Accountants provide a wide range of services to the community, most of which are concerned with the management and communication of financial data. There are two major categories of accountants working in the world, management accountants and financial accountants. While the same basic principles underlie types of accountancy, these two categories work in very different ways.
For example, management accountants in Berlin work inside businesses and organisations to help manage financial information, while financial accountants work to communicate information between non-business entities. The type and scope of services offered by accounting firms depends on how they are employed and what industries they are employed in. For example, many large businesses employ their own internal accountants to help with the daily management of finances, while individuals and households may employ accountants to help with their tax returns on an annual basis.

Accountants in Berlin and elsewhere are able to perform a wide range of different services, from taxation and data analysis through to financial management and book keeping. Before making contact with accountants, it is important to decide what services you require, and look for accountants who specialise in that particular field. While the type of accountancy services required by an individual or household may be fairly simple, businesses and organisations need access to a much larger range of financial services. The majority of professional accountants around the world have an Internet presence, so it is easy to use the Internet to track down accountants in your local area. There are thousands of accountants in Berlin, with many management accountants working inside businesses and lots of independent accounting firms operating all around the city.

Early accounting practices served to assist the memory of business managers and owners, and things are not that different these days. In many businesses around the world, the primary reason to employ accountants is to manage all of the financial information that is coming into and going out of a business. This may take the form of basic book keeping or business accounts, and is often summarised in periodic taxation returns and forms. Along with internal business accounting, there are many financial accountants out there who need to provide information to existing shareholders, creditors, banks, vendors, financial analysts, economists, and government agencies.