlage EÜR. You can do it on paper, in Excel or with software. But the tax office now only accepts the form electronically, and without a tool that structures your bookkeeping and transmits it via ELSTER, the job quickly turns into busywork.

The decisive difference is in the detail: many bookkeeping tools only give you an EÜR export or a PDF – that is not the same as a direct transmission to the tax office. If you actually want to file the Anlage EÜR (and ideally the full income-tax return) from inside the software, your choice narrows considerably.

This comparison walks you through the seven most relevant EÜR tools for 2026 – what they do, what they cost and who they suit. By the end you will know which one fits your situation as a self-employed person.

Key takeaways

• Two things people confuse: reporting the EÜR (almost every tool does this) is not the same as filing the Anlage EÜR via ELSTER.
• Only a few tools file EÜR + income tax themselves: Norman, Accountable and the WISO combo. The rest only prepare the data.
• Norman is the only one where bookkeeping and invoicing are permanently free – you pay only for the tax submission (from €9/month).
• Pure bookkeeping suites (Lexware Office from €7.90/month, sevDesk from €22.90/month) are strong, but hand the income tax to an advisor or a second program.
• Obligation & deadline: the Anlage EÜR must be filed electronically by every non-balance-sheet self-employed person – including Kleinunternehmer (§ 60 (4) EStDV). For 2025 the deadline is 31 July 2026 (with a tax advisor: 30 April 2027).

What a good EÜR software must do

The Anlage EÜR bundles your business income and expenses into a form with more than 90 lines. Which item belongs in which line is not trivial – and mistakes here ripple through your entire tax return. Our guide to the income-surplus calculation explains how the form is built.

What to look for when comparing:

• Bank connection: import account movements automatically instead of typing them.
• Receipt capture via OCR/AI: upload invoices – the software reads the date, amount and VAT rate.
• Correct categorisation: bookings mapped automatically to the right EÜR line.
• Anlage AVEÜR: the asset register for depreciable goods, including depreciation (AfA).
• VAT return filing: unless you are a small business (Kleinunternehmer), you need a VAT advance return – ideally from the same tool.
• Direct ELSTER transmission: the finished Anlage EÜR sent straight to the tax office – not just a PDF to re-type.

Norman – AI-driven EÜR with direct ELSTER filing

Norman builds your Anlage EÜR directly from your bookkeeping and files it together with the income-tax return via ELSTER. You connect your business account, Norman categorises movements automatically by EÜR logic, and uploaded receipts are read by AI and mapped to the right line.

That is the point that sets Norman apart from most bookkeeping tools: Lexware, sevDesk and FastBill prepare EÜR data, but for the actual income-tax filing you need a tax advisor or a second tool. Norman bundles both – including the asset register and depreciation.

Price: bookkeeping and invoicing are free and unlimited. You only pay for tax filing – plans with EÜR and income-tax submission start at €9/month (Klein plan). More under AI Bookkeeping and Taxes for the Self-Employed.

Best for: freelancers, sole traders and small businesses who want to file EÜR and income tax in one tool without an advisor.

Lexware Office & sevDesk – the bookkeeping suites

• Lexware Office (formerly Lexoffice) is one of the most used tools for ongoing EÜR bookkeeping. VAT returns are filed directly via ELSTER, even in Plan S from €7.90/month. But the finished Anlage EÜR only comes to you as an export or PDF – for the income-tax filing you need an advisor or WISO Steuer. Plan M €17.90, Plan L €21.90/month.
• sevDesk delivers a clean EÜR report, automatic bank matching and a DATEV export. VAT is included in the bookkeeping package from €22.90/month (annual billing). Like Lexware, sevDesk does not handle the income-tax submission.

Both are mature but built for ongoing bookkeeping – not for the tax return itself. More in our accounting software comparison.

Accountable, WISO, FastBill & Papierkram

• Accountable: app-first for freelancers, files EÜR and income tax directly via ELSTER (Taxes plan from €29.90/month annual, Bookkeeping from €19.90/month). No GmbH support, weaker AI.
• WISO MeinBüro + WISO Steuer: the classic German combo. MeinBüro bookkeeping from €9/month, the income tax runs through the separate WISO Steuer licence. Two programs, dated interface.
• FastBill: primarily an invoicing tool with a decent EÜR report (Solo from €9/month annual). No direct income-tax filing.
• Papierkram: deliberately simple, GoBD-compliant, from about €8/month. EÜR report yes, income-tax filing no.

EÜR software 2026 at a glance

*Norman: bookkeeping and invoicing unlimited and free; paid plans only for the advanced tax filings.

Is there free EÜR software?

With EÜR tools, "free" usually means one of two things – and the difference matters:

• Free trial: sevDesk, Lexware Office and many others let you test for 14 days. After that the regular subscription kicks in. For ongoing bookkeeping that is not a free solution but a time-limited test.
• Free Excel template: you can also calculate your EÜR with an Excel template. That saves the software cost but has three catches: no bank connection, no AI receipt capture and – the decisive one – no ELSTER filing. The numbers from Excel still have to be typed into the ELSTER form by hand.
• Permanently free bookkeeping: Norman is the exception here. Bookkeeping, receipt capture and invoicing stay free with no time limit; you only pay for the actual tax submission.

For a handful of bookings a year, Excel is enough. As soon as you regularly juggle receipts, bank movements and a VAT return, a real tool saves more time than a free template saves money.

Who has to file an EÜR – and by when?

The EÜR is the simple profit calculation for everyone who is not required to keep double-entry books. That covers:

• Freelancers (§ 18 EStG) – regardless of turnover, because they may always use the EÜR.
• Traders (Gewerbetreibende), as long as they stay under the bookkeeping thresholds in § 141 AO: no more than €800,000 turnover and no more than €80,000 profit per year. Above that, double-entry bookkeeping with a balance sheet becomes mandatory.
• Kleinunternehmer under § 19 UStG. Since 2017 they too must file the Anlage EÜR – electronically. The Kleinunternehmer thresholds have been €25,000 prior-year turnover and €100,000 in the current year since 2025.

Electronic filing is not optional: under § 60 (4) EStDV the Anlage EÜR must generally be transmitted to the tax office via ELSTER. Only in cases of hardship does the office still allow the paper form.

Deadlines for the 2025 tax year:

Which EÜR software fits me?

• Freelancer without an advisor: you want to send EÜR and income tax to ELSTER from one tool. Realistically that leaves Norman, Accountable and the WISO combo. Of those, Norman is the only one where bookkeeping is free and you only pay for the filing.
• Working with a tax advisor: you do not need income-tax filing from the tool – you need clean bookkeeping, a DATEV export and a VAT function. Lexware Office, sevDesk and Papierkram are all solid. Whether the advisor pays off at all is covered in tax advisor vs. software.
• Small business with few bookings: the VAT return drops away, you only need a clean EÜR and the annual income-tax return. Papierkram or Norman are plenty.

EÜR software FAQ

Can I file the Anlage EÜR via ELSTER for free?

Yes – through the official "Mein ELSTER" portal the transmission is free. You do, however, have to fill in the 90-plus lines of the Anlage EÜR yourself. Software like Norman takes exactly that step off your hands: it fills the lines automatically from your bookkeeping and transmits them directly.

Is Excel enough for the EÜR?

Arithmetically yes, in practice only partly. Excel helps with the totals but replaces neither the bank connection nor AI receipt capture nor the ELSTER filing. In the end you still type the numbers into the ELSTER form by hand – error-prone as soon as you have more than a handful of bookings.

What is the difference between an EÜR report and EÜR filing?

An EÜR report is an overview of your income and expenses, often as a PDF – useful, but only an intermediate step. EÜR filing is the binding electronic transmission of the Anlage EÜR to the tax office. Many tools only deliver the report; the filing you then do yourself or via an advisor.

Do I need EÜR software as a Kleinunternehmer?

The Anlage EÜR has been mandatory for Kleinunternehmer since 2017; software for it is not. With few bookings a template is enough. As soon as you collect receipts regularly or want to file your income tax alongside, a tool like Norman saves noticeable time – and its bookkeeping stays free.

Which EÜR software also files the income tax?

From this comparison that is Norman, Accountable and the combo of WISO MeinBüro and WISO Steuer. Lexware Office, sevDesk, FastBill and Papierkram only prepare the EÜR – the income-tax return there runs through an advisor or a separate program.

Conclusion

Most EÜR tools stop at the report – they prepare your numbers, but the actual filing of the Anlage EÜR and the income-tax return is left to you or your advisor. Only a few tools close this gap. If you work as a self-employed person without an advisor, you are best served by a solution that covers bookkeeping, EÜR and income tax in one place – and helps you avoid the typical EÜR mistakes along the way. When bookkeeping stays free and you only pay for the submission, you save twice: time and a second subscription.