found in austriaDo you need a Steuerberater? Usually: no.
Everyone will tell you that you need one — forums, colleagues, the advisor industry itself. Here's the part they skip: filing your own taxes as a solo EPU is normal, legal and exactly what the E/A-Rechnung system was designed for. Austria built the simplified cash-basis accounting precisely so small businesses can handle it without professional representation. With clean digital records and a tool that prepares your numbers, the UVA takes minutes and the annual E1/E1a is a guided form, not a mystery.
The few cases where one genuinely earns their fee
- Structure changes — converting to a GmbH, taking on a partner, hiring your first employee.
- US citizens — always, because US filing duties follow you everywhere.
- Genuine cross-border tangles — double residences, foreign employers plus Austrian self-employment.
- A letter you still don't understand after having it explained — especially anything with a deadline you're about to miss.
Notice what's not on the list: daily bookkeeping, UVAs, and a straightforward EPU tax return.
The cost reality
English-speaking advisors in Vienna typically charge €500–800 for a self-employed annual return and €100–250/h for consulting. For many EPUs that's more per year than their entire bookkeeping software — largely buying data entry you could hand over as a clean export anyway. If one of the real cases above hits you, pay it gladly; a good advisor is worth it there. Just don't pay it out of default anxiety.
Done reading? Let the software do the remembering.
useAccount.AI books your receipts, prepares your UVA numbers and explains scary German letters in English. Built in Vienna, BAO-compliant.
Try it free for 7 days →Status: 2026. Amounts and thresholds change (SVS values adjust yearly) — this is careful general information, not individual tax or legal advice. For your specific case, talk to a licensed Steuerberater.