VAT return software in Germany for Amazon sellers compared 2026

Around the advance VAT return there are three kinds of solutions for Amazon sellers: accounting software that prepares Amazon data up to the export to the tax adviser (Amainvoice), accounting and tax services with software and experts (TAXDOO, hellotax), and software that prepares the VAT returns from Amazon and eBay reports and, with Pro, sends them itself (VAT GPT). Which fits depends on who does your bookkeeping and who files the returns. The table puts the providers' documented statements of 21 October 2026 side by side.

Last updated: 21 October 2026. VAT GPT is our own product; the information on it comes from us, all other information from the pages of the respective providers.

VAT return software: what matters?

Anyone who has to file an advance VAT return submits it in the officially prescribed data set via the officially designated interface (§ 18 para. 1 sentence 1 UStG); only on application can the tax office waive electronic transmission to avoid undue hardship (§ 18 para. 1 sentence 2 UStG). Five questions help you choose the software:

Does the software send the return itself, or does it only prepare it? In Mein ELSTER you can upload the XML file of software that can create such a file. What the providers state about sending is in the row “Advance VAT return” of the table below.
Do your figures come from Amazon or eBay? The row “Data from Amazon” shows how the providers take over the data.
Does the advance VAT return period fit? The advance VAT return period is the calendar quarter; if the tax for the previous calendar year was more than €9,000, it is the calendar month, and special rules apply to new businesses (§ 18 para. 2 UStG). VAT GPT prepares the advance return monthly or quarterly. The deadlines and the permanent extension are explained on the page German advance VAT return (UStVA): filing online, deadlines and permanent extension.
Is the software in the ELSTER software directory? There the manufacturers themselves state that their software supports ELSTER (636 products on 21 October 2026); VAT GPT is listed. More on the ELSTER alternative for online sellers.
What does it cost? The row “Price according to the provider” gives the list prices; it also shows whether VAT is included.

How we compared

We compare solutions that are aimed at Amazon sellers and support VAT returns. The providers' tasks differ; that is why the first row shows what each provider describes itself as.
Prices are list prices without promotions, as the provider states them. The pricing models are not directly comparable (by documents, by packages with expert hours, by country and transactions, by plan).
A dash (“–”) means: not expressly stated on the pages of the provider that we retrieved. This is no statement about whether the feature exists.
Every statement comes from the provider's page that we retrieved and saved on 21 October 2026 (sources below; quotes from German-language pages are our translations). This page does not rate and does not create a ranking.

The four solutions side by side

	Amainvoice	TAXDOO	hellotax	VAT GPT
Describes itself as	accounting software for Amazon; middleware from Seller Central to the DATEV export	accounting with software and experts: “We book your sales with AI support”	EU VAT compliance as a personal service with local tax advisers	tax software in the browser for online sellers on Amazon and eBay, self-employed people and small businesses
Target group	Amazon sellers	online retailers	online sellers active in the EU	online sellers on Amazon and eBay, self-employed people and small businesses
Data from Amazon	via API with Seller Central, no CSV exports	interfaces to Amazon and eBay	connect Amazon account; other marketplaces and shops via CSV upload	import Amazon and eBay CSV reports
Advance VAT return	–	“you click send, and the return goes directly to the tax office” (post of 11 September 2026)	as a service: hellotax files the advance returns, “in the selected countries”	prepare and send directly to the tax office via ELSTER with Pro
OSS return (One-Stop Shop)	calculates the VAT for the OSS return, creates reporting lists	filing from the dashboard “coming soon” (post of 11 September 2026)	filing by hellotax's tax advisers; alternatively export and file yourself	calculate and send directly to the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) with Pro
Price according to the provider	flat €43 per month up to 200 documents, above that €0.24 per document and further tiers; without VAT note; valid from 9 February 2026	from €49 per month plus statutory VAT, cancellable monthly	“New Seller” €39 per month and country with annual payment, €49 with monthly payment, up to 500 transactions per year, without VAT note	Pro €49 per month or €444 per year, each including VAT.

Sources: the providers' pages, retrieved on 21 October 2026; the links are below.

What fits whom

You want ongoing Amazon bookkeeping with export to your tax firm: Amainvoice describes posting batches with SKR03/SKR04 and DATEV export as well as PAN-EU, CEE, OSS and Intrastat. More on this on our page Amainvoice or VAT GPT?.
You want someone to check and book: TAXDOO states “Real experts. They check and book what the software has prepared.”
You want EU VAT registrations and returns as a service: hellotax states free VAT registration/takeover in the “New Seller” package and the filing of the returns by local tax advisers.
Send yourself, everything in one place: VAT GPT breaks down the VAT from your Amazon and eBay reports; you send the advance VAT return, OSS return, EÜR (income surplus statement), trade tax and income tax yourself with VAT GPT Pro – at a fixed price per plan.
You sell little and want to spend nothing: Mein ELSTER is free of charge; the details are on our page ELSTER alternative for online sellers: Mein ELSTER or software?.

How it works with VAT GPT

Upload files: your Amazon or eBay CSV report and your invoices. The AI reads amounts, countries and tax rates.
Check the result: VAT GPT breaks down the VAT for Germany and the EU (OSS) and prepares the advance return – monthly or quarterly – and the OSS return. You check and confirm.
Send: with VAT GPT Pro – via ELSTER to the tax office, the OSS return directly to the BZSt.

With Go you use all Pro features free of charge for 30 days.

What VAT GPT does not do

VAT GPT is not tax advice.
VAT GPT does not prepare corporation tax returns, for example for a GmbH or UG.

What does VAT GPT cost?

Free (basic features, free of charge), Go (30 days free with all Pro features), Pro €49 per month or €444 per year, each including VAT.

Frequently asked questions

Which of these solutions sends the advance VAT return? According to their providers: TAXDOO directly to the tax office, hellotax as a service by its own tax advisers and VAT GPT with Pro via ELSTER. For Amainvoice we give no statement here because we cannot document it on the pages retrieved.

What counts as a document at Amainvoice? The sum of invoices and cancellation invoices.

Why is there no ranking? The solutions describe different tasks and bill differently. That is why we put documented statements side by side and do not rate.

How up to date is the information? It applies to 21 October 2026. Prices, promotions and features can change.

Is Mein ELSTER enough? With few sales often yes – see ELSTER alternative for online sellers: Mein ELSTER or software?.

Does VAT GPT replace my tax adviser? No. VAT GPT is not tax advice.