Terms of Service

1. Scope and Nature of the Platform

TaxHILFE is a two-sided marketplace platform that connects individuals and businesses seeking tax advisory services ("Clients") with licensed German tax advisors (Steuerberater) and tax advisory firms ("Advisors").

Important: TaxHILFE is an intermediary platform only. We are not a tax advisor and do not provide tax advice. We do not supervise, endorse, or guarantee the quality, accuracy, or completeness of advice provided by Advisors. The advisory relationship and any resulting professional obligations exist exclusively between the Client and the Advisor.

2. Eligibility and Registration

You must be at least 18 years of age to register an account. Clients may register as private individuals or on behalf of a business entity; in the latter case, you warrant that you have authority to bind the entity to these Terms.

Advisors must hold a valid German Steuerberater licence or equivalent recognised qualification and must maintain that licence throughout their use of the Platform. By registering, Advisors warrant that all credentials submitted are accurate, current, and complete. Providing false credentials is grounds for immediate termination and may be reported to the relevant Steuerberaterkammer.

3. Platform Services

For Clients, the Platform provides: discovery and search of qualified Advisors, booking and appointment management, secure document upload and sharing, in-platform messaging with Advisors, and access to invoices and engagement records.

For Advisors, the Platform provides: profile and service listing management, client discovery and booking management, calendar and availability management, secure document exchange, in-platform client communication, and subscription-based access to Platform tools and features.

4. Fees and Payments

Advisors access Platform tools through a subscription model. Current pricing is published at taxhilfe.de/pricing. All prices are in EUR and include or exclude VAT as indicated. Where applicable, TaxHILFE may charge a service fee on transactions processed through the Platform; the applicable rate is disclosed before you confirm any booking or transaction.

Payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. We do not store full card details. Subscription fees are generally non-refundable except where required by law (see Section 5 for consumer withdrawal rights). Fee disputes must be raised within 30 days of the transaction date by contacting us (see Section 14). We reserve the right to suspend access to paid features following failed or overdue payments after reasonable notice.

5. Consumer Right of Withdrawal (Widerrufsrecht)

This section applies to Consumers (Verbraucher within the meaning of §13 BGB) only. It does not apply to Advisors or Clients acting in a professional or commercial capacity.

You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason. The withdrawal period is 14 days from the date of conclusion of the contract. To exercise your withdrawal right, notify us by a clear statement (email to [email protected] or letter to our registered address) before the withdrawal period expires. We will reimburse all payments received from you within 14 days of receiving your withdrawal notice, using the same payment method.

6. Advisor Obligations and Conduct

Advisors must: maintain a valid, current Steuerberater licence throughout Platform use; provide services with professional care and in accordance with applicable professional law (StBerG, BOStB); maintain adequate professional liability insurance (Berufshaftpflichtversicherung); keep profile, qualifications, and availability information accurate and up to date; and comply with all applicable data protection obligations in their handling of client data.

Advisors must not: solicit clients off-platform to circumvent Platform fees for engagements initiated on the Platform; provide services in jurisdictions where they are not licensed; or share client data beyond what is necessary for service delivery.

7. Client Obligations and Conduct

Clients must: provide accurate information to Advisors; upload only documents they are authorised to share; pay for confirmed bookings as agreed; and use the Platform only for lawful purposes.

Clients must not: submit fraudulent, misleading, or fabricated documents or information; attempt to engage Advisors off-platform for engagements that originated on the Platform; or post false, defamatory, or misleading reviews.

8. Documents, Reviews, and Intellectual Property

You retain ownership of documents you upload. By uploading, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive licence to store and process that data solely to provide the services to you. You are responsible for ensuring documents do not infringe third-party rights. Documents are retained per our Privacy Policy retention terms.

Client reviews must be honest, based on genuine experience, and must not contain defamatory or unlawful content. The TaxHILFE platform, design, code, and brand marks are the property of NAO Technologies UG (haftungsbeschränkt) and protected under German and international intellectual property law. Advisor profile content remains the Advisor's intellectual property; by publishing it, the Advisor grants TaxHILFE a non-exclusive licence to display and promote it within the Platform.

9. Disclaimer of Warranties

To the extent permitted by German law, the Platform is provided "as is" and "as available." We do not warrant uninterrupted, error-free availability. We do not warrant or represent the qualifications, professional conduct, or advice quality of any Advisor beyond our credential verification process. Nothing in this section limits your statutory consumer rights or our liability for intentional misconduct (Vorsatz), gross negligence (grobe Fahrlässigkeit), or harm to life, body, or health.

10. Limitation of Liability

Our liability for ordinary negligence (einfache Fahrlässigkeit) is limited to foreseeable, typical damages arising from the breach of a material contractual obligation (Kardinalpflicht). We are not liable for the content, accuracy, or quality of advice provided by Advisors, or for loss arising from reliance on Advisor recommendations. The above limitations do not apply to liability for intentional conduct, gross negligence, personal injury, or mandatory statutory liability under German law.

11. Termination

Either party may terminate their Platform account with 30 days' notice; Advisors on active subscriptions may terminate at the end of the current billing period. We may suspend or terminate your account with immediate effect for good cause (wichtiger Grund), including: material or repeated breach of these Terms, fraudulent activity or misrepresentation, providing false professional credentials (Advisors), or court order. On termination, your access to the Platform ceases and data is handled per our Privacy Policy.

12. Amendments to These Terms

We may amend these Terms as our Platform evolves. We will notify registered users of material changes via email and/or platform notification at least 30 days before the effective date. If you do not object within 30 days of notification, the amended Terms are deemed accepted. If you object, you may terminate your account before the effective date without penalty. Changes affecting only non-material aspects take effect on publication.

13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the law of the Federal Republic of Germany, excluding conflict of law rules and the CISG. For disputes with Clients acting as consumers, mandatory consumer protection law of the consumer's EEA country of residence applies where it provides greater protection. The place of jurisdiction for disputes with commercial users and non-consumer Advisors is Berlin, Germany. We are not obligated or willing to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board (§36 VSBG). The EU ODR platform is accessible at https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr. Contact us first at [email protected].

14. Contact

For all legal enquiries, contact us at [email protected]