ELSTER registration for businesses: how to set up your account

According to ELSTER, registering in Mein ELSTER is free and one-time. You choose the account type, enter your details, confirm your email address, prove your identity and set up your access. For a sole proprietor without employees, ELSTER recommends “For a private person” (“Für eine Privatperson”); with employees you choose “For an organisation” (“Für eine Organisation”).

Last updated: 29 October 2026. All statements about ELSTER refer to the state of 26 October 2026.

In short

Activation: The activation ID arrives by email, the code by post; the online identity check needs no letter.
No tax number yet? The account type “For a private person” needs your tax identification number, not a tax number.
Registered with email only? Then ELSTER allows at first only the tax registration questionnaire.

Which account type do you choose?

ELSTER distinguishes by your activity and by whom you file for.

Account type	For whom	You need
For a private person	Employees filing only for themselves, plus sole proprietors and solo self-employed people without employees and without a corporation (ELSTER’s recommendation)	Tax identification number, date of birth, email address, user name
For an organisation	Employers, entrepreneurs with employees, associations and administrations	Federal state, the organisation’s tax number, contact details of the contact person, user name

The tax identification number is not your tax number. The difference is explained in Tax number vs tax ID in Germany.

What this means for you: pick the account type that fits your activity and who you file for.

Registration in four steps

Personal details: You enter the data from the table above. Use a real email address and enter your date of birth correctly. With a wrong email address you will not receive the activation ID; with a wrong date of birth the letter with the activation code cannot be generated, and you may have to repeat the registration. The minimum age for Mein ELSTER is 18.
Confirm your email address: You receive an email with a six-digit verification code, which you enter on the Mein ELSTER page.
Verify your identity: You can choose between a check by letter and the online identity check with your ID card (Nect Wallet app or AusweisApp with your ID PIN). By letter, you receive the activation ID by email and, separately, the activation code by post at the address stored with the registration office or the tax office.
Set up your access: Once you have both activation items, you complete the registration through the link in the email with the activation ID. ELSTER recommends the ElsterSecure app. Alternatively you log in with a certificate file: you choose the file name and password yourself, and the file ends in “.pfx”. Afterwards you submit tax data authenticated, that is without a signature.

What this means for you: follow the four steps and use a real email address and your correct date of birth.

Certificate file or ElsterSecure app?

With a certificate file, security rests on the password, because the file could be copied unnoticed. Only save the file and do not import it on your PC. At the end you test it with a login. If you suspect someone has copied the file, change the password under “Mein Benutzerkonto”: a new file is issued and the old one becomes invalid. With ElsterSecure you scan a QR code at login and confirm with screen lock, Face ID, fingerprint or PIN.

What this means for you: choose a certificate file or the ElsterSecure app, and protect the file with a strong password.

New business: can you register without a tax number?

If you have just registered your trade and have no tax number yet, you still need an ELSTER account, because you submit the tax registration questionnaire electronically; only on application can the tax office waive this to avoid undue hardship (§ 138 (1b) sentence 3 AO). The registration “For a private person” does not require a tax number but your tax identification number, and according to ELSTER it offers tax returns, tax filings and further forms. There is also the registration with an email address only; according to ELSTER you use it only if you have not yet been given an identification number or a tax number. You receive two emails: first a confirmation link, then an activation code and an activation ID. These are used to create a certificate file for your business.

The certificate initially allows only the questionnaire. As soon as the tax office has given you a tax number, you convert the registration into a full user account (Mein ELSTER, “Mein Benutzerkonto”, “Funktionen eines vollwertigen Benutzerkontos freischalten”). Only then are returns and advance returns available. More on the questionnaire: Tax number in Germany: applying with the tax registration questionnaire online.

What this means for you: you can register without a tax number, because you need the account to apply for it.

Which mistakes come up often?

Entering a made-up or misspelled email address. The activation ID will never arrive. If you received neither letter nor email, you repeat the registration.
Not checking the spam folder. The activation ID comes in an email; check your spam folder if needed.
Creating a second account. If a user account already exists for your tax identification number, a new registration is not possible. You renew the access in the existing account instead.
Losing the certificate password. It protects your certificate file. A forgotten password is replaced through an access renewal, for which new activation data is sent.
Expecting more than the questionnaire from the email-only registration. The email-only registration offers only the questionnaire; all other forms follow after the conversion to a full account.

What this means for you: register early, protect your certificate and keep the activation steps in order.

How VAT GPT helps you with this

Once you are registered with ELSTER, it continues in VAT GPT like this:

If you still need a tax number, you first fill in the tax registration questionnaire for sole proprietorships in VAT GPT and send it to the tax office. Then:

Upload: You upload your Amazon or eBay CSV reports and your invoices. The AI reads amounts, countries and tax rates.
Check: VAT GPT prepares the advance VAT return. You check and confirm.
Send: With VAT GPT Pro you send it via ELSTER directly to the tax office.

Everything is in one place:

advance VAT return
OSS return
annual VAT return
EÜR
trade tax return
income tax return

There are Free (basic features, free of charge), Go (30 days free with all Pro features) and Pro. Try for Free Now

Frequently asked questions

What does ELSTER registration cost? Nothing: registration in Mein ELSTER is free and one-time.

Do I need an organisation account as a sole proprietor? According to ELSTER’s recommendation, not as long as you are not a corporation and have no employees: then “For a private person” fits. With employees you choose “For an organisation”.

Can I register before I have a tax number? Yes. For the account type “For a private person” you need your tax identification number instead of the tax number. There is also the registration by email address only; at first it allows only the tax registration questionnaire.

Where do I get the activation ID and the activation code? The activation ID comes by email, the activation code by post, separately. The ID is an 18-digit code.

What if I receive nothing? Check the spam folder. If neither letter nor email arrives, you repeat the registration.

Do I have to register separately for other tax software? Yes: for authenticated submission, the one-time registration in Mein ELSTER is required. Most commercial software products support this submission.