The DATEV accounting integration is only available in Germany. For more information about accounting integrations in other regions, see Lightspeed Accounting. 

Lightspeed Accounting now integrates directly with DATEV.

To use this integration, you’ll also need to connect both DATEV Kassenarchiv online and DATEV Unternehmen online. These two products ensure that your sales data transfers from your Lightspeed Restaurant account to your DATEV accounting software.

Connecting the DATEV accounting integration

To connect Lightspeed Accounting to DATEV:

1. Log in to the Back Office with your Lightspeed Restaurant credentials.
2. From the navigation menu, go to Integration > Accounting.
3. From the DATEV menu, click Connect integration.
4. Click Authorize.
5. Click Log in to DATEV.
6. Log in to your DATEV account.
7. Under Business location tenant, select the DATEV account you want to connect.
8. Click Continue.
9. Verify that the integration says Authorized.
10. Click Save.

Once you’ve connected your DATEV account to Lightspeed Accounting, continue by connecting your business to DATEV Kassenarchiv online.

Connecting DATEV Kassenarchiv online

To connect your business to DATEV Kassenarchiv online:

1. Log in to DATEV Kassenarchiv online.
2. Open DATEV Kassenarchiv online.
3. Click the folder corresponding to your business.
4. Verify that the kassenabschluss appears as both a ZIP file and a JSON file.
5. Click Details on the JSON file.
6. Review that your sales data transferred from your Lightspeed account. If your financial transactions are posted then you’ve successfully connected to DATEV Kassenarchiv online.

Once you’ve connected your business to DATEV Kassenarchiv online, continue by connecting DATEV Kassenarchiv online with DATEV Unternehmen online.

Connecting DATEV Kassenarchiv online with DATEV Unternehmen online

To connect DATEV Kassenarchiv online with DATEV Unternehmen online:

1. Log in to DATEV Unternehmen Online.
2. Click jetzt starten.
3. From the Anwendungen menu, open the Kassenbuch application.
4. Click Kasse anlegen to create a business folder.
5. Fill in the relevant fields with your business name and account number.
6. Click Speichern.
7. In another web browser, log in to DATEV Kassenarchiv online.
8. Open DATEV Kassenarchiv online.
9. From your business folder, click Verknüpfen to connect your kassenbuch.
10. Select the kassenbuch you’d like to connect to your business.
11. Click Speichern.

Once you’ve connected DATEV Kassenarchiv online with DATEV Unternehmen online, continue by connecting your business to DATEV Unternehmen online.

Connecting DATEV Unternehmen online

To connect your business to DATEV Unternehmen online:

1. Log in to DATEV Unternehmen Online.
2. Click jetzt starten.
3. From the Anwendungen menu, open the Kassenbuch application.
4. From the Kasse menu, open Kassenbewegungen anzeigen.
5. Review that your sales data transferred from your Lightspeed account. If your financial transactions are posted then you’ve successfully connected to DATEV Unternehmen online.
   

Once you’ve finished setting up the DATEV accounting integration, the data from your Lightspeed Restaurant account should automatically transfer to your DATEV accounting software.

Frequently asked questions

Setup

• You can create your Datev Kassenarchiv online account through the MeinFiskal portal.

• You need one DATEV license for each location, meaning if you have multiple locations then you will need multiple licenses.

• Your accounts are automatically mapped through the DATEV integration.

• To authorize the DATEV integration in Back Office, you will need to use your login details for your Datev Kassenarchiv online account.

• For detailed instructions on setting up your Datev Kassenarchiv online account and connecting Kassenbuch, refer to this guide from DATEV.

• As part of setting up the DATEV integration, the Kassenarchiv folder will be automatically created when the first archive is transferred, and you do not need to take any action to create it. Folders are created based on fiscal archives, which must have production transactions in them to create the folder. In cases where a merchant has not made any transactions since setting up the DATEV integration, a folder will not be created.

Data formatting and transmissions

• Yes, the DATEV integration transfers all transactional data, including cash movements and tips, from Lightspeed Restaurant to DATEV accounting.

• The Lightspeed Restaurant POS app sends data to DATEV at the end of each day. If the device and application are running, then the data will transfer at 5:30am. If the app is not left running, then the data will transfer the next time the Restaurant POS app is opened.

• No, the DATEV integration only transmits data from the moment it was activated onwards. Historical data prior to the integration setup cannot be sent.
  However, lower volumes of data, such as several weeks worth, can be manually uploaded to MeinFiskal by opening the relevant folder, and clicking 'Hochladen.' From the menu, select 'Kassenabschlüsse' (Cash Closures) and enter the time period of when the archive was created. The time period must be an exact match to upload correctly.
  DsfinVK archives are available from the Back Office by navigating Reports > Reports > German Tax Audit. The archive must be uploaded in its original form, without unzipping it. If you upload separate files, then the upload will not process correctly.

POS devices

• Yes, you can use the DATEV integration on multiple devices at the same time. All the data from these devices will be stored in a single folder, but each cash register will have its own separate archive and JSON files for each day.

• No, there is no limit to the number of active devices you can have at your location.

Troubleshooting

• If your MeinFiskal account only displays zip files, then DATEV hasn’t added the necessary configurations to this account. You will need to contact DATEV support and ask them to correct the issue.

• If you successfully completed the authorization process in Lightspeed Back Office, then the integration setup is likely not the issue with the data transmission. If you set up the integration on the same day as your inquiry, it may take until the next business day for your data to be transmitted from Lightspeed to DATEV. However, if even after the following day the data is still not available, then it could indicate a problem with your DATEV account. Insufficient device licenses or manually created folders are among the potential reasons for the data being unavailable.

• 1. If the Kassenarchiv folder was automatically created:
  One of the reasons why data might not be available in the Kassenarchiv folder is if the folder has the Manuelle Archieverung function on, which would mean that the folder is waiting for manual data entries. If this function is not enabled, then it could be an issue with the source data (DsFinVK) on Lightspeed’s side. After verifying that the Kassenarchiv folder was not manually created, post about this in the DATEV channel, and someone will assist you.
  2. If the Kassenarchiv folder was manually created:
  A manually created Kassenarchiv folder will have the Manuelle Archieverung function on, which would mean that the folder is waiting for manual data entries. However, the Kassenarchiv folder is meant to be created automatically as part of the integration setup. If the folder is manually created, then the integration will not work correctly, and data will not be transmitted from Lightspeed to DATEV. You will need to deactivate the manually created Kassenarchiv folder by clicking Verwalten > Kassenorndner deaktivieren. As soon as the folder is deactivated, inform the product team. Once the product team has completed some manual actions on Lightspeed’s side, you will have to re-set up the DATEV integration in Lightspeed Back Office.  Please note that you will only be able to re-set up the DATEV integration in Lightspeed Back Office after the previous folder is deactivated.