Group accounts

Konzernabschluss: the German group account, assembled with AI

Konzernabschluss is the German term for consolidated group accounts prepared under §§ 290-315 HGB. If your GmbH or AG controls other companies, you may need one — a single set of statements presenting the whole group as one economic unit. This page explains when it is required and what it must contain, and shows how our Konsolidierung module builds it from your subsidiaries with the help of our own AI.

When a Konzernabschluss is required

A German parent that controls one or more subsidiaries (§ 290 HGB) must in principle prepare consolidated accounts. Control usually means holding the majority of voting rights, but it also covers other forms of decisive influence.

There is relief for smaller groups: if the group stays below the size thresholds of § 293 HGB on two consecutive balance sheet dates — measured gross or net of consolidation — it is exempt. A capital-market-oriented parent, however, is never size-exempt and must always consolidate.

What a group account contains

Consolidated balance sheet and P&L

The group Bilanz and GuV present the parent and its subsidiaries as one entity, after eliminating internal balances and profits.

Cash flow and equity statement

Both are mandatory in a group account under § 297 HGB, unlike in most individual statements.

Group notes (Konzernanhang)

The notes under §§ 313, 314 HGB explain the consolidation scope, methods and figures.

Group management report

The Konzernlagebericht under § 315 HGB gives the narrative on the group's position, risks and outlook.

The consolidation steps

Turning several sets of books into one group account.

  • Aggregate the individual statements (§ 300).
  • Consolidate capital: net the parent's investment against the subsidiary's equity, revalue assets and liabilities, and recognise goodwill or a bargain-purchase difference (§ 301).
  • Show non-controlling interests separately (§ 307).
  • Eliminate intra-group debt (§ 303), intercompany profit (§ 304) and internal income and expense (§ 305).
  • Recognise deferred taxes on the consolidation adjustments (§ 306) and apply the equity method to associates (§§ 311, 312).

How our AI and engine divide the work

Our AI handles the reading and mapping: it takes each subsidiary's bookkeeping and turns it into clean HGB statements on a shared taxonomy, so every member of the group enters consolidation in comparable shape. It also drafts the narrative sections of the group notes and management report.

The consolidation arithmetic itself is done by a deterministic engine. It is reproducible — identical inputs give identical outputs — and each journal is balance-checked, so the group account holds together and can be audited. The AI does the judgement-light, labour-heavy reading; the engine does the exact maths.

Practical situations and pricing

  • First-time consolidation and deconsolidation during the year are handled, with the comparatives adjusted and noted.
  • A full consolidation worksheet (Konsolidierungstableau) and a group fixed-asset schedule are produced and exportable.
  • Intercompany relationships are reconciled with a matching matrix so differences surface early.
  • The Konsolidierung module is a workspace product at 250 euros per month, working from the parent and member entities in your workspace.

Frequently asked questions

What does Konzernabschluss mean?

It is the German consolidated group account under §§ 290-315 HGB: one set of statements — balance sheet, income statement, cash flow, equity statement and notes, plus a group management report — presenting a parent and its subsidiaries as a single economic unit.

Does every parent company need one?

No. A parent that controls subsidiaries must consolidate unless the group stays under the § 293 size thresholds on two consecutive balance sheet dates, or another exemption applies. Capital-market-oriented parents always consolidate.

How is it different from individual accounts?

A group account eliminates everything internal to the group — mutual debts, intercompany profits, internal turnover — and adds a mandatory cash flow statement and statement of changes in equity that most individual statements do not require.

What part does the AI play?

The AI reads each subsidiary's books into comparable HGB statements and drafts the group notes and management report. A separate deterministic engine performs the consolidation itself, so the numbers are reproducible and auditable.

What does the module cost?

The Konsolidierung module is 250 euros per month per workspace. It works from your parent entity and its member entities held in the same workspace.