Kontist: The N26 alternative for busy freelancers

Kontist is a Berlin-based fintech company founded in 2016, specializing in digital banking solutions for freelancers and self-employed professionals in Germany. Operating in partnership with Solaris SE, a licensed German bank, Kontist provides business bank accounts that integrate seamlessly with bookkeeping and automated tax management tools.

N26 is a German neobank offering a fully digital banking experience through its mobile app. As a mobile-first bank, N26 provides services such as current accounts, debit cards, savings tools, and investment options, all accessible via its app. Launched in 2015, it secured a full German banking license from BaFin in 2016. The company operates across 24 European countries, serving over 8 million customers.

When you open a Kontist account, your income tax rate is set to a default. But to make a more accurate calculation, use our Taxator Tool. With just a few simple answers, we’ll calculate your average income tax rate for the year. 

You can then enter your average income tax rate in the app settings. Once you’ve done so, Kontist will automatically set aside the amount you’ll need for your income tax later on. So you always know what belongs to you. You can adjust this at any time if your income changes over the course of the year.

For your VAT, the Kontist app automatically sets aside the standard 19% for your incoming transactions. You can of course adjust the rate for each transaction or deactivate it in the settings if you don’t collect VAT at all.

Kontist has placed a special emphasis on offering a range of export options to make tax filing, bookkeeping, and collaboration with accountants as seamless as possible for freelancers and self-employed professionals in Germany.

These exports are designed to match the specific requirements of German tax advisors and financial authorities.

The benefit of this is that freelancers and small business owners can be ready for tax season in just a few clicks and continue with their daily business.

Kontist can send your VAT declaration to the tax office for you and prepare a business evaluation (Betriebswirtschaftliche Auswertung) for you, but can not do your yearly tax declaration. However, the app does provide convenient exports, so you can have the documents ready for your tax advisor with just a few clicks.