For expats navigating German bureaucracy

Getting Sorted.

Plain-English guidance on German taxes, side income, and the paperwork nobody explained to you — from someone who has actually filed the forms.

SteuererklärungYour annual tax return, demystified
NebentätigkeitSide income rules while employed
KleinunternehmerFreelancing without the VAT headache

Aktenzeichen — The Blog

case files, opened as they're written
Az. 2026-021

Nebentätigkeit 101: How to Have a Side Hustle in Germany Without Accidentally Torching Your Main Job 

So you’ve got a solid Job (capital J, the one with the Arbeitsvertrag and the pension contributions), and you’ve also got An Idea — some consulting on the…

veröffentlicht — published
Az. 2026-017

Steuererklärung 101: Your Survival Guide to Filing Taxes in Germany (Without Crying)

Let’s be honest: nothing says „welcome to Germany“ quite like opening a letter from the Finanzamt, seeing a form with the word „Anlage“ on it, and immediately wondering…

veröffentlicht — published

Why this exists

I grew up in an expat family and moved to Germany as a kid, when my parents relocated here. I watched up close how quickly things can get complicated — self-employment, taxes, the pension system — and how much harder that gets without someone to explain it in plain terms.

That's the gap Settled & Sorted is meant to fill. I want the next person moving to Germany to understand the bureaucracy early enough to build a solid financial foundation, instead of piecing it together the hard way, one confusing letter at a time.