For German businesses
DATEV export — how to share your books with your Steuerberater
DATEV is the dominant practice management system among German Steuerberater. This guide explains the formats and the workflow. DATEV export is part of the German launch planned for 2028.
What is a DATEV export?
DATEV is the dominant accounting and tax software for German tax advisors. A DATEV export from your accounting software produces structured files — Buchungsstapel (posting stack), Kontenliste (chart of accounts) and Debitoren/Kreditoren (open customer and supplier items) — that your advisor imports directly into their DATEV installation. This eliminates manual re-entry and cuts year-end reconciliation from days to hours.
What does a DATEV export include?
Buchungsstapel (posting stack)
All journal entries and transaction postings in DATEV EXTF format. Your Steuerberater imports this file to populate the client ledger in DATEV Rechnungswesen — no manual data entry.
Kontenliste (chart of accounts)
Account numbers and names mapped to DATEV Kontenrahmen SKR03 or SKR04. Correct mapping ensures every transaction lands in the right account in your advisor's system.
Debitoren / Kreditoren (open items)
Outstanding customer invoices (Debitoren) and supplier bills (Kreditoren) — so your Steuerberater has an accurate accounts receivable and payable position at any point.
Period summary
A summary covering the full export date range, useful for monthly reviews, quarterly reporting and preparing the Jahresabschluss (annual financial statement).
How a DATEV export will work
- 1
Set up your Kontenrahmen
Map your chart of accounts to DATEV SKR03 or SKR04 — a one-time setup your Steuerberater can help configure. This step arrives with the German launch planned for 2028.
- 2
Choose the export period
Select the date range — monthly, quarterly or annual. You will be able to export any period at any time, not just at year-end.
- 3
Download the ZIP
The EXTF Buchungsstapel and supporting files are produced as a single ZIP archive, ready to send. Planned for the 2028 German launch.
- 4
Send to your Steuerberater
Share the ZIP via email, your advisor's secure file transfer, or DATEV Unternehmen Online. Your Steuerberater imports directly — no re-keying, no reconciliation surprises.
DATEV export — frequently asked questions
- Does my Steuerberater need anything special to import Marchant's export?
- They will not need anything special: the planned export uses standard DATEV EXTF format, which any Steuerberater running DATEV Rechnungswesen can import directly. DATEV export is part of the German launch planned for 2028 and is not available today.
- Which DATEV Kontenrahmen does Marchant support?
- The German launch is being built for SKR03 (the most widely used overall, common with small businesses and sole traders) and SKR04 (structured around the financial statements, typically recommended for GmbHs and larger businesses). Your Steuerberater will advise which applies to your legal form and industry. Neither is available until the 2028 launch.
- Can I export monthly, or only at year-end?
- Once the German launch lands in 2028 you will be able to export any date range at any time — monthly, quarterly or a custom period. Many Steuerberater prefer a monthly Buchungsstapel so they can reconcile in real time rather than face a year-end scramble.
- What is DATEV Unternehmen Online (DUO)?
- DUO is a cloud collaboration portal where you and your Steuerberater share documents and data in real time — a step beyond file-based DATEV export. File-based export is part of the German launch planned for 2028; DUO integration is on our roadmap beyond that.
- How does DATEV export relate to GoBD compliance?
- The planned DATEV export is a data snapshot for sharing with your advisor — it does not replace GoBD record-keeping. Marchant is designed to keep an immutable, timestamped ledger with integrity hashes and retention tracking, and GoBD-conformant German bookkeeping arrives with the 2028 launch alongside the export. There is no GoBD certificate for software — the tax authorities issue none. Conformity is assessed for your business as a whole, and your Verfahrensdokumentation stays your responsibility.
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