This guide covers submitting your annual German VAT return through the Lappa platform.
For a complete overview of German VAT requirements, visit the Lappa Germany VAT guide.
Dashboard overview
Your Lappa dashboard shows the German yearly VAT return deadline — 31 July — alongside the current submission status, giving you a clear picture of where your compliance stands at any point.
Step 1: Select country and reporting period
Choose Germany as the country and set the reporting period to the full calendar year.
Step 2: Automatic data consolidation
If transactions have been uploaded to Lappa consistently throughout the year, the platform will pull all of that data together automatically and pre-populate your return figures — no manual number-crunching required.
Step 3: Add purchases and imports
Use the next section to record any purchases from German-based suppliers or import transactions from the reporting period. A detailed walkthrough of this step is available in the Lappa incoming invoices tutorial.
Step 4: Record VAT payments already made
Enter the VAT payments your business has already settled during the year to ensure the annual return reflects an accurate outstanding balance.
Step 5: Submit your return
Once all sections are filled in, your German yearly VAT return will be generated and appear in your account within minutes, ready to submit in the standard way.
Should any VAT from the previous year remain unpaid, Lappa will send an automatic email notification flagging the outstanding amount.