Häufig gestellte Fragen
What are the most important alternatives to DATEV?
For pure accounting, cloud solutions such as sevDesk and Lexware Office as well as established programs from Sage, BMD and Addison are considered common alternatives. Companies that want accounting and inventory management in one system opt for integrated ERP solutions such as Sage 100 or Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, which come with their own financial accounting. In almost all cases, the decisive factor is that the chosen solution can export posting and document data to the tax advisor in a DATEV-compliant format. The right choice depends heavily on company size, industry and the desired degree of process integration.
Do companies actually need DATEV themselves?
Usually not directly, because DATEV eG is primarily the cooperative and platform of tax advisors and, with around 40,000 members from the tax consulting professions, ranks among the largest providers of business software in Germany. As a rule, companies do not need DATEV's own products, but rather their own accounting or ERP software with a working DATEV interface. Via this interface, the posting data is handed over in the standardised DATEV format to the tax advisor's practice software. DATEV does offer solutions for companies with products such as DATEV Mittelstand Faktura mit Rechnungswesen, but being tied to these is not mandatory.
Which DATEV alternative is suitable for small businesses and the self-employed?
For small businesses, freelancers and the self-employed, lean cloud accounting tools such as sevDesk and Lexware Office are particularly widespread, as they are considerably simpler and cheaper than full ERP systems. They cover the typical tasks from invoicing and receipt capture to the advance VAT return and usually offer a DATEV export for the tax advisor. Before buying, it is important to check whether the range of functions matches your own accounting method, such as cash-basis income statement (Einnahmen-Überschuss-Rechnung) or balance-sheet accounting. If the company grows, you can later move up to a more comprehensive accounting or ERP solution.
Does a DATEV alternative have to be GoBD-compliant?
Yes, every accounting software used in Germany must comply with the principles of proper bookkeeping (GoBD), regardless of the vendor. This includes in particular the immutability of postings, traceable logging of changes and the audit-proof, complete retention of documents over the statutory retention period. Also required is a procedure documentation (Verfahrensdokumentation) that comprehensibly describes the content, structure and flow of the data processing; without it, the bookkeeping can be deemed non-GoBD-compliant. When switching, you should therefore check whether the vendor explicitly guarantees the GoBD requirements and supports the procedure documentation.
Do DATEV alternatives support e-invoicing?
Modern accounting and ERP solutions generally support e-invoicing, which is becoming indispensable given the legal obligations. Since 1 January 2025, every domestic company in Germany must be able to receive structured B2B e-invoices; the obligation to send applies in stages from 1 January 2027 for companies with more than 800,000 euros in previous-year revenue and from 1 January 2028 for all other B2B companies. You should make sure the software can process the widespread formats XRechnung and ZUGFeRD, which are based on the EN 16931 standard. As the requirements keep rising, it is worth looking at how actively the vendor adapts its solution to new legal requirements.
What should be considered when switching from DATEV to an alternative?
The most important point is coordination with the tax advisor, as the DATEV interface for handing over the posting data must be retained in almost all cases. Also to be clarified are the transfer of existing master data, charts of accounts and open items, as well as a clean cut-off date for the migration, ideally at the turn of the financial or calendar year. Because of the GoBD retention obligations, the legacy data from the previous system must remain available in an audit-proof and analysable form. A test phase with sample postings and trial exports is recommended in order to rule out format and account-assignment errors before the productive switch.