Banking for GbR
Business account for your GbR
A single business account for the whole GbR (Gesellschaft bürgerlichen Rechts): with a German IBAN and a card for every partner. The business runs through a single account, with the full picture in view for everyone.
Since 2011 · BaFin-regulated · English-speaking phone support
Business banking you can rely on
One IBAN for your GbR
Every business payment for the GbR runs through a single account, cleanly separated from your private money. Need more? Add extra IBANs for reserves, projects or tax.
- German IBAN – for a clean split
- Up to 15 IBANs on higher plans – for taxes and reserves
- Real-time transfers and standing orders – quickly done
- Store receipts in the app – attached right to the transaction
- Add other accounts – keep the full picture
Access and a card for every partner
Every partner gets their own access to the GbR account and their own card, so every payment is visible to everyone straight away.
The debit card comes physical or virtual, with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Set a limit for each card and lock or unlock any card in the app whenever you need to.
Jointly liable, on the same page
In a GbR, every partner is personally and jointly liable for the same costs. So an account everyone can see isn’t just oversight.
A joint account is protection: Every payment is visible to all of you in real time, so everyone knows exactly where the GbR stands.
See what’s left for the GbR, any time
Every payment in and out flows straight into your overview. So you always know what to set aside for the tax office and what’s genuinely there for the GbR. No surprises later.
- VAT: shows how much to set aside for the tax office, so nothing catches you out.
- Profit: a clean overview of what’s left after your costs, with a view of the past months.
Invoicing and e-invoicing, straight from your account
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Create invoices with Holvi
Create and send invoices in a few clicks (with Holvi Pro and higher). Incoming payments are matched to the invoices you’ve sent, so you can see at a glance what’s still open.
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Ready for mandatory e-invoicing
Receive, check, pay and legally archive incoming e-invoices with Holvi Lite and higher. Create, send and track them from Holvi Pro. In both German standard formats (ZUGFeRD and XRechnung).
Clean books, a happy accountant
The connection to your accountant runs in the background. Sorted data, receipts already attached to the payments and their own access to the account. DATEV, sevdesk, Lexware Office and many other tools connect without fuss.
Payments from other business accounts? Easy to add.
GbR or registered GbR (eGbR)?
Since 2024, there’s the eingetragene GbR (eGbR). It can carry a proper company name, builds trust with business partners and clearly evidences who may represent the partnership.
Whichever form you choose, you can open your GbR business account with Holvi either way.
Secure by default.
For over 15 years, businesses have trusted Holvi to keep their money safe.
3D Secure on every online payment
Extra protection built into every card.
Lock and unlock in a tap
Block a card instantly from the app and unblock it just as fast.
Your money, safeguarded
Holvi is supervised by BaFin and customer funds are held as safeguarded funds.
Set up as a GbR in a few steps
If the GbR is jointly represented (the standard case), one partner opens the account and submits the powers of attorney from the others. If one partner is solely authorised, that person opens it.
A valid ID or passport, your tax number (Steuernummer) or VAT ID and your trade registration (Gewerbeanmeldung).
After validation, your account is usually ready to use within a day.
Then give the other partners access and order cards.
Note: cards for the other partners are ordered by whoever opened the account.
Frequently asked questions about business banking for a GbR
A GbR isn’t legally required to have a business account. It’s still a sensible move: a separate business account keeps business and private payments apart, gives you a professional presence with business partners and makes bookkeeping much easier. No more juggling several private accounts.
You can, but it isn’t wise. Two reasons against it:
- For the GbR’s tax return, you have to prove to the tax office which costs are business and which are private. Separate accounts make that far simpler.
- Many banks don’t allow business use of a private current account and will then require a business account. Switching later costs a lot of time.
It depends on how the GbR is represented. If the GbR is jointly represented (the standard case), there are two options:
- All partners open the account together. Not every account provider allows this.
- One partner opens the account and submits the powers of attorney from the others. This is how it works at Holvi.
If the GbR has sole representation, the partner named as authorised to represent it in the partnership agreement opens the account.
No, a GbR consists of at least two partners. For individuals, the business account for sole proprietorship or the business account for freelancers are the right fit. For a limited-liability form (GmbH and UG), there’s the business account for a GmbH or UG.
Depending on the bank or payment institution, a GbR business account often costs between €10 and €50 a month. With Holvi it starts from €0/month on Holvi Flex and higher plans add more IBANs, more cards and free transactions. Compare every plan on the pricing page.
After you open online, your IBAN is usually ready to use within a day. In exceptional cases, activation takes a little longer.
Usually you’ll need:
- An ID card or passport
- Your tax number (Steuernummer) or VAT ID
- Your trade registration (Gewerbeanmeldung)
There’s a checklist in our Help Centre.
No, opening a GbR business account with Holvi doesn’t affect your SCHUFA score.
Yes, you can open the GbR business account for both a GbR and an eGbR.
Your GbR account is just the beginning
Start a GbR
Set up your GbR online without the hassle and get going straight away with the account.
Virtual cards
Created in seconds, ideal for the GbR’s software, subscriptions and marketing.
Free business account
Get started from €0/month with Holvi Flex.