030 555 721 370
anfrage@guhr-steuerberatung.de
Auerstr. 14, 10249 Berlin
Industry · Pharmacists
Tax advisory for pharmacists who want to keep more.
We are the tax firm for owners of single pharmacies and branch networks. Bookkeeping, inventory valuation and annual accounts we handle reliably – but beyond that we give you clear numbers, a lower tax burden and a sparring partner who truly understands prescription clearing, gross margin and emergency duty – nationwide, digital and personal.
Nationwide · 100% digital- Specialised in pharmacists
- A personal point of contact
Sound familiar?
Problems that pharmacists know all too well.
We speak daily with owners of single and branch pharmacies. This is what we hear again and again:
High revenue, but barely anything left at the end.
A gross margin around 25% and an EBIT margin often just 3–6%: at six- or seven-figure revenue every percentage point counts – and tax eats the rest.
Your advisor forgets that a pharmacy is a commercial business.
Unlike doctors, you pay trade tax (Gewerbesteuer). Anyone treating you like a freelance medical practice leaves money on the table every year and overlooks planning options.
Your stock ties up capital – and no one values it correctly.
A six-figure inventory sits on your shelves. Without a clean stock-take and the lower-of-cost-or-market principle (Niederstwertprinzip), you pay tax on goods that have long lost value.
Your liquidity hangs on the clearing centre.
Prescription (Rx) revenue only arrives after the payment terms of the pharmacy clearing centre (Apothekenrechenzentrum). Between purchasing and reimbursement sits a gap no one plans ahead for.
Fear of the next audit at the till.
Cash-register records, GoBD compliance, different VAT rates on Rx, OTC and compounded medicines – one formal error is enough and the audit adds estimated income.
Invested in the dispensing robot – and then what?
Six-figure investments in technology and refurbishment, yet no one uses the investment deduction (IAB), special depreciation and AfA timing to cut the tax burden in the right year.
What changes for you
More gross margin in the business. Less tax for you.
We are not a classic tax firm. We deliver what you as an owner really need – results and liquidity, not just files.
Crystal-clear numbers – every month.
A live management report with gross and EBIT margin, cleanly split by Rx, OTC and compounding. You always see what the pharmacy really earns – not only at year-end.
Cut your tax burden noticeably.
We review legal form, trade-tax credit, inventory valuation, IAB and special depreciation – proactively, so investments take effect in the right year.
Predictable liquidity despite the clearing centre.
We model the cash flow from prescription clearing and plan advance tax payments so no gap opens up between purchasing and reimbursement.
Time that flows back into the dispensary.
Receipts digital, inventory management and till connected automatically, clearing-centre statements posted directly. No more Sundays spent on bookkeeping.
A tax audit without breaking a sweat.
GoBD-compliant cash records, a clean VAT split and documented stock-takes. When the auditor arrives, your numbers are watertight.
Structures that carry the branch network.
Whether a main pharmacy plus three branches or succession planning: we build structures that grow with your network – within the ownership and multiple-ownership rules of the German Pharmacy Act (ApoG).
Personally from Karsten Guhr
A pharmacy rarely fails on revenue – that is often impressively high. It fails on a thin margin, capital tied up in stock, and a tax burden no one planned for. This is exactly where we come in: we know the difference between a commercial business and a freelance practice, we value your inventory correctly, and we plan your liquidity around the clearing centre. So that in the end more stays with you.
We know your business
We speak pharmacist language.
Prescription clearing, pharmacy clearing centre, lower-of-cost-or-market valuation, emergency-duty allowance, e-prescription, dispensing robot, ownership and multiple-ownership rules – we know how a pharmacy ticks. So you never waste time explaining your business model.
- 01
Trade tax instead of freelance status
A pharmacy is a commercial business – unlike a medical practice. We optimise the impact of the municipal multiplier (Hebesatz) and the trade-tax credit under § 35 EStG against your income tax.
- 02
Inventory & stock valuation
A large stock valued under the lower-of-cost-or-market principle: expiry, slow movers and price erosion reduce profit – provided the stock-take is cleanly documented.
- 03
VAT on Rx, OTC & compounding
19% on medicines, special cases for certain compounded preparations and services. We set up the VAT split in your inventory system in a legally sound way.
- 04
Prescription clearing & clearing centre
Clearing via the pharmacy clearing centre, payment terms, retaxations and zero-retaxations – we map the entire reimbursement flow correctly and in a liquidity-aware way.
- 05
E-prescription transition
New clearing channels, telematics infrastructure (TI) connection and process costs. We treat the investments and running costs of digitalisation in the most tax-efficient way.
- 06
Emergency duty & night/emergency fund
Emergency-duty allowances from the night and emergency service fund (NNF) and the tax treatment of night and emergency income – captured correctly so nothing slips through.
- 07
Dispensing robot & investments
Time six-figure technology investments via the investment deduction (IAB, § 7g EStG), special depreciation and AfA so the tax relief lands where it has the most effect.
- 08
Branch network & ownership rules
Only licensed pharmacists, at most one main plus three branch pharmacies – no chains, no corporation. We structure within the framework of the German Pharmacy Act (ApoG).
Industry benchmarks
We know your industry's margins. And we get more out for you.
We look after pharmacies across Germany and see real balance sheets every month – not association averages. We know what gross margin and EBIT margin are typical in your segment, where you should be, and which tax levers push your after-tax result upwards.
Typical EBIT range (of revenue)
- 3 – 6 %Single pharmacy (standard location)Gross margin ~25% · staff and rent costs squeeze EBIT
- 4 – 7 %Branch network (main + branches)Purchasing economies of scale · central administration as a lever
- 5 – 9 %Specialist/supply pharmacy (care homes, cytostatics)Higher gross margin via compounding/cytostatics · complex clearing
- 2 – 5 %Rural pharmacyHigh emergency-duty load · fixed costs disproportionate to revenue
How we lift your after-tax result – legally and without balance-sheet acrobatics:
- Trade-tax creditThe trade tax you pay is credited against your income tax under § 35 EStG. We ensure the credit applies in full – tuned to the municipal multiplier at your location.
- Inventory valuation & lower-of-cost-or-marketNear-expiry goods, slow movers and price erosion reduce the taxable stock value. A clean valuation lowers taxable profit noticeably.
- Investment deduction (IAB) & special depreciationUp to 50% of planned investments deducted in advance under § 7g EStG – ideal for a dispensing robot, TI technology and dispensary refurbishment.
- Purchasing, cash discounts & wholesale termsCash discounts, bonus goods and direct purchasing posted and analysed cleanly. We show which terms genuinely improve your gross margin.
- Legal form & clearing-centre liquidityThe right legal form within the framework of the ApoG plus tax payments planned in advance, aligned with the payment terms of your clearing centre.
- Succession & goodwillWhen buying or selling a pharmacy we steer the purchase-price allocation, goodwill (ideeller Wert) and depreciation – for minimal tax on both sides.
Why GUHR
Tax advice that finally thinks with you.
We don't want to be the next advisor who writes „receipts by the 10th, please“. We want to be the partner who makes your pharmacy safer, more profitable and more predictable.
Specialisation in pharmacies
Over 40 pharmacy engagements in recent years – we know retaxation risks, inventory traps and the optimisation levers in the pharmacy as a commercial business.
Nationwide · digital
Set up entirely digitally. Whether Munich, Hamburg, Cologne or the rural pharmacy – we connect your inventory system and till regardless of location.
Proactive, not reactive
We reach out before the tax office asks. Tax strategy and liquidity planning for the current year – not the last.
Personal, not anonymous
A dedicated contact who knows your pharmacy, your clearing and your numbers. Answers in hours, not weeks.
More than tax advice
A network of experienced pharmacists. Included.
With GUHR you become part of a client circle you would otherwise only meet at trade fairs and chamber events. Owners who speak openly about purchasing terms, margins, branch strategy and succession – because they trust the same advisor.
A selection from our pharmacy client circle
We name specific clients only with their consent. In the initial consultation we show you relevant cases from your niche.
What this means for you in practice:
- 01
Owner round-tables
Small-group meetings – topics such as purchasing, branch strategy, e-prescription processes, succession and staff retention. By invitation, under NDA.
- 02
Peer benchmarks
We mirror your key figures anonymously against comparable pharmacies of your size and location. So you see where your gross margin and EBIT really stand.
- 03
Warm referrals
Looking for a lawyer for pharmacy law, a successor or an acquisition candidate? We connect you directly – without commission clatter.
Head office Berlin · clients from Sylt to Garmisch
Nationwide · 100 % digital
One firm. Available anywhere in Germany.
Whether Berlin, Munich or somewhere in between: we run every mandate fully digital – DATEV-connected, signed PDFs, video meetings. No commuting, no postal delays, no 90s-style bookkeeping.
- 01
DATEV Unternehmen online
Receipts, banking, payroll, reports – you work in the standard interface every German tax advisor speaks. No vendor lock-in.
- 02
Video meetings instead of on-site visits
Quarterly review, tax strategy, holding check – via video with screen sharing. You save half a day every time.
- 03
Signed PDFs & digital powers of attorney
Tax filings, annual accounts, contracts – signed via qualified e-signature. Accepted by the tax office, done in minutes.
How we work with pharmacies
From first call to worry-free bookkeeping.
On average 14 days from the decision to switch to running digital operations.
Initial call & status check
30 minutes. We review legal form, tax burden, inventory practice and the biggest levers – free.
01
Onboarding in 14 days
We handle the switch from your previous advisor, set up DATEV and connect your inventory system, till and the clearing-centre statements.
02
Ongoing support
Monthly management report with a gross- and EBIT-margin view, liquidity planning around the clearing centre, a dedicated contact – plus proactive notes on optimisation potential.
03
Annual review & strategy
Balance sheet, tax optimisation and a clear plan for the next financial year – from investment through branch strategy to succession.
04
030 555 721 370FAQ
Answers for pharmacists.
What you ask us most often before switching.
Initial consultation for pharmacists
What your pharmacy is giving away on tax – we'll show you in 30 minutes.
You describe your setup, we name the concrete levers (trade-tax credit, inventory valuation, IAB for the robot, clearing-centre liquidity) and send a written proposal within 48 hours. Nationwide and free.