Checklist for starting a business

Starter toolkit for a new self-employed person (OSVČ)

What does a starting self-employed person (OSVČ) need to begin? Just five things: keep an eye on your data box (datová schránka) (you get it for free by law), a business bank account (0 Kč at both Fio and Air Bank), an invoicing program (from 0 Kč), an email on your own domain (~150–250 Kč/year) and — if you sell online — an e-shop and a payment gateway. You can get most of it going for free or for a few hundred Kč a month. Below you will find a checklist and a model budget.

you get the data box free by law business account 0 Kč invoicing from as little as 0 Kč get going from ~15 Kč/month

Comparison of business bank accounts Invoicing comparison

Checklist: what to get for the start

Activate your data box (datová schránka) a self-employed person (OSVČ) gets it automatically and free of charge by law — just log in and check it regularly → detail
Open a business bank account free at both Fio banka and Air Bank; you separate business and personal money and the fees are tax-deductible → detail
Choose an invoicing program free tier from 0 Kč (iDoklad, Fakturoid, Vyfakturuj), paid from ~164 Kč/month excl. DPH (VAT) → detail
Get an email on your own domain a .cz domain for ~150–265 Kč/year + email included in the hosting price or Google Workspace / Microsoft 365
Optional: launch an e-shop if you sell goods online — Shoptet Free 0 Kč, paid from 440 Kč/month, or Upgates Bronze 450 Kč/month excl. VAT
Optional: connect a payment gateway for accepting card payments — Comgate from 0.47–0.6 % or GoPay 0.95 %, no setup charge and free introductory months

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Detailed guides to the individual tools

Comparison of business bank accounts

Fio, Air Bank, Revolut Business and Raiffeisenbank — fees, cards and cashback. At both Fio and Air Bank you keep the account for 0 Kč/month.

Comparison of invoicing programs

iDoklad, Fakturoid, Caflou and Vyfakturuj — from free tiers (max. 5 customers) to paid plans from ~164 Kč/month excl. VAT.

Data box (datová schránka) for the self-employed (OSVČ)

You have it automatically and free of charge by law. From 2026 you submit reports to ČSSZ (Czech Social Security Administration) and your health insurer through it electronically.

Model monthly budget for tools 2026

Tool	Budget option	Comfort option
Data box (datová schránka)	0 Kč (by law)	0 Kč
Business bank account	0 Kč (Fio / Air Bank)	0 Kč
Invoicing	0 Kč (free tier, max. 5 customers)	~164 Kč (paid plan)
.cz domain + email	~15 Kč (domain + email included in the hosting price)	~165 Kč (domain + Google Workspace / Microsoft 365)
E-shop (only those who sell online)	0 Kč (Shoptet Free, up to 10 products)	~440–450 Kč (Shoptet Basic / Upgates Bronze)
Payment gateway (only for online payments)	0 Kč setup + ~0.5–0.95 % per transaction	0 Kč setup + transaction fee
Total per month (without e-shop)	~15 Kč/month	~330 Kč/month
Total per month (with e-shop)	~15 Kč/month + transactions	~770–780 Kč/month + transactions

Model prices verified for 2026 against providers' price lists; SaaS price lists and bank fees change — always verify the current price list before ordering. The domain price of ~150–265 Kč/year is converted to a monthly figure (~13–22 Kč). The prices for invoicing, the e-shop and office suites are excl. VAT. The payment gateway is charged as a percentage of the transaction (Comgate from 0.47–0.6 %, GoPay 0.95 %), often with several free months to start. These are not the costs of taxes and insurance — those are dealt with separately in the pillar on taxes and insurance for the self-employed (OSVČ).

You do not need to create a data box (datová schránka)

As a self-employed person (OSVČ) you have it set up automatically and free of charge after your entry into the trade register. The box is activated by your first login, at the latest on the 15th day after delivery of the access credentials. Beware of deemed delivery — a message is considered delivered no later than on the 10th day, even if you do not open it, so check it regularly.

Do not forget about taxes and insurance

Tools are only part of the budget. As a main activity, also count on monthly advance payments: the minimum social-insurance advance is 5,720 Kč (January–June 2026), the health-insurance advance 3,306 Kč for the whole year (verified 2026). A forthcoming amendment is to reduce the social-insurance advance from July 2026 to approximately 5,005 Kč and to refund the overpayment from the first months — verify the current status with the ČSSZ. A starting self-employed person (OSVČ) pays a lower social-insurance advance of 3,575 Kč during the first two years.

Frequently asked questions about the starter toolkit

What does a starting self-employed person (OSVČ) need to begin?

In practice five things: keep an eye on the data box (datová schránka) (you get it free by law), a business bank account (free at both Fio and Air Bank), an invoicing program (free tier from 0 Kč), an email on your own domain (a .cz domain for ~150–265 Kč/year) and, optionally, an e-shop with a payment gateway if you sell online. The only truly mandatory item is the data box, which, however, the state sets up itself.

How much do the tools for getting an OSVČ going cost per month?

In the budget option you can manage with ~15 Kč a month (data box, account and invoicing free, only a domain with email included in the hosting price). The comfort option with paid invoicing and Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 comes out at roughly 330 Kč a month. An e-shop adds 440–450 Kč a month plus the payment gateway's transaction fees. These amounts do not include taxes and insurance.

Must a self-employed person (OSVČ) have a business bank account?

It is not mandatory by law — the exceptions are VAT payers, certain regulated professions and drawing a business loan. Even so, it pays to separate business and personal money: at both Fio banka and Air Bank you keep it free of charge, you have a better overview and the account-maintenance fees are tax-deductible. Moreover, many banks prohibit running a business on a personal account.

Is a free invoicing program sufficient?

For the start, yes. Free tiers (iDoklad, Fakturoid, Vyfakturuj and Caflou) generally handle invoicing for a maximum of 5 customers, and Fakturoid and Vyfakturuj additionally an unlimited number of invoices. As soon as you have more clients, you switch to a paid plan from roughly 164 Kč a month excl. VAT.

Do I need an email on my own domain?

It is not mandatory, but it is one of the cheapest investments in professionalism. An address of the type [email protected] comes across far more trustworthily than @seznam.cz or @gmail.com. You can get a .cz domain for ~150–265 Kč a year and email is usually included in the price of web hosting; if you also want cloud documents, go for Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.

When do I need an e-shop and a payment gateway?

Only if you sell goods or services online. For trying it out, Shoptet Free is enough at no cost (up to 10 products); for a real small e-shop, Shoptet Basic for 440 Kč or Upgates Bronze for 450 Kč a month excl. VAT. Connect a payment gateway (Comgate from 0.47–0.6 %, GoPay 0.95 %) once you want to accept card payments — setup is free of charge and often comes with several free introductory months.

First set up your trade licence

Before you get the tools, you must have an IČO (business ID). Go through the step-by-step guide — you can complete the online notification in a few minutes and have the extract within 5 working days.

How to set up a trade licence 2026