Going Self-Employed on the Side – A Field Report

There are things that sound like they’d take an afternoon in theory. Registering a side business – how hard can it be? Sign up, open an account, get going. Spoiler: It’s no walk in the park. It’s more like assembling an IKEA wardrobe where half the screws are missing and the instructions are in Swedish. Without pictures.

The Questionnaire That Questions Everything

It all started on 30 March 2026, registering as self-employed retroactively to 1 March, just as a side business. The tax registration questionnaire – anyone who hasn’t filled one out yet can look forward to a few very intense hours. Not because the questions are so difficult, but because you suddenly start thinking about things you’d rather not have thought about. How much income do you expect? Are you a small business owner or not? Do you really want this? I mean, really really?

I filled out the form. Then came ELSTER, Germany’s tax software. Another form. More fields. How much money do you expect? In which quarter? Gross, net, with VAT, without? The hours fly by, and at the end you’re not even sure you got everything right.

The Tax Office Sends a Warning – Even Though You Already Submitted Everything

A few weeks later, a warning letter arrived. From the tax office. Even though I’d submitted everything ages ago. Thank goodness email exists nowadays – it got sorted. But the brief shock lingers.

What doesn’t get sorted so quickly: the tax number. After more than four weeks, I still didn’t have one. And I need it urgently, because without a tax number, my next business account will be terminated.

Accounts, Cancellations and Costs

Yes, you heard right – my first business account already cancelled on me. Probably too small, no revenue, too uninteresting. Thanks for nothing. The second account at least gives me three months to provide a tax number. Fingers crossed.

And then there are the costs you have to cover before you earn a single cent. The accounting software alone costs me 25 euros a month. Sounds like nothing, but someone has to earn that first. On top of that, there’s a legal address for the imprint, because putting your own home address in a book’s imprint – well, who does that voluntarily? So you pay for it. Amazon advertising: 400 euros budgeted. Whether I’ll ever see that money again is written in the stars.

The Free Copies Problem

What really gets to me: everyone wants free copies. Otherwise they won’t read it, won’t promote it, won’t do anything. And I wonder – isn’t the free sample enough? Does it really have to be the whole book for free just so someone talks about it? For the beggars of the present, also known as influencers, that seems to go without saying. Not for me.

Deadline December

My wife put her foot down – and I think she’s absolutely right. By December 2026, it needs to be clear whether this whole thing makes sense. Otherwise, the project gets shut down. Sounds harsh, but it’s sensible. Because without a boundary like that, you burn through thousands of euros telling yourself it’ll get better “soon.” Someone has to keep the overview and apply a bit of pressure. In our case, that’s her.

Tax Return? On My Own.

Oh, and one more thing – we can’t use our previous tax advisor through the wage tax assistance association for self-employment income. That means: the next tax return, I’m doing on my own. It’s going to be painful. But that’s a problem for future me.

Respect to Everyone Who Sticks With It

Have you had similar experiences? Anyone who’s gone self-employed on the side knows what I’m talking about. The bureaucracy, the costs, the uncertainty – nobody prepares you for any of it. Respect to everyone who’s been through this and keeps going.

I’ll report back with updates. Let’s see what comes of it.

— Daniel