Not only private individuals, but also Company want your Invest capital profitably. A Company Account is the counterpart to the private custody account and allows different investments for sole proprietorships, GmbHs and Co.
Unfortunately, this account class is often associated with high costs and considerable effort. We explain how a corporate custody account differs from a private custody account, when it makes sense to set one up and how you can reduce the fees to a minimum.
The most important in a nutshell
- A corporate custody account offers all types of companies the opportunity to invest capital in shares and other financial products
- Significant tax advantages are possible compared to private investments
- Additional returns improve the operating result, allow new investments and ensure that the company is crisis-proof
- CapTrader offers a business custody account without additional costs, at the same favorable conditions as for private investors
What is a corporate custody account?
If you have capital available and do not need it, you should invest it according to your own risk profile. In this way, your own Increase assets and offset the effects of inflation. This simple principle applies not only for private individuals, but also for entrepreneurs!
For the asset classes with the highest returns, the exchange-traded investmentsis a Depot with a broker required. From this special account you can buy products such as shares, Short-term bondsETFs or Trading options. Proceeds from the sale, through Dividends or similar profit participations are also received here.
The term "custody account" generally refers to a private custody account, i.e. an account for a private investor. It has appropriated the term for itself, as it accounts for a very large share and attracts a lot of attention.
Also Most brokers specialize in this account model and have only for Private customers Offers. Somewhat less well-known and more difficult to find is the Variant for companies: the corporate custody account.
It works in the same way as the private version, but is suitable for companies. Sole proprietorships, KGs, GmbHs, AGs and the like can use their capital to invest in shares and other products. This is particularly useful if there are no more urgent investments and the money should not be left lying around unused.
That's why companies should also invest: Corporate deposit advantages
The same financial principles apply to companies as to private individuals: Capital that does not generate a return loses value due to inflation - in Germany averages 2.8 percent per year.
In addition Entrepreneur The main reason they take on the burdens and risks of self-employment or their own company is that they want a want to achieve a positive return. The activity should be "worthwhile"! This is particularly the case if higher profits are generated than would be expected from an investment on the stock market.
In addition to increasing profit margins and sales figures and saving costs, the increase a company's return through financial products. Capital that is not immediately required can be invested in lucrative investments via a company custody account.
The thereby profits generated can flow back to the company and, for example, enable new, larger investments or simply increase the equity ratio. In this way, a "second mainstay" which makes an important contribution to the company's success.
Crisis resilience can also be increased in this way: you can make your company more resilient by Hedging transactions against possible losses hedge. In the event of a recession or unexpected crisis, for example, a Short sale and similar methods generate profits and compensate for falling sales.
In its most extreme form, a company custody account is even the only source of income for a company: A VvGmbH ("asset management company") exclusively manages assets, real estate or investments and benefits from considerable tax advantages.
Such Tax breaks make investments very attractive for companies. However, the extent of this preference depends on the type of company.
Tax advantages for corporations
Corporations such as a limited liability company that use their company securities account for share trading or shares with high dividends can benefit from huge tax advantages benefit: Proceeds from Profit distributions are for such companies 95 percent exempt from corporation tax. The remaining five percent is taxed at 15 percent, resulting in an effective tax burden of only 0.75 percent.
Added to this is the Trade taxwhich depends on the respective municipality and is usually also around 15 percent. They can be in some very narrowly defined scenarios also avoidFor example, if you have a share of at least 15 percent of the distributing company in your company portfolio.
This is rather unlikely for an international equity group worth billions, but investments in smaller, local companies of this size are quite realistic. One own company to hold such shares (so-called "holding company") can therefore Attractive from a tax point of view be.
Even if your company ultimately has to pay trade tax, you will have saved tax: in a comparison of a company custody account vs. a private custody account, the Tax burden approx. 15.8 percent compared to the typical flat-rate withholding tax of 25 percent plus solidarity surcharge for private individuals!
At Capital gains from shareholdings, i.e. income from share trading, the tax situation depends heavily on the type of company. One asset-managing GmbH can benefit from greatly reduced tax burdenwhile companies with commercial activities have no advantages.
On the contrary: at 15 percent corporation tax and trade tax of around 15 percent, the tax burden is even higher than for private individuals who only have to pay capital gains tax.
At Gains from the sale of shares there is also the possibility a 95 percent corporate income tax exemption, if at least ten percent of a company's shares are held. Here too, it is likely to be almost impossible to accumulate such large shareholdings in international stock corporations.
Tax advantages for partnerships
Sole proprietors, limited partnerships (KG) and similar Partnerships also benefit from tax relief. The benefits are less than for corporations, but can still be rewarding and provide a lower tax burden compared to private investors.
The Partial income method for use. It can be thought of as the corporate counterpart to capital gains tax for private individuals. Personal companies can use it for income from dividends or the sale of company shares.
This means that 40 percent of profits remain tax-free. Advertising and other costs must be deducted from the remaining 60 percent. When comparing a company custody account vs. a private custody account, this can lead to a lower tax burden (compared to the capital gains tax of 25 percent for private individuals).
Practical implementation: Opening a company custody account
A Open a company custody account is for many companies a sensible stepAttractive additional returns, tax benefits and new income streams await, greatly increasing the resilience of a business. Unfortunately, setting up such an account is not quite so easy in practice!
The main reason for this is the small selection. Only a few brokers have corporate custody accounts in their programas these involve considerable administrative effort. Some of the few service providers with whom you can open such a custody account also charge handsomely for this service: Costs of several hundred euros per year for custody account management alone are not uncommon!
Most offers are also anything but attractive in terms of order fees and selection. A A price/performance comparison is therefore highly recommendedbefore you open a company custody account!
CapTrader can do that:
At CapTrader, business customers benefit from the same favorable trading conditions, free custody account management and excellent selection as private customers! CapTrader also offers the Automatic booking of securities and thus simplifies the tax and accounting work for you as a corporate customer.
Who can open a business custody account?
From a purely legal point of view open a securities account for every type of company. These include:
- Sole proprietorship
- Registered merchants
- Companies under civil law
- General partnerships
- Ltd.
- UG limited liability
- Public limited companies
- Registered cooperatives
In practice, however, it is not so simple for all forms of company. The already manageable number of brokers offering business custody accounts is shrinking even further for some types of companies.
GmbHs, UGs (haftungsbeschränkt) and AGs have a greater choice. Especially the Partnerships, on the other hand, have a hard timeto find a high-quality provider. There are many reasons for this. One important aspect: sole proprietorships, GbRs and similar companies usually trade on a smaller scale and are therefore less worthwhile for brokers.
CapTrader can do that:
A corporate custody account with CapTrader is open to all types of companies! We offer the same favorable conditions and huge product selection for business and private clients alike.
What a company custody account should do
The Requirements for a high-quality company custody account hardly differ from those of private investors. However, due to the smaller selection, it can be much more difficult to find a suitable provider.
When comparing brokers, bear in mind that although a corporate custody account should be suitably selected, the The decision for a service provider is not for life! You can use your Move your custody account to another provider at any time and trade from there in the future, especially if the new broker offers a variety of other services related to the securities account, such as the tax accounting of your securities.
First of all, make sure that Large selection of tradable productsespecially (but not only) their preferred asset class include should! For example, if you are primarily planning equity investments, you should make sure you have a correspondingly large product catalog of such securities.
However, experience has shown that it makes sense not to limit yourself to the investment classes you currently need. Vehicles that do not currently play a role in your financial planning could be interesting in the future be
Also Short-term bonds and ETFs are typical investment classes that often find their way into corporate portfolios. Government bonds are considered low-risk and are therefore suitable for capital that is to be invested particularly securely. Exchange Traded Funds each contain several shares or other assets and are also diversified through this diversification. less risky than individual shares, for example.
In addition, many entrepreneurs opt for Transactions with futures and options. These two financial vehicles are generally regarded as the "premier class" of trading: they combine enormous return potential with considerable risks.
Trade options offers particular strategic depth and enables you to profit from rising, falling or stable prices, among other things. For manufacturing companies in particular, such transactions also offer Extensive hedging optionsYou can use the contracts to secure prices for commodities, among other things.
Foreign exchange transactions are also highly interesting and should be available in your company portfolio. By trading in foreign currencies, you can not only Speculative profits but also to secure exchange rates and convert capital into other national currencies at favorable rates.n.
Companies that Business relations with non-EU countries avoid unnecessary exchange rate risks. Exchange and hedging is usually easier with a company custody account. significantly cheaper possible than, for example, through a Forward exchange transaction at a bank.
Often overlooked: The Choice of trading venues should be as large as possible. The majority of shares and other investments are available in large numbers on their "home stock exchanges". These Higher liquidity brings numerous advantagesincluding better prices thanks to lower spreads.
It is generally not an easy task to find a provider with a suitable range - the situation is particularly tricky with company depots, as the The majority of brokers do not serve corporate clients at all!
CapTrader can do that:
With more than one million bonds, 1.2 million shares, 100 currency pairs, options, futures and over 150 trading places, CapTrader offers you everything you need for successful trading!
Prices
Company deposits mean higher administrative costs for the brokeras, among other things, an annual review of the authorizations is required. This Many providers pass on the additional costs to their customers.
Irrespective of the possible understandable additional costs many providers massively overshoot the mark and charge obscene surcharges.
When comparing prices, first pay attention to Depotführungsgebühren: They are already available for depots of all kinds unusual for many years and a clear warning sign! A broker who still insists on such a "basic fee" will most likely also ask you to pay elsewhere.
Also the Costs for transactions are an important aspect that can have a huge impact on your return. Both the billing and absolute amount (for example: € 0.1 per share or € 5 per trade) as well as Pro rata fees (for example: 1 percent of the trading volume) are common and come with their own advantages and disadvantages.
In many cases, companies have larger sums at their disposal than private investors. Whether a broker charges in absolute amounts or percentage fees can therefore make a difference. make a significant difference.
To this day, the myth of the Misconception that a company custody account vs. private custody account in any case must be associated with additional costs. CapTrader proves that it is possible to offer corporate custody accounts just as cheaply and with the same scope of services!
In general, you can Total costs of less than 0.4 percent of the trading volume of one favorable offer speak. You should never accept higher costs for a company custody account! Prices of 0.2 or even 0.1 percent are very favorable and hard to findbut possible.
Some brokers also charge Nested charges consisting of several parts with different designations. Billing a flat-rate and percentage fee together is also common.
Depending on the chosen trading venue Stock exchange fees added. These are Independent of the brokerSome providers decide to charge these surcharges exactly to their customers, while others charge a flat rate that often includes additional costs.
The Cost comparison for a company deposit is unfortunately quite a complex process, as many providers try to hide their fees. If in doubt, it is worth checking the Contact broker directly and the cost model - this step also allows you to test the quality of service.
CapTrader can do that:
CapTrader offers uncompromisingly favorable conditions for private and corporate portfolios: US shares from $ 0.01 per share (order minimum: $ 2.00), EU shares from 0.01 % order volume (order minimum: € 2.00). Options and ETFs from €2.00, futures from as little as €1.00 ... and all without a custody account management fee!
Service and extras
If you want to open a company custody account, you should pay attention to the Service quality of the provider pay attention. Business customers generally have more questions and concerns than private individuals, so a Closer contact necessary is. It is therefore extremely unfavorable if your broker can only be reached by e-mail, for example, with a response time of several days.
Also the Qualification of service staff plays a decisive role! Since brokers generally specialize in private customers, the expertise of call center agents is often limited to this customer group - or is completely lacking.
In order to quality of customer service, offer themselves Bewertungsportale wie Trustpilot as you can view the average experiences of numerous customers here. Also the direct call for a consultation has proven its worth.
To the useful extrasthat can make a company portfolio even more attractive include the Support with tax reporting. German corporations are obliged to record all capital market-related transactions - including trading via the company's securities account - correctly for tax purposes.
Depending on the activity, this can be for considerable additional expense for your tax advice and thereby additional costs cause. Offers like CapTrader's booking tool "WAVE" can use the Automate the booking process and thus significantly cheaper and less error-prone.
Would you like Complex financial instruments such as futures, execute a short sale or trade leveraged products, you need a so-called "Margin account". Among other things, it allows you to use more capital for a trade than is actually in your account.
A margin account enables trades with higher potential returns, but also greater risks. If you are interested in using such instruments, you should consider the following when opening the company custody account Pay attention to availability - Margin trading for business clients is by no means standard for most brokers.
Also interesting can be Combinations of company custody account and company account be. They often come with attractive discounts. Unfortunately, the banks that offer such packages are usually among the most expensive service providers on the market, which quickly makes any savings appear useless.
CapTrader can do that:
Our award-winning customer service team of German-speaking trading experts can be reached directly by phone and will be happy to advise you on our company portfolio. Additional services for tax reporting, margin trading and investment opportunities such as our managed accounts round off the offering.
Conclusion: the company custody account offers many advantages
Company as well as private individuals, invest unneeded capital in lucrative financial products. You will need a Company Account with a broker. Unfortunately, the number of providers for such accounts is quite limited.
A glance at the available offers quickly shows: High transaction costs, custody account management fees and a limited range of services are often the rule. One of the reasons for this is the increased administrative effort that a business custody account means for brokers. However, CapTrader proves that when comparing a corporate custody account vs. a private custody account do not have to accept any additional costs!
When selecting a provider, also pay attention to a sufficient supply, so as not to restrict your investment opportunities. Extras such as easily accessible customer service and support with tax reporting are also desirable.
With such a custody account you can make lucrative investments for your company. The return contributes to their bottom line and can mean additional revenue. This can increase resilience in times of economic hardship and even help to ward off genuine crises.
Companies benefit thanks to various tax advantages especially from investments on the financial market. These are Corporations in the best position - However, partnerships also enjoy some advantages. It is therefore generally advisable for all companies It is advisable to invest unneeded capital profitably.
This is particularly evident in the example of the "asset management company". Here, the company securities account can be the company's only source of income! You can find out more about this in our article on VvGmbH.
