Between your US fund administrator and your German tax advisor, there is a gap that nobody manages. Plainly LP is the coordination layer that fills it. For German and European LPs investing into US venture funds, SPVs, and syndicates.
When a German investor puts money into a US venture fund or SPV, three parties become relevant. None of them talk to each other. None of them are responsible for what happens in between.
The US fund administrator handles US tax and operations. Your German Steuerberater handles your German filing. But the translation between the two — the K-1 preparation, the classification analysis, the §180 AO coordination — sits in a gap that nobody manages.
The consequences are real: withholding tax lost permanently, penalties for unmet filing obligations, phantom income tax on money you have not yet received. Most German LPs investing into US funds are exposed to at least one of these risks today.
The first question of every engagement. Everything downstream depends on whether you invest as a private individual or through a German holding company.
Investing as an individual into a US venture fund or SPV. Incorrect classification can mean double taxation on returned capital, phantom income tax before any exit, or 30% US withholding withheld permanently.
Investing through a German holding company. The exit tax advantage under §8b KStG is significant: roughly 1.5% effective versus 26.4% for a private investor — but only if the structure is correctly maintained.
Four steps. Nothing falls through.
Most German LPs investing into US funds are missing at least three of these twelve items. Some are missing all of them. The consequences range from avoidable, to expensive, to genuinely difficult to fix.
Covering Rechtstypenvergleich, W-8BEN/E filing, §180 AO unified assessment, AStG threshold monitoring, K-1 preparation, and exit documentation. Twelve items. Fifteen minutes. Free.
One email. One document. No follow-up sequence. We will only contact you again if you ask us to.
"Education first. Trust first. If we become the group that makes cross-border investing understandable and approachable, the relationships and business naturally follow."
Plainly LP is building its first cohort of German and European LPs. If you are invested in a US venture fund or SPV, or planning to invest, we want to hear from you.
No commitment. No cost. We will be in touch to understand your situation and whether we can help.
Plainly LP does not provide tax advice directly. All substantive analysis and filings are performed by licensed Steuerberater partners.