Run your German GmbH's books with Claude, in English

English prompts, German books

A GmbH or UG counts as a trading company (§ 13(3) GmbHG, § 6(1) HGB) and must keep proper books (§ 238 HGB). For books and records the law asks for a living language (§ 239(1) HGB, § 146(3) AO); if it is not German, the tax office may ask for translations. The annual financial statements themselves are drawn up in German and in euros (§ 244 HGB).

In practice the ledger runs on a German chart of accounts, account names, VAT returns and statements are German — and you can still work in English. The app's interface is available in English, and Claude reads the German tool descriptions and field names and answers you in English.

Connect Claude

Claude Code takes one command; Claude Desktop goes through the mcp-remote bridge:

# Claude Code — user scope, stored in ~/.claude.json
export JAB_API_KEY="jab_live_…"
claude mcp add --transport http --scope user buchhaltung \
  https://api.jahresabschluss.io/functions/v1/bookkeeping-mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $JAB_API_KEY"

# Claude Desktop — Settings → Developer → Edit Config, then restart the app
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "buchhaltung": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote",
        "https://api.jahresabschluss.io/functions/v1/bookkeeping-mcp",
        "--header", "Authorization:${JAB_AUTH}"],
      "env": { "JAB_AUTH": "Bearer jab_live_…" }
    }
  }
}

Create the key in the app under Bookkeeping → Settings → “AI agent & API”; administrators confirm with the second factor. One key covers one company — with a holding and an operating GmbH you create one key each and register two servers. The bridge needs Node.js. claude.ai in the browser and the mobile app cannot send a key at the moment.

The German words you will see

Claude explains them as it goes; these come up every month.

A month in English

A typical month-end request to Claude Code, and what it calls:

You: Close October. Upload the receipts in ./receipts/2026-10, import the
     October CAMT.053 file for the business account, match payments to
     open invoices, book what has a receipt, show me the VAT figures and
     explain any German account names in English.

Claude calls:
  list_fiscal_years, get_entity_settings     → fiscal year 2026, chart, VAT period
  upload_receipt (per file), list_receipts   → receipts in, Autopilot status
  get_receipt_proposal, confirm_receipt      → the rest, after your OK
  list_bank_accounts, import_bank_statement  → statement in
  list_open_items, match_bank_transaction    → payments matched
  book_bank_transaction                      → lines with a receipt or a bank rule
  get_vat_return (period 2026-10)            → box figures, VAT payable

Claude: summary in English, German names in brackets, open questions listed.

Sending the same receipt twice returns the same receipt instead of a duplicate. For a GmbH, a bank line books to income or expense only with its receipt — or through a bank rule you approved in the app, for example for bank fees; otherwise the server requires the invoice first.

VAT: prepared by Claude, filed by you

When the return is due, Claude reads the form's conditional questions with get_vat_supplementary and asks you about them. If none applies, it confirms that, runs the official ELSTER check with check_tax_filing, freezes the figures with prepare_tax_filing and gives you an approval link. You open it in the app, see whether anything changed since Claude prepared it, and file with the second factor and the company's ELSTER PIN. The PIN never goes into the chat.

The same flow covers the EC sales list if you sell to business customers elsewhere in the EU, the Dauerfristverlängerung (one extra month per return), and later the annual VAT, corporate and trade tax returns once you or your adviser have released them in the app. list_tax_deadlines tells Claude what is due.

Year end: from trial balance to German statements

Claude books depreciation with run_depreciation, provisions with create_provision and accruals with create_accrual, checks the trial balance and the bank balances, and — after your yes — locks the year and hands the trial balance over with publish_trial_balance. The statements (balance sheet, P&L, notes) are then prepared in the app's annual-accounts module, in German, with AI assistance and your or your adviser's review. The software creates the file for the Unternehmensregister, the company register, but does not submit it.

Afterwards Claude reads the issued statements as text with get_annual_report and can walk you or your co-founders through them in English.

Working with your Steuerberater

Many founders of a German GmbH work with a Steuerberater (tax adviser). Claude does not replace one; it gets the books ready earlier and cleaner. Your adviser can work in the same software — there is a dedicated area for tax firms — or receive exports: export_bookkeeping delivers journal and trial balance as CSV and names the download for posting batches in tax-firm format and for the GoBD package.

A rhythm that works: Claude books and prepares, your adviser reviews the special cases, and you approve the filings and the period lock. Every posting Claude makes is in the journal, reversals included, so your adviser can trace it.

Guardrails and what stays in the app

• Every write runs through the same booking core as the app, under GoBD: debit equals credit, reversal instead of deletion, no postings into locked periods.
• Text from receipts and bank references is treated as data, never as an instruction.
• The bank connection, company settings and business partners' IBAN/BIC are managed in the app only.
• ELSTER filings are made by you through the approval link; a right for the agent to transmit itself is not granted.
• Preparing and issuing the annual statements happens in the app.
• The software gives no tax or legal advice; Claude's output is a proposal, and responsibility for the books stays with the company.

Frequently asked questions

Can I run my German GmbH's bookkeeping in English?

Yes. You prompt Claude in English and the app has an English interface. The ledger, the VAT returns and the annual statements stay German, as § 244 HGB requires for the statements.

Do I need to know German accounting terms?

Not in advance. Claude explains account names, field names and filing types in English as it works; the handful that come up every month are listed on this page.

Which Claude apps can connect?

Claude Code connects directly with one command; Claude Desktop through the mcp-remote bridge. claude.ai in the browser and the mobile app cannot send a key at the moment.

Can Claude file the VAT return for my GmbH?

Claude prepares it and runs the official ELSTER check; you file in the app through the approval link with your second factor and the company's ELSTER PIN.

Can my Steuerberater see what Claude booked?

Yes. Every posting and every reversal is in the journal. Your adviser can work in the same software or receive the journal, trial balance and posting batches as exports.

Does one key work for a holding and its subsidiary?

No. A key belongs to exactly one company. Create one key per company and register each as its own MCP server.