The licence plate is part of it
For taximeters and distance meters, the vehicle's registration number must be given along with the business premises. And every report must list all devices of a business premises at once, not just the new one.
Deadline alert · KassenSichV
TSE for distance meters: what changes on 1 January 2027
In short: German tax law treats the Wegstreckenzähler (the distance meter every Mietwagen, a licensed private-hire car, must carry) as an electronic recording system, so it needs a certified technical security device (TSE). Devices first placed on the market after 30 June 2024 need one right away; older devices with a digital interface need one from 1 January 2027. Each device must be reported to the tax office within one month of acquisition via ELSTER.
Sources: § 10 KassenSichV · § 146a AO (German)
Zählerfrist keeps the register for your fleet: which car has which device, whether the TSE is in, whether the report has gone out, and what is due next.
Request a deadline check
Last updated: 20 October 2026
Timeline
Four dates your back office needs
The KassenSichV (Germany's cash register security ordinance) brought distance meters in step by step. Knowing the order tells you which group each device belongs to.
-
Distance meters first placed on the market after 30 June 2024 need a TSE from the day they are placed on the market.
-
Reporting devices to the tax office becomes possible through “Mein ELSTER” and the ERiC interface.
-
The ministry's grace rule, which tolerated distance meters without a TSE, has expired.
-
Older distance meters with a digital interface that can connect a TSE must have one.
Decision table
Which rule applies to which device?
Since the KassenSichV amendment of 14 January 2026, it comes down to two questions: when was the device first placed on the market, and does it have a digital interface for a TSE? App-based systems that do the job of a distance meter count too (§ 1(2) KassenSichV).
| Device | TSE requirement | Report to the tax office |
|---|---|---|
| First placed on the market after 30 Jun 2024 | Now from the day it is placed on the market (§ 10(1) KassenSichV) |
within one month of acquisition, and again within one month of decommissioning (§ 146a(4) AO; ministry letter 28 Jun 2024) |
| Placed on the market before 1 Jul 2024, with a digital interface for a TSE | From 1 Jan 2027 retrofit by the manufacturer or a workshop (§ 10(2) KassenSichV) |
The ministry letter of 28 Jun 2024 only covers distance meters from 1 Jul 2024; the 2027 date came later. Ask your tax adviser whether and when to report after the retrofit. |
| Placed on the market before 1 Jul 2024, without such an interface | No date set § 10 KassenSichV does not cover these devices |
Each trip must still be recorded individually and unalterably, with the data kept available, using an additional system if needed (ministry letter 11 Mar 2024, no. III.3) |
Sources (German): § 10 KassenSichV · § 146a AO · ministry letter 17 Mar 2026 (AEAO no. 4.1.2) · ministry letter 11 Mar 2024 (copies hosted by the Bavarian State Tax Office)
Reporting to the Finanzamt
What the tax office wants to know
The report under § 146a(4) AO goes to your local Finanzamt (tax office) as an official electronic data set. It must include:
- your company name and tax number
- the type of certified technical security device
- the type and number of recording systems in use
- each device's serial number
- the acquisition date and, where relevant, the decommissioning date
Deadline: within one month of acquisition or decommissioning. Rented or leased devices count the same as purchased ones.
Which device ran where, and when?
You must log and keep where and when each distance meter was used. “Where” is the vehicle; “when” is the period between putting it into service and taking it out.
The problem at 20 to 50 cars
Three device generations, one spreadsheet
A growing Mietwagen fleet rarely runs on uniform hardware. Some cars already have a TSE, some are waiting for a retrofit, and for a few older vehicles nobody is quite sure whether the meter even has an interface.
Then there is churn: a car is sold, a device is moved, a leased vehicle joins. Each change can trigger a one-month reporting deadline, and each report has to list every device at that premises. A spreadsheet edited by three people falls behind fast.
Distance meters in Mietwagen are also subject to German calibration law (§ 30 BOKraft). If you also run taxis, taximeters including their distance signal sensor have a one-year calibration interval (MessEV Annex 7, no. 12.3).
Example
A fictional fleet of 34 Mietwagen
9devices after 30 Jun 2024, TSE built in
19older devices with interface
6older devices without interface
19 retrofits in ten weeks means almost two workshop slots a week, with each car off the road for its slot. For the six oldest devices you need a plan for recording every trip individually.
Example with made-up numbers: 19 devices ÷ 10 weeks ≈ 1.9 slots per week.
How Zählerfrist helps
One register per vehicle instead of scattered lists
Zählerfrist is fleet software for Mietwagen operators who drive for Uber and Bolt. For the TSE switch, the device and deadline register is what matters.
Device and deadline register
Per vehicle: plate, device, serial number, date placed on the market, interface yes or no, TSE status, report status, calibration and HU (roadworthiness test) dates. You see at a glance which row of the table above each car belongs to.
Alerts before every deadline
You get a reminder before 1 January 2027, before a one-month reporting deadline runs out, and before calibration, HU, insurance or the Konzession (operating licence) come due.
All Uber and Bolt trips per car
Uber Fleet and Bolt Fleet are connected. You see every vehicle's trips in one place and can put them next to the distance meter data, for example during a tax inspection.
K-ZF 2031TSE active · reportedDevice 2025 · serial ••• 4471 · calibrated until 03/2027
K-ZF 1187Retrofit 12 NovOlder device with interface · workshop booked
K-ZF 0942Report dueTSE installed 2 Oct · one-month deadline running
K-ZF 0310CheckOlder device without interface · review recording
What Zählerfrist does not do
- No retrofitting and no device certification. That is done by the device manufacturer or your specialist workshop.
- No TSE. The security device comes with the meter or the retrofit.
- No tax advice. You or your tax adviser file the ELSTER report; Zählerfrist keeps the data ready for it.
To work through
Checklist until 31 December 2026
Six steps your office can take before the deadline, whatever software you use.
List every device
For each car: plate, device model, serial number and the date it was placed on the market.
Check the interface
Ask the manufacturer whether the device has a digital interface that can connect a TSE.
Book the retrofits
Schedule workshop slots for every older device with an interface before 1 January 2027, and plan for downtime.
Review devices without an interface
Agree with your tax adviser how every trip will keep being recorded individually and unalterably.
Prepare the reports
Per business premises, collect all devices with serial number, TSE type, acquisition date and plate.
Log installations
Record when each device went into and out of which vehicle, and keep the paperwork.
Setup
Ready in about 48 hours
Upload vehicles and drivers
Set up your fleet once and add the device data for each car.
Connect Uber Fleet and Bolt Fleet
Link the platform accounts. Trip data then flows in automatically.
Use the dashboard
Device and report status, upcoming deadlines, revenue per driver and car, and cost per kilometre in one place.
In use
700+
operators already run their fleet with this software
More than 700 businesses use it to replace spreadsheets and WhatsApp groups: drivers, vehicles, platform data, tax matters and the Konzession in one place.
- Timesheets: from about 5 hours a week to under 1 hour a month.
- A van that was losing a few hundred a month was spotted.
Price
from $5.99 per driver/month
- Device and deadline register per vehicle
- Alerts for the deadline, reports, calibration and HU
- Uber and Bolt trips per car
- 2-day free trial, no credit card
FAQ
Questions about the TSE rule for distance meters
When do Mietwagen distance meters need a TSE?
A Wegstreckenzähler (distance meter) first placed on the market after 30 June 2024 needs a TSE from the day it is placed on the market. An older Wegstreckenzähler with a digital interface that can connect a certified technical security device needs one from 1 January 2027 (§ 10 KassenSichV).
What about old distance meters without a digital interface?
§ 10 KassenSichV sets no date for distance meters placed on the market before 1 July 2024 that lack such an interface. According to the Federal Ministry of Finance letter of 11 March 2024, these older devices may only be used for tax purposes if every trip is still recorded individually and unalterably, with additional systems if needed, and the data stays available for the retention period. Check your case with your tax adviser.
What do I have to report to the tax office about my distance meters?
Under § 146a(4) AO you report your name, tax number, the type of TSE, the type and number of recording systems, each serial number, and the date of acquisition and, where relevant, decommissioning, within one month of acquisition or decommissioning. For distance meters, the AO application decree also requires the vehicle registration number. Reports are filed electronically through Mein ELSTER or the ERiC interface.
Do I have to give passengers a receipt from the distance meter?
Anyone recording transactions with an electronic recording system must in principle issue a receipt (§ 146a(2) AO). For distance meters, the AO application decree applies this when the device has a receipt printer; without one there is no receipt duty. The receipt can be on paper or, with the passenger's consent, electronic (§ 8(3) KassenSichV).
Does Zählerfrist retrofit my distance meters or supply a TSE?
No. Retrofitting and TSE installation are done by the device manufacturer or your specialist workshop. Zählerfrist is the register for it: per vehicle you see which device is installed, its TSE and reporting status and upcoming dates, and you get an alert before a deadline passes.
What does Zählerfrist cost and how fast is setup?
From $5.99 per driver per month. Setup takes about 48 hours: upload vehicles and drivers, connect Uber Fleet and Bolt Fleet, enter your devices. You can try it free for two days, no credit card needed.
Next step
A deadline check for your fleet
We'll show you what your device register looks like with your own vehicles, well before the deadline.
- 1We'll get back to you this week.
- 2A short call about your fleet, devices and premises.
- 3Setup in about 48 hours.
Send your request
Leave your details — we'll be in touch this week.