DATEV Interface
The DATEV interface is the standardized export/import connection through which an ERP or accounting system hands over tax-relevant data – above all posting records, accounts receivable and payable, and documents – to the tax-firm software of DATEV eG in the DATEV format.
The DATEV interface is a standardized export/import connection through which an ERP or accounting system hands over tax-relevant data – above all posting records, accounts receivable and payable, and documents – to the software of DATEV eG, which tax advisors and firms across the DACH region work with, in the DATEV format. It is therefore the bridge between a company’s operational system and the financial accounting handled by the external advisor.
The rationale behind it: many mid-sized companies and online retailers capture orders, invoices and payments in their ERP, but leave the actual bookkeeping and annual financial statements to the tax firm. Without an interface, the firm would have to re-post every document manually. The DATEV interface automates this hand-over: it exports the postings created in the ERP in a structured, machine-readable form so the advisor can import them into their DATEV accounting system without retyping. „DATEV interface“ is an umbrella term here – it can mean a file export in the DATEV format just as much as a direct API connection.
At a glance
- Hands over posting data and documents from the ERP to the tax firm
- Two routes: file export in the DATEV format (CSV) or API (DATEVconnect)
- Transfers posting batches, chart of accounts (SKR03/SKR04), tax keys
- Document images usually run through DATEV Unternehmen online
- Saves duplicate entry and reduces posting errors in the accounts
How the DATEV interface works
In principle there are two ways data flows across the DATEV interface. The classic one is the file-based export: the ERP generates a file in the DATEV format – a structured CSV file with a fixed header line that contains the posting records as a so-called posting batch. This file is provided to the tax firm and imported there into the DATEV accounting system. The second, more modern route is the direct connection via an application programming interface (API), for instance through DATEVconnect or the invoice data service, where the data is transferred automatically without a manual file hand-over.
In both cases the hand-over needs unambiguous mapping keys: the advisor number and the client number identify which firm and which company the data belongs to. The ERP must also map its internal accounts and tax codes onto the chart of accounts used by the firm, so that the postings land there correctly.
DATEV format and posting batch
The DATEV format (formerly known as the OBE/KNE mail-dispatch format, today a documented CSV structure with the identifiers EXTF and DTVF) defines exactly in which column order amount, debit/credit indicator, account, contra account, tax key, document date and posting text must appear. A posting batch is a package of such pre-captured posting records that the firm reviews, corrects where necessary and then books. Because the format is openly documented, almost all ERP and inventory management systems can offer a DATEV export.
Which data the DATEV interface transfers
At its core the interface transfers the accounting transaction data: the individual posting records from invoicing and payment transactions with amount, account and contra account, tax key and posting text. Added to this are the associated master data, so the firm can assign the accounts cleanly – in particular accounts receivable (customers) and accounts payable (suppliers) with their subsidiary-ledger account numbers. The chart of accounts used, usually SKR03 or SKR04, forms the common language between ERP and firm.
Beyond the pure posting hand-over, the documents themselves can also be transferred. Invoice images and document data in practice often run through DATEV Unternehmen online: the ERP pushes PDF or e-invoice documents together with a posting proposal into the DATEV cloud, where company and firm access them jointly. That way the advisor sees not only the posting but also the underlying document – an advantage for traceability and audit-proof archiving.
The DATEV interface within the ERP system
Within the ERP the DATEV export is typically a module of financial accounting or a part of invoicing. As soon as outgoing invoices, incoming invoices and payments are captured, the system assembles the posting records from them and exports them – often on a monthly cycle – as a posting batch, or transfers them continuously via API. The decisive factor for quality is the configuration: revenue accounts, tax keys and the mapping of payment methods must be set up cleanly once, otherwise errors propagate into every posting.
In e-commerce in particular the interface is tricky, because many channels, currencies and tax rates come together. Marketplace sales, OSS-relevant EU turnover and payment-service-provider payouts must be mapped correctly onto accounts and tax keys. A good DATEV export takes this pre-coding off the tax advisor’s hands, instead of leaving it to them as raw data.
Prerequisite: clean master data and GoBD
A DATEV export is only as good as the data behind it. Duplicate accounts receivable, wrongly assigned tax keys or gaps in document numbers lead to queries or mis-postings at the firm. Because the exported postings form the basis of the tax return, the entire process must be GoBD-compliant: documents unalterable, postings traceable and the export complete. The interface therefore does not replace proper data maintenance in the ERP – it presupposes it.
Distinctions: DATEV interface, DATEV format and DATEVconnect
The terms are often used interchangeably, but they mean different things. The DATEV interface is the umbrella term for any connection between a third-party system and the DATEV world. The DATEV format refers specifically to the file-based CSV structure in which posting batches are exported. DATEVconnect, in turn, is the programmable API interface for the direct, file-less connection, complemented by cloud services such as the invoice data service and DATEV Unternehmen online for document transfer.
The DATEV interface should also be distinguished from the BMD interface: BMD is the counterpart widely used in Austria, which plays an analogous role for Austrian tax firms. A DACH-capable ERP therefore often offers both exports. And the interface should not be confused with the e-invoice: the e-invoice governs the structured exchange of invoices between business partners, while the DATEV interface handles the hand-over of the resulting postings to the advisor.
Benefits and DACH specifics
The practical benefit of the DATEV interface lies in avoiding duplicate entry. Postings are created once in the ERP and move automatically to the firm, instead of being retyped there. This saves time, lowers the error rate and speeds up monthly closings, advance VAT returns and the annual financial statement. At the same time the entrepreneur retains operational control over their data, while the tax responsibility stays with the advisor.
The strong adoption is a DACH specific: DATEV eG is a cooperative of the tax-advising professions based in Nuremberg, whose software dominates the German tax-firm market. A DATEV-capable export is therefore effectively a must-have criterion when selecting an ERP in Germany – comparable to BMD in Austria. International ERP systems without a native DATEV export need additional modules or middleware here, which should be taken into account in the selection and the operating costs.
Example
In practice: online retailer hands over to the firm monthly
An online retailer sells through their own shop and several marketplaces and handles all orders, invoices and incoming payments in their ERP. Revenue, shipping costs and the different VAT rates are stored there on fixed accounts and tax keys of the SKR04 chart of accounts. At month-end the system generates a posting batch in the DATEV format at the click of a button.
The tax firm imports this file into its DATEV accounting system, reviews the postings and books them. The associated invoice documents are available in parallel through DATEV Unternehmen online, so the advisor can look directly into the document in case of uncertainty. What used to mean days of re-posting is now a controlled hand-over – and the advance VAT return is finished on time.
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