Systems
Email Archiving
Business emails must be retained in Germany — complete, unalterable and accessible at any time. Sounds dry, but it’s mandatory. I set up archiving that does this automatically, so you never have to think about it again.
What it’s about
GoBD, the German Fiscal Code, the Commercial Code: anyone who emails for business must archive tax- and trade-relevant correspondence in an audit-proof way. That means: automatically, seamlessly and so that nothing can be altered afterwards. Simply „moving it into a folder“ isn’t enough.
Who this affects
- Companies — every business with tax-relevant email communication, from sole traders to limited companies.
- Associations — as soon as income, donation receipts or grants are involved, the same obligation applies. The board is personally liable for it.
- Landlords — anyone taxing rental income must retain the related correspondence. Easily overlooked.
What’s at stake for breaches
- Fines and, in serious cases, rejection of the entire bookkeeping
- For associations: loss of charitable status, reclaiming of grants
- Personal liability of management or the board
How I solve it
I set up professional archiving — on your own server in Germany, GDPR-compliant. Every incoming and outgoing email is backed up automatically and unalterably, with a change log (audit trail) and searchable storage. In a tax audit, everything is findable in seconds.
- Automatic — no manual sorting, nothing gets lost
- Audit-proof — subsequent changes are technically impossible
- GDPR-compliant — clean access rights, storage in Germany
- Transferable — cleanly documented in case of a board change or sale
By the way, Gmail, Outlook.com and the like don’t meet this — they’re not GoBD-compliant. That’s exactly why I build the solution on your own infrastructure.