Funding for the self-employed, handled.
As a sole proprietor your own development hours count, and most people never claim them. We secure the funding that fits a one-person or owner-led operation.
The funding reality for self-employed
Funding as a sole proprietor works differently. Most programmes assume a team and a project budget, but two routes fit you well, and one is widely missed.
Own R&D time counts
The Research Allowance covers the owner's own development hours at a fixed rate, up to EUR 100 per hour from 2026. No payroll needed.
Paid even without profit
It is a tax credit paid out as cash, so a loss-making or low-profit year does not block it.
Retroactive to 2022
You can still claim past R&D years, not only the current one.
A few programmes, well chosen
Beyond the Research Allowance, patents support and innovation loans can fit. Full project grants depend on whether you run a structured project.
Three questions, one honest answer
Tap the ones that are true for you. Most self-employed who say yes to all three are a strong fit for the Research Allowance.
Your own development hours are claimable.
You do not need employees or payroll. If you do genuine R&D, the Research Allowance recognises your own working time at a fixed hourly rate, up to €100 per hour from 2026, and pays it out as cash even in a loss-making year. It is retroactive to 2022, so past development years still count. In practice, a simple, honest log of the hours you spend resolving real technical uncertainty is what turns your own labour into a payout.
Illustrative: a full-time R&D year (40 h × 52 weeks) at the 2026 rate, times the research-allowance rate (35–42%). Your real figure depends on your logged hours and rate.
Which hours you can claim, and which you can't
Only the time spent resolving genuine technical uncertainty is eligible. Here's the line in practice.
Counts as R&D
- Developing or testing a new product, process or software feature
- Solving a technical problem where the solution isn't known up front
- Prototyping, experimenting and systematic trial-and-error
- Reworking an approach after a technical dead end
Doesn't count
- Routine client work delivered to a known specification
- Admin, sales, marketing and bookkeeping
- Cosmetic changes or standard configuration of existing tools
- Installing or maintaining off-the-shelf software
The programmes that fit self-employed
As a solo operator the Research Allowance is the anchor, because it rewards your own labour. The rest depends on whether you work in a structured project or with partners.
Germany
Research AllowanceTax credit on R&D costs including your own hours, paid as cash. Up to 35% retroactive, up to 42% for new projects from 2026. WIPANOSupport for protecting and commercialising results through patents and standards. KfW InnovationskrediteLow-interest loans for innovation and digitalisation. ZIM / KMU-innovativProject grants if you run a defined R&D project and qualify as a small enterprise.What each programme means for you
Every fit at a glance, with the angle that is specific to your stage. Germany first, then Europe.
| Programme | Special for you | Funding | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Allowance | Own hours count, no staff | 35-42% · ~€208k own labour | Retroactive, no deadline |
| WIPANO | First patent, SME rate | up to 50% of patent costs | Rolling |
| KfW ERP loan | Open to freelancers, no min loan | Loan + up to €200k grant | Rolling |
| BAFA EEW | Freelancers with premises | 10-60% | Rolling |
| ZIM | Only with a structured project | 40-45% (small) | Rolling |
| KMU-innovativ | Only with a real R&D project | ~50% | 15 Apr / 15 Oct |
| Programme | Special for you | Funding | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eurostars 3 | Only inside an SME consortium | 50%, max €500k (DE) | 2x / year |
| Horizon Europe | Via consortium only | RIA 100% / IA 70% | Fixed calls |
How much the self-employed typically get
Indicative ranges for an owner-led operation. Actual figures depend on your R&D hours and any contractors.
Mostly the Research Allowance on your own development time and a contractor or two.
The Research Allowance plus a ZIM or KMU-innovativ project where you qualify.
* Indicative figures. The actual amount depends on company size, eligible costs and the programmes you qualify for.
It comes down to technical uncertainty
The test is the same at any size: work that resolves genuine technical uncertainty qualifies, routine work does not. What that looks like in your field is on the Industries pages. See your industry
Self-employed funding, answered
Up to €100 per hour, capped at 2,080 hours a year, so roughly €208,000 of eligible own labour at the maximum. The allowance rate is then applied on top.
Each partner's R&D hours are assessed individually, so a two-person partnership can claim the own-labour rate for both founders.
Yes. The Research Allowance covers the owner's own R&D hours at a fixed rate, so no payroll is needed.
No. It is paid out as cash, independent of profit.
Yes, retroactive to 2022, at each year's applicable rate.
No. Sole proprietors and freelancers are eligible. A company form can open more grant programmes but is not required for the Research Allowance.
The Research Allowance first. Patents support, innovation loans and, with a structured project, a project grant can follow.
You do the work. We do the rest.
The reason most self-employed never claim is the bureaucracy. That part is ours, on a success-based fee.
Free eligibility check
You tell us what you're building. We confirm, by hand and at no cost, whether your work and hours qualify, and roughly what it's worth.
No cost · no obligationWe write and file it
We prepare the BSFZ certificate application and the tax-office claim, with audit-proof documentation. We only need about 6 to 12 hours of your time in total.
6–12h of your timeYou get paid
The allowance is paid out as cash, even in a loss-making year. Our fee is success-based: we only invoice once your money has arrived.
No win, no feeHow a solo operation stacks funding
Start with your own hours, then layer the rest only if it fits. One sensible order.
Research Allowance
Your own R&D hours, paid as cash, retroactive to 2022.
WIPANO
Half the cost of your first patent, at the SME rate.
KfW ERP loan
Now open to freelancers, no minimum loan, optional grant.
ZIM / KMU-innovativ
A structured R&D project unlocks a grant on top.
The fine print solo founders miss
A few specifics that decide whether your claim holds, and the mistakes we see most.
Specific to the self-employed
- Own labour counts against the de-minimis ceiling, not the AGVO route.
- A partnership (GbR) is claimed per partner, each assessed individually.
- No employees required, your hours alone can qualify.
- Free professions are excluded from EXIST, but not from the Research Allowance.
What gets missed
- Not claiming your own hours at all, the single most common miss.
- No time log, the record you need to claim those hours.
- A patent filed before applying to WIPANO, which forfeits the funding.
- Labelling the whole business as R&D instead of the genuine development.
Ask us anything
Tell us about your company and we'll map the funding that fits. No prep, no obligation. Prefer to talk?