DATEV Rechnungsdatenservice 1.0 and DATEV Buchungsdatenservice – what is the difference?

With the DATEV data services, receipts and data already recorded in Spesenfuchs can be transferred directly to DATEV. This eliminates the need to manually transfer receipt images and export files and makes collaboration between companies and tax advisors considerably easier.

Spesenfuchs supports the DATEV Rechnungsdatenservice 1.0 and the DATEV Buchungsdatenservice. Which data service is the right choice primarily depends on where the actual accounting is performed.

In simple terms:

• Does your tax advisor handle your ongoing financial accounting?
  Then the DATEV Rechnungsdatenservice 1.0 is generally the appropriate choice.
• Are the accounting entries already prepared in Spesenfuchs and intended to be transferred to DATEV as posting records?
  Then the DATEV Buchungsdatenservice is the appropriate interface.

Comparison of the two DATEV data services

DATEV Rechnungsdatenservice 1.0

Transfer of receipt images and structured receipt data to DATEV Unternehmen online.

The DATEV Rechnungsdatenservice 1.0 is particularly suitable for companies where ongoing financial accounting is handled by the tax advisor.

Receipts are recorded in Spesenfuchs and supplemented with the information required for further processing. The digital receipt image and the associated structured receipt data are then transferred to DATEV Unternehmen online.

This involves more than simply transferring a PDF or image file. Information already available for the receipt can also be transferred to DATEV as structured data. This means that the tax advisor does not have to re-enter all of the information from the receipt.

What happens after the transfer?

The transferred receipt images are stored in DATEV Unternehmen online and linked to the associated receipt data. Based on this information, posting proposals can be created in DATEV accounting applications for further processing.

The final review and posting continue to take place in DATEV. The tax advisor therefore retains control over the financial accounting while benefiting from the information already recorded in Spesenfuchs.

When is DATEV Rechnungsdatenservice 1.0 suitable?

DATEV Rechnungsdatenservice 1.0 is particularly suitable if:

• your tax advisor handles your ongoing financial accounting,
• receipts are already recorded digitally in Spesenfuchs,
• the existing receipt data should be used for further processing in DATEV,
• receipts should not have to be provided manually via additional transfer methods.

The main advantage is that the receipt and its associated data are transferred digitally to DATEV together. The actual accounting process remains in DATEV and therefore with the tax advisor.

DATEV Buchungsdatenservice

Transfer of posting records and the associated digital receipts to DATEV Rechnungswesen.

The DATEV Buchungsdatenservice goes one step further. Instead of transferring only receipts and receipt data, fully prepared posting records are transferred from Spesenfuchs to DATEV.

Based on the recorded and account-assigned expenses, Spesenfuchs generates the corresponding accounting information. This information is transferred to DATEV via the DATEV Buchungsdatenservice. At the same time, the associated digital receipts can be transferred to DATEV Unternehmen online and linked to the corresponding postings.

This means that the tax advisor receives not only the receipt as the basis for a subsequent posting, but also a prepared posting record.

What happens after the transfer?

The transferred posting data is made available for further processing in DATEV Rechnungswesen. The associated receipts are stored in DATEV Unternehmen online and can be linked to the corresponding postings.

This allows the tax advisor to continue working directly with the posting data already prepared in Spesenfuchs, rather than having to recreate the postings manually from the receipts.

When is DATEV Buchungsdatenservice suitable?

DATEV Buchungsdatenservice is particularly suitable if:

• expenses are already assigned to the appropriate accounts in Spesenfuchs,
• the resulting posting records should be transferred to DATEV,
• receipts and postings should be available together and linked in DATEV,
• duplicate entry of the postings by the tax advisor should be avoided as far as possible.

The key difference compared with DATEV Rechnungsdatenservice 1.0 is that with DATEV Buchungsdatenservice, the posting itself is transferred, rather than only the information used to create a subsequent posting proposal.

Example: hotel receipt from a business trip

An employee records a hotel receipt for EUR 238.00 in Spesenfuchs. The receipt is uploaded, the expense is reviewed and the information required for accounting is entered in Spesenfuchs.

With DATEV Rechnungsdatenservice 1.0, the receipt image and the structured information associated with the receipt are transferred to DATEV Unternehmen online. The tax advisor then processes this data further in DATEV Rechnungswesen and completes the final posting there.

With DATEV Buchungsdatenservice, the prepared posting record is also transferred. The posting and the associated receipt are therefore available in DATEV Rechnungswesen for further processing.

The key question when choosing the appropriate data service is therefore: Should DATEV perform the further accounting process based on the transferred receipt data, or should Spesenfuchs already provide the posting data?

Which settings should be coordinated with your tax advisor?

Before setting up one of the DATEV data services, the accounting settings in Spesenfuchs should be coordinated with your tax advisor. These include in particular:

• advisor number and client number,
• the chart of accounts used,
• the length of the general ledger account numbers,
• the fiscal year or the beginning of a fiscal year that differs from the calendar year,
• account assignments and, where applicable, other settings required for accounting.

The settings should correspond to the relevant client data in DATEV. If, for example, the account assignments or fiscal year in Spesenfuchs and DATEV do not match, additional coordination may be required during processing.

Requirements for using the DATEV data services

To use a DATEV data service, the corresponding service must be set up on the DATEV side and enabled for the relevant client. The specific setup is carried out in coordination with your tax advisor.

DATEV authorization is also required. The authentication method to be used and the persons who should receive the necessary permissions should be coordinated with the tax advisor.

DATEV provides its own help documents with additional information on setup and processing for both interfaces:

• DATEV Rechnungsdatenservice 1.0:  DATEV Help Document 1071255 
• DATEV Buchungsdatenservice:  DATEV Help Document 1008036 

Which DATEV data service should I use?

A simple question can help you decide:

Who handles the actual accounting?

If your tax advisor handles the ongoing financial accounting and Spesenfuchs is primarily used to provide digital receipts together with the information already recorded, DATEV Rechnungsdatenservice 1.0 is generally the appropriate transfer method.

If, on the other hand, the postings prepared in Spesenfuchs should be transferred directly to DATEV Rechnungswesen, use DATEV Buchungsdatenservice.

If you are unsure, we recommend coordinating the desired workflow with your tax advisor before setting up the service. The decisive factor is not only which data can technically be transferred, but also how the responsibilities are divided between your company, Spesenfuchs and your tax advisor.

Benefits of the direct DATEV integration

• Less manual work: Receipts do not have to be downloaded separately and then uploaded to DATEV again.
• Less duplicate data entry: Information already available in Spesenfuchs can be used for further processing.
• Receipts and accounting data remain connected: Digital receipts can be linked to the corresponding postings or receipt data in DATEV.
• Easier collaboration: Companies and tax advisors work with the same digitally provided data.
• End-to-end digital process: From recording an expense in Spesenfuchs to further processing in DATEV, no manual export and import steps are required.