DATEV Export for Incoming Invoices: Create and Import EXTF Files

#TL;DR

• What a DATEV export is: A DATEV export writes your invoice data into a DATEV-Format file (EXTF) that gets imported into DATEV. It is a file you download and hand over, not a live interface into the DATEV system.
• What EXTF actually is: EXTF is DATEV's ASCII import format, the so-called DATEV-Format. The export is a Buchungsstapel (posting-batch) text file; many tools can also produce a plain CSV.
• The import is manual: You (or your tax advisor) import the file through DATEV's ASCII/batch import. Nothing is transmitted to DATEV automatically.
• Not a direct DATEV interface: A file export is not a DATEV API connection or a DATEV Marketplace integration. If you need a live, synced connection, that is a different category of product.

Many business owners know the Monday-morning scenario: emails with PDF invoices pile up next to scanned paper receipts, and every invoice has to be captured and handed to the tax advisor. A DATEV export is the step that turns that pile into a single file your tax advisor can pull into DATEV, instead of re-typing each invoice by hand.

This guide is about the manual DATEV export and import workflow: what the DATEV-Format (EXTF) file is, how incoming invoices become one, and how it gets imported into DATEV. If you are looking for a live, always-on integration that syncs data into DATEV by itself, look at a DATEV Marketplace interface partner instead.

#What a DATEV Export Actually Means

A DATEV export is a file. Your software writes accounting data into DATEV's defined text format, you get a file, and that file is later imported into DATEV. There is no live link between the exporting tool and DATEV: the data sits in a file until a person imports it.

This matters because "DATEV interface" is often used loosely to mean two very different things. One is a live API integration where records flow into DATEV automatically. The other, far more common for preparatory accounting, is exactly this file export and manual import.

#The DATEV-Format (EXTF), Briefly

EXTF is the marker at the start of DATEV's import format, the format DATEV itself calls the "DATEV-Format". It is an ASCII text file (usually saved as .csv or .txt) with a fixed header line followed by data rows. The most common export for incoming invoices is the Buchungsstapel, the posting batch: a header describing the file (format version, data category, fiscal year, chart-of-accounts settings, booking period) and then one row per posting.

For the exact field layout, DATEV publishes the specification itself: the DATEV-Format developer documentation (verified 2026-07-17) and the Buchungsstapel format description (verified 2026-07-17). We deliberately do not restate a specific column layout here, because the correct fields depend on the DATEV format version and your chart of accounts.

In practice you deal with two things: the EXTF Buchungsstapel that carries the postings, and, when a program cannot read EXTF, a plainer CSV.

#Who Uses a DATEV Export

Tax advisors and accounting firms. Tax advisors work in DATEV every day and prefer a structured file over a stack of PDFs. An EXTF Buchungsstapel lets them import postings in one step rather than re-keying each invoice.

Small businesses and freelancers. For self-employed people and small teams who only do preparatory bookkeeping, a DATEV export is a simple way to hand the tax advisor everything at once.

With the e-invoicing reception obligation in force since 1 January 2025, businesses increasingly receive ZUGFeRD or XRechnung documents, which carry structured XML. That structured data makes a clean export easier, because fields can be read from the XML rather than guessed from a scan. You can check a single file for free with the ZUGFeRD validator or the e-invoice viewer. For more on receiving e-invoices, see our guide to invoice intake software.

#From Incoming Invoices to an EXTF File

Whatever tool you use, the path usually looks like this:

1. Consolidate invoice intake. PDF invoices, ZUGFeRD/XRechnung files and scans are collected in one place.
2. Read the data. For e-invoices, the structured XML is read directly; for PDFs and scans, text extraction or OCR is used.
3. Review and de-duplicate. Someone checks uncertain fields and removes duplicates before anything is exported.
4. Export the DATEV file. Each reviewed document becomes a posting row in an EXTF Buchungsstapel, or a CSV if that is what your advisor wants.

The hardest part in practice is often step 1: making sure there is a receipt for every payment at all. Heft, a receipt agent we are developing, targets exactly that: it starts at the bank account, finds the missing receipt for each payment (mailbox, e-invoices, portals), and hands it over to DATEV or your accountant. It is not available yet; more at Heft.

#How to Import the EXTF File into DATEV

Once you have the EXTF file, the import happens inside DATEV, either on your side or your tax advisor's:

1. In DATEV Rechnungswesen, open the ASCII/batch import (for example under Bestand, Import, ASCII-Daten, or via the batch-processing dialog).
2. Point the import at the EXTF file and select the matching format (the Buchungsstapel layout).
3. Confirm the field mapping if prompted, check the booking period and chart of accounts, and run the import.

DATEV documents this import step in its help centre: ASCII data import and export (verified 2026-07-17). Many firms prefer to let the tax advisor run the import, so sharing the file is a completely normal path.

Field mapping and chart-of-accounts settings differ from one client to the next, so an export may need adjustment before the batch posts. When in doubt, send a small test export to your advisor first and confirm it reads cleanly on their side.

#When You Need a Real DATEV Integration Instead

A file export covers most preparatory-accounting needs: you review invoices, export once, and hand the file over. It does not cover cases where you want records to appear in DATEV continuously and automatically, with no manual import at all. That is a live integration, and it is a different product.

If that is what you need, look at the DATEV Marketplace, where DATEV lists interface partners with a certified data-service connection. Choose based on which workflow you actually want: a file you control and hand over, or a live sync you configure once.

#What to Check Before You Rely on a DATEV Export

Format fit. Confirm the tool produces a DATEV-Format (EXTF) Buchungsstapel, and ask your tax advisor whether they want EXTF or a plain CSV.

Chart of accounts. EXTF files carry chart-of-accounts settings (for example SKR 03 or SKR 04). Make sure the export matches what your advisor uses.

E-invoice handling. Since 2025 you must be able to receive e-invoices. A tool should read ZUGFeRD and XRechnung structurally rather than only scanning a PDF.

Review before export. A DATEV export is only as good as the data behind it. A review step and duplicate detection catch fields that would otherwise post wrong.

Records and retention. Look for unchanged originals and a traceable history. That follows GoBD principles, but treat overall GoBD compliance as a property of your process, not a badge on a single tool. This is general information, not tax advice.

#Conclusion

A DATEV export removes the manual re-typing between your invoices and your tax advisor's DATEV. The mechanism is simple: you create a DATEV-Format (EXTF) file, and someone imports it into DATEV. It is a file handover, not a live interface. If you need a live, synced DATEV connection, a DATEV Marketplace interface partner is the right category.

#Frequently Asked Questions

#What is a DATEV export?

A DATEV export writes accounting data into DATEV's import format (the DATEV-Format, marked EXTF) as a file. You or your tax advisor then import that file into DATEV. It is a file export followed by a manual import, not a live connection to the DATEV system.

#What does EXTF mean?

EXTF is the identifier at the start of a DATEV-Format file; it marks a file meant for import into DATEV. The most common export for incoming invoices is a Buchungsstapel (posting batch): a header line describing the file, followed by one row per posting. DATEV publishes the exact field layout in its developer documentation (verified 2026-07-17).

#Is a DATEV export the same as a DATEV interface?

No. A file export requires someone to import the file manually. A live interface transfers data automatically; DATEV lists such partners on the DATEV Marketplace.

#How do I import the EXTF file into DATEV?

In DATEV Rechnungswesen, open the ASCII/batch import, select the EXTF Buchungsstapel file, confirm the field mapping and booking period, and run the import. DATEV describes this in its help centre article on ASCII data import and export (verified 2026-07-17). Many firms let the tax advisor run the import instead.

#Can I import a plain CSV into DATEV?

Yes. Alongside the EXTF Buchungsstapel, DATEV can read ASCII files in .csv or .txt form. The right choice depends on what your tax advisor's DATEV setup expects.

#How does preparatory accounting work with a DATEV export?

Preparatory accounting means collecting, capturing and reviewing invoices before they go to the tax advisor. Invoices are collected, their data is read from XML or OCR, reviewed and de-duplicated, and then exported as a DATEV EXTF file. Your advisor imports that file into DATEV instead of re-typing each invoice.