About us

As of: July 2026

IFRS · HGB Comparison is an independent, bilingual information resource. It sets the key International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS/IAS) side by side with their counterparts in German commercial law (HGB) – concise, with legal references and clear worked examples. The aim is to make the often abstract differences between international and German accounting understandable, objective and verifiable in one place.

What this site offers

For each standard you will find four building blocks: the treatment under IFRS, the treatment under German GAAP (HGB) with the relevant sections, the key differences, and a detailed worked example with journal entries or value schedules. A traffic-light system ranks each standard by the magnitude of the divergence – red for high, amber for medium, green for low. At a glance you can see where IFRS and HGB diverge sharply (e.g. leases, development costs, pensions) and where they largely agree (e.g. the statement of cash flows).

How the rating is derived

The traffic-light rating reflects the extent of the differences in the balance sheet and income statement: where a matter leads to markedly different carrying amounts, presentation or timing of recognition under IFRS and HGB, it is classed as "high divergence". The worked examples are built so the calculations reconcile exactly; all underlying assumptions – interest rates, useful lives, residual values – are stated openly so you can check and recompute the figures yourself.

Who the site is for

It is aimed at everyone who needs to understand IFRS and HGB side by side: students and exam candidates (accounting, tax and audit qualifications, ACCA), finance and controlling professionals working with both systems in group structures, and founders, directors and investors who want to gauge what a set of financial statements shows and why.

Editorial approach & sources

The content is prepared with great care on the basis of the standards in force (the IASB's IFRS/IAS and their EU endorsement) and the provisions of the HGB, and is reviewed regularly. Where standards change or are replaced – for example by IFRS 18 – the comparison is updated accordingly. The original standards and statutes in their current version always prevail.

Operator

This website is operated by Betteraccounts Ltd, a company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales. Its director, Jakob Nebb, is ACCA-qualified (a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and provides the professional basis for the content. This website is an independent information resource and does not constitute an advisory or audit engagement. Full legal details are in the imprint; we welcome questions and corrections via the contact page.

Important note

This comparison is for general orientation and does not replace legal, tax or business advice in individual cases. For specific accounting questions, please refer to the original standards, the statutes, or qualified professional advice.