Create and manage company

In the master data dialogue Company you can view all companies created in the currently selected period. The main attributes of a company such as e.g. country, legal owner or legal form are represented in tabular form:

In the first column of the table there is a pencil symbol – you can edit company information after clicking on this symbol. When clicking on the magnifying glass symbol , you can view the selected data set but not change it. A click on recycle bin archives the selected company. After that the company will not be shown as active any more, you can find it under 'archived'. Click on 'Create' button in the selected period to add a new company.

Bulk edit

Using this function you can change certain data for several companies simultaneously (e.g. local tax rate or settings for tax allocation calculation). The companies to be changed can be selected using the dropdown list that contains checkboxes in the Bulk Edit dialogue. This dropdown contains all companies in the currently selected period. The important advantage of this function is that the required attribute can be edit for several companies simultaneously, which saves a lot of time. Activate the attributes to be changed in the Modify? column and enter new value in the Values column.

Using the GTC for the first time

When creating a group structure for the first time in the GTC, first of all create a parent unit. This should be done because a lot of companies are subsidiaries and have a parent company (optionally). In addition, it is recommended to create countries and the corresponding tax rates before creating companies. Every company has to be assigned to a certain country.

Company data – General information

Required fields are marked with a red asterisk. Fields required for an electronic tax return are marked with a blue starlet. The same applies to master data that is needed for E-Bilanz. This data can be transferred to tax balance module SmartTaxBalance via an interface (web service).

Required data has to be entered in the Company Data tab. Other tabs are relevant for electronic tax return and E-Bilanz.

ID ID is a unique identifier for a company. It can consist of up to 20 symbols (letters and figures). ID can be assigned only once and is not an object for a subsequent change (valid across periods). The company ID should match other relevant accounting systems (e.g. SAP) in order to ensure the functionality of possible interfaces.

Name The company name should include its legal form. This is requirement is necessary if a company sends its tax return via the GTC.

Shortname This information is optional. The shortname should also match other relevant accounting systems. Shortname (e.g. SAP company code) is relevant for reports.

Country In this field enter the name of a country where the company / company management is domiciled. You can select any country from the available dropdown list (all countries created in the Countries dialogue). The corresponding tax rates and exchange rates of the selected country will be used to calculate current and deferred taxes for the company and convert reports into reporting currency. Companies that are not assigned to Germany can configure their data in the so-called Toolbox (country-specific tax calculation) after entering the country name. Tax calculation rules are defined in the master data dialogue Toolbox{}.

Tax number Tax number is required for German companies that send their tax returns electronically via the GTC.

Local tax office The indication of a local tax office is necessary for the German companies if they send their tax returns electronically via the GTC. The local tax office is determined automatically from the tax number (first four symbols).

Business activity / Business area This information is optional; it is used as extension of possible filter options in Reports or Excel views. For example, you can sort the view in the Company master data dialogue by business areas. Do not confuse this attribute with Reporting Dimensions.

Local tax rate When filling up this data field mind to differentiate between the companies that belong to Germany and other countries. If the selected company is a German company, enter the local tax rate that together with the tax base (indicated in the master data dialogue Countries) lead to effective trade tax rate. For local companies enter the local income tax rate. The local tax rate for German companies corresponds to local tax rate in % (e.g. 250%, 400%). Alternatively, you can enter the deviating local tax rate in the main dialogue Company (master data tab). Usually the tax rate is taken from the master data and used for calculation of trade tax. For foreign companies this value is used as a proposed value for the local foreign income tax (local tax). In order to consider regional differences in local tax rates you can specify the deviating tax rate in the Trade Tax column (local tax) of the Current Taxes dialogue. To enable calculation of local income tax for foreign companies, activate the Local tax column in Toolbox checkbox for every company in the master data dialogue Company (see the corresponding chapter Company). This value is used only for calculation of current taxes and is not relevant for calculation of deferred taxes.

Non-calendaric fiscal year / Additional non-calendric fiscal year / Short fiscal year This information is necessary for the electronic tax return.

Company data – Employee data

Responsible person for tax / unit

Employee data entry is optional and serves only information function. Company-specific permissions have nothing to do with this information.

It is reasonable to enter this information if the financial statement data (accounting) and tax data (tax department) are often handled by different people. In addition, this information can be useful for foreign companies when working in the GTC.

You can select the required username from the available dropdown list that contains all GTC users. The GTC users are administered in the User dialogue in the Master Data tab.

Display options

In the Master Data dialogue Company the users may select one of the three display options:

List

The companies are usually displayed in the tabular form when opening the dialogue:

Group structure

This display option visualizes the master data based on the data in the Tax payer of group column. Companies defined as "(sub-) group{}" are highlighted in colour. Brackets indicate those companies that are connected to the superior entity, but consolidated with another superior entity.

Tax group structure

This display option visualizes the master data based on the data in the Current Tax Charge - group data{}. A colour distinction is made between tax payer of group, intermediate parent of tax group and member of tax group. Companies that are not part of any group are grey-coloured. The green check mark indicates that the option "{}Deferred taxes{}" is activated for this company.