030 555 721 370
anfrage@guhr-steuerberatung.de
Auerstr. 14, 10249 Berlin
Industry · MedTech & Pharma
Tax advisory for MedTech & Pharma that turns research into value.
We are the tax firm for founders and managing directors of medical technology manufacturers, diagnostics, digital health and biotech companies. Bookkeeping and annual accounts run reliably – beyond that, we secure your research tax credit, structure R&D costs and financing rounds cleanly for tax, and give you a sparring partner who understands R&D balance sheets and regulatory affairs. Nationwide, digital and personal.
Nationwide · 100% digital- Specialised in MedTech & Pharma
- A dedicated point of contact
Sound familiar?
Problems MedTech and pharma founders know all too well.
We speak with managing directors from medical technology, diagnostics, digital health and biotech every day. This is what we hear again and again:
Your research tax credit goes unclaimed.
You pour seven figures into R&D but claim none or only a fraction of the up to €2.5m annual research tax credit (Forschungszulage under the FZulG) – because no one sets up the certification and the application properly.
Development costs distort your balance sheet.
Capitalise internally generated development costs or expense them? The wrong choice costs you equity on the balance sheet – or liquidity through tax.
Loss carryforwards risk lapsing with each round.
Every financing round can cut the loss carryforwards you built up over years under § 8c KStG (German corporate tax rules on change of ownership). Without a § 8d election, the deferred tax benefit is gone.
MDR and approval costs go nowhere.
Clinical evaluation, notified body, technical documentation – high MDR (Medical Device Regulation) costs that no one allocates cleanly for tax or classifies correctly as immediately deductible expense.
Your tax advisor doesn't understand your model.
R&D-driven EBIT in the red, milestone payments, convertible loans, foreign subsidiaries – you first have to explain to your advisor how a MedTech business even works.
VAT, customs and cross-border sales are a blind flight.
Intra-Community supplies, exports to third countries, transfer pricing to the US or Swiss subsidiary – risks everywhere that only the tax audit uncovers.
What changes for you
More funding. Less tax. More runway for your research.
We are not a classic tax firm. We deliver what you actually need as management – liquidity for the next development stage, not just folders of paperwork.
Research tax credit fully claimed.
We organise the certification and application, document eligible personnel and contract-research costs, and secure up to €2.5m in credit per year (Forschungszulage) – paid out even with negative EBIT.
R&D accounting that convinces investors.
Capitalise internally generated development costs or expense them immediately – we choose deliberately, so your balance sheet is optimal for the next round and for tax.
Loss carryforwards secured across rounds.
Before every cap-table move we assess the § 8c effect and secure losses via a § 8d election (a continuation-bound loss carryforward) – your tax benefit stays intact.
Investment in equipment financed smartly.
The investment deduction (IAB) and special depreciation under § 7g for lab, cleanroom and production equipment pull depreciation forward and create liquidity when you need it most.
A clean cross-border and group structure.
Transfer pricing, IP holding, VAT on exports and intra-Community supplies – documented soundly before the tax audit or a due diligence asks.
A strategic sparring partner.
Term sheets, convertible loans, milestone payments, exit preparation – we think through the tax implications before you sign, not after.
Personally from Karsten Guhr
A MedTech or biotech company rarely fails because of its technology. It fails on runway – because the research tax credit is never claimed, because loss carryforwards evaporate in a round, or because R&D costs wreck the balance sheet. This is exactly where we step in: we turn your research into liquidity and give you numbers that stand up to any investor and any tax audit – so you can focus on your product, not the tax office.
We know your business
We speak MedTech & Pharma.
Research tax credit, R&D capitalisation, MDR regulatory affairs, notified body, transfer pricing, software as a medical device, convertible loans, § 8c/§ 8d KStG – we know how a MedTech or biotech company ticks. So you lose no time explaining your business model.
- 01
Research tax credit (FZulG)
Certification, eligible personnel and contract-research costs, combining with other grants – up to €2.5m credit per financial year (Forschungszulage), paid out even at a loss.
- 02
Internally generated development costs
The capitalisation option under § 248 (2) HGB (German commercial code) for the development phase, distinction from research, dividend-distribution block – steered deliberately for balance sheet and tax.
- 03
Investment deduction & special depreciation § 7g
The investment deduction (IAB) and 20% special depreciation for lab, cleanroom and production equipment – pull depreciation forward, cut your tax burden.
- 04
MDR, approval & regulatory costs
Clinical evaluation, notified body, technical documentation – immediately deductible expense or accrued, cleanly separated from the part that must be capitalised.
- 05
Loss carryforwards § 8c / § 8d KStG
Harmful change of ownership on rounds, continuation-bound loss carryforward via a § 8d election – losses secured across the entire financing path.
- 06
Transfer pricing & permanent establishments
Transfer pricing to foreign subsidiaries and permanent establishments, transfer-pricing documentation, functional and risk analysis – robust for audit and due diligence.
- 07
VAT on supply, export & customs
Intra-Community supplies, exports to third countries, chain transactions and customs issues for medical devices – a standard setup for your international sales.
- 08
IP/licensing holding & investors
Bundle patents and licences in an IP holding, handle convertible loans and milestone payments cleanly for tax – prepared for rounds and exit.
Industry benchmarks
We know your industry's numbers. And get you more.
We look after more than 40 MedTech, diagnostics, digital health and biotech companies and see real balance sheets every month – not pitch decks. We know that early phases are R&D-driven and often in the red, where you should stand, and which tax levers pull your runway and your after-tax margin upward.
Typical EBIT margin range
- 10 – 20%Medical device manufacturers (established)Capital-intensive · § 7g and depreciation planning are decisive
- 12 – 22%Diagnostics & lab equipmentInstrument-plus-consumables model · VAT on exports matters
- 5 – 25%Digital health / software as a medical deviceScalable · research tax credit and R&D capitalisation often apply
- negative to 0%Pharma / biotech (early stage)R&D-driven · credit as a cash payout and § 8d loss protection are central
How we lift your runway and after-tax margin – legally and without balance-sheet acrobatics:
- Research tax credit (FZulG)Up to €2.5m per year on eligible R&D costs – paid out in cash at a loss. We secure the certification and maximise the assessment base.
- Steer R&D capitalisationCapitalise internally generated development costs (§ 248 (2) HGB) or expense them immediately – chosen deliberately for balance-sheet equity or tax benefit.
- Investment deduction & special depreciation § 7gDeduct up to 50% of planned investments in advance plus 20% special depreciation – ideal for lab, cleanroom and production equipment.
- Loss carryforwards § 8d KStGAssess the § 8c effect before every round and secure losses via a continuation-bound loss carryforward – the deferred tax benefit stays intact.
- IP/licensing holdingBundle patents, licences and usage rights in a holding – participation income taxed at an effective rate of about 1.5% under § 8b KStG, with a clear licence stream.
- Optimise transfer pricingSet and document function and risk profiles to foreign subsidiaries cleanly – profits where they belong, without audit risk.
Why GUHR
Tax advisory that finally thinks with you.
We don't want to be the next advisor who emails "receipts by the 10th, please". We want to be the partner who turns your research into liquidity and makes your company safer through every round.
Specialised in MedTech & Pharma
More than 40 mandates from medical technology, diagnostics, digital health and biotech – we know the research tax credit, R&D accounting and round pitfalls from practice.
Nationwide · digital
Set up entirely digitally. Whether Berlin, Munich, Tübingen, Heidelberg or Hamburg – we're as fast as your development team.
Proactive, not reactive
We reach out before the next round and before the financial year-end. Tax and funding strategy for the current year – not for the last one.
Personal, not anonymous
A dedicated point of contact who knows your technology, your cap table and your numbers. Answers in hours, not weeks.
More than tax advisory
A network of renowned MedTech & Pharma companies. Included.
With GUHR you become part of a client circle you would otherwise only meet at specialist conferences. Founders and managing directors who speak openly about rounds, the research tax credit, regulatory affairs and exit – because they trust the same advisor.
A selection from our MedTech & Pharma client base
We name specific clients only with their approval. In the intro call we show you relevant cases from your niche.
What this means for you in concrete terms:
- 01
Founder round-tables
Quarterly meetings in a small group – topics such as financing rounds, the research tax credit, IP structure, exit. By invitation, under NDA.
- 02
Peer benchmarks
We mirror your metrics anonymously against comparable companies at your stage and in your niche. So you see where you really stand on burn and R&D ratio.
- 03
Warm referrals
Looking for a notified body, a regulatory specialist, a specialised lawyer or a VC contact? We connect you directly – no commission games.
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 MedTech & Pharma
From the intro call to a claimed research tax credit.
On average 14 days from the decision to switch to a running digital operation.
Intro call & funding check
30 minutes. We review your setup, tax burden and research-tax-credit potential – free.
01
Onboarding in 14 days
We handle the switch from your previous advisor, set up DATEV and connect banking, your bookkeeping and R&D cost capture.
02
Ongoing support
Monthly management accounts (BWA), live numbers in the dashboard, preparation of the credit application and certification – plus proactive alerts before every round.
03
Annual review & strategy
Financial statements, tax and funding optimisation, cap-table and exit preparation – not just a look back, but a plan for the next development stage.
04
030 555 721 370FAQ
Answers for MedTech & Pharma founders.
The questions you ask us most often before switching.
Intro call for MedTech & Pharma
What your research is worth for tax – we'll show you in 30 minutes.
You outline your setup, we name the concrete levers (research tax credit, R&D capitalisation, § 7g, § 8d loss protection, transfer pricing) and send a written proposal within 48 hours. Nationwide and free.