Lohnsteuerhilfeverein Fuldatal e.V.

Lohnsteuerhilfeverein Fuldatal e.V. (LhF) is a German wage-tax assistance association (Lohnsteuerhilfeverein) headquartered in Fuldatal, Hesse. Such associations are a distinct German institution: they are non-profit, member-based bodies that are publicly authorised to help employees, pensioners and other eligible taxpayers prepare their income tax returns, a service that in Germany may only be offered by tax advisers, tax agents or licensed Lohnsteuerhilfevereine. LhF was founded in 1988 by Petra Erk, a qualified finance official (Diplom-Finanzwirtin FH), and received its public authorisation from the Oberfinanzdirektion Frankfurt am Main in early 1989. The association's model is membership-based. Members pay a contribution and in return receive personal, qualified tax advice and the preparation of their tax return, including representation before tax offices, tax courts and family benefit offices (Kindergeldkassen). LhF states that its advice-centre managers work from structured, multilingual materials available both digitally and in print, and that professional preparation saves members time and often leads to an optimised tax refund. The membership fee is described as transparently structured. By 2026 the association reports serving well over 50,000 members across Germany through around 200 local advice centres, making it a nationwide rather than purely local organisation despite its Fuldatal name. Its advice-centre managers are typically trained through the association's own continuing-education programme, and the association highlights its fair and attractive remuneration system and its training offerings as reasons advisers join and stay. LhF is a member of two sector bodies: the Bundesverband Lohnsteuerhilfevereine (BVL) and the Zertifizierungsverband der Lohnsteuerhilfevereine e.V. (ZVL). Founder Petra Erk has been active on the boards of both associations for many years; since 1 January 2016 she has shared that work with André Rosenberger, a tax adviser and business economist who joined LhF's board in 2014 and took over her roles in the ZVL board from 2016 and in the BVL from 1 January 2022. Through this association work, LhF's leadership contributes to making wage-tax assistance associations a financial-policy voice for employees and pensioners. The brand is therefore best understood as a member-owned professional service organisation rather than a conventional commercial company: its "product" is tax-return preparation and representation, sold through a membership subscription and delivered via a decentralised network of local advice centres.

Lohnsteuerhilfeverein Fuldatal e.V. was founded in 1988 by Petra Erk, a qualified finance official (Diplom-Finanzwirtin FH). In early 1989 the association received its public authorisation from the Oberfinanzdirektion Frankfurt am Main, the regional finance authority, which allowed it to operate as a licensed wage-tax assistance association. Erk, a former senior finance official, made the professional quality of advice a personal priority and from the outset invested in the continuous training and further education of the association's advice centres. The association grew into a nationwide network. Its advice-centre managers are typically recruited and trained through LhF's own courses; the association's own account of its advisers' careers describes people who began with a basic course and went on to lead advice centres for decades. LhF highlights its fair and attractive remuneration system and its training offerings as key reasons advisers join and remain. In 2014 André Rosenberger, a tax adviser and business economist, joined the board. From 1 January 2016 he shared the association's external association work with founder Petra Erk, taking over her role on the board of the Zertifizierungsverband der Lohnsteuerhilfevereine e.V. (ZVL) from 2016 and on the board of the Bundesverband Lohnsteuerhilfevereine (BVL) from 1 January 2022. Erk had been active on the boards of both bodies for many years. By 2026 the association reported serving well over 50,000 members across Germany through around 200 local advice centres, and described itself as having successfully served its members for more than 35 years. It is a member of both the BVL and the ZVL. Through its leadership's work in these bodies, LhF presents itself as contributing to making wage-tax assistance associations a financial-policy voice for employees and pensioners; its history page cites association-work successes such as the reintroduction of the previous commuting allowance (Entfernungspauschale) and the abolition of the so-called "factory gate principle" (Werktorprinzip) for journeys between home and work.

• 2026

  Reported serving well over 50,000 members through around 200 local advice centres.

• 2022

  From 1 January 2022, André Rosenberger took over Petra Erk's role on the BVL board.

• 2016

  From 1 January 2016, André Rosenberger took over Petra Erk's role on the ZVL board.

• 2014

  André Rosenberger joined the board.

• 1989

  Received public authorisation from the Oberfinanzdirektion Frankfurt am Main in early 1989.

• 1988

  Lohnsteuerhilfeverein Fuldatal e.V. founded by Petra Erk.

A member-based, publicly authorised wage-tax assistance association offering personal, qualified tax advice and tax-return preparation nationwide, with a focus on saving members time and money.

• Membership-based tax return preparation

  Members receive personal, qualified tax advice and preparation of their income tax return, with representation before tax offices, tax courts and family benefit offices.

• Multilingual tax documents

  Structured, multilingual materials available to advice-centre managers both digitally and in printed form.

1. 1Steuererklärung leicht gemacht | Lohnsteuerhilfe Fuldatallohi-fuldatal.de
2. 2Geschichte des LhF | Lohnsteuerhilfe Fuldatallohi-fuldatal.de
3. 3Erfolgsgeschichten | Lohnsteuerhilfe Fuldatallohi-fuldatal.de
4. 4Lohnsteuerhilfeverein Fuldatal e.V. – Wikidatawikidata.org