Checked expense reports from the travel expense management can be converted into an accounting format and imported into the accounting system using the Export for Accounting module. This eliminates manual transfer steps between travel expense management and payroll or financial accounting.
Availability
Note: The Export for Accounting module is only available in ZEP Professional. In ZEP Clock and ZEP Compact, the expense report is downloaded as a PDF or submitted via email and entered into accounting manually.
In ZEP Professional, the module can be added via the Self-Service Tool under Administration > Account. Once activated, the administration tile Administration > Export for Accounting appears with the various export areas.
Export formats
In the module master settings under Administration > Export for Accounting > Settings, you choose the target format of the export:
DATEV: standard format for DATEV accounting software, compatible with DATEV Financial Accounting
Lexware: CSV format for the Lexware product range
Generic: generic CSV format that can be imported into many other accounting systems (mapping is adjusted in the target system)
Per format, you configure the additional columns such as accounts and cost centers via the respective fields in the settings form.
Export approved expense reports
Under Administration > Export for Accounting > Approved expense reports, you transfer checked and paid out expense reports to accounting:
Filter the overview by period, employees, department, or project
Select the expense reports to export via the checkboxes
Click Export; ZEP generates the file in the configured format and makes it available for download
Exported expense reports automatically receive the timestamp export date and are write-protected afterward. This ensures that a report already handed over to accounting is not changed by mistake.
Assign accounts and cost centers
To ensure that the accounting entries land on the correct accounts upon import into the accounting system, the accounts are stored at the corresponding master data in ZEP.
Accounts per receipt type: Under Administration > Prices and Costs > Receipt types, you open a receipt type (e.g., overnight stay, train/flight, hospitality) and enter the corresponding account per tax rate:
Account: the primary booking account per receipt type and tax rate
2nd account: optional contra account if the accounting logic requires a second account
Freelancer account or 2nd freelancer account: deviating accounts for posting for freelancers with credit-note billing
Cost center sources: Per posting, ZEP supports two cost center sources that are checked sequentially in the export:
Cost center per project: a default cost center is stored per project; all trips for this project are booked to this cost center
Cost center per employee: if an employee has a fixed cost center (typically the department), it is used as a fallback
Which source takes precedence is determined by the configuration in the accounting export settings. Typically the project cost center is the primary value and the employee cost center the fallback.
Contents of the export file
The export file per expense report contains in particular:
Personnel number and vendor number of the employee
Document texts per item (travel date, destination, receipt type)
Amount, separated into tax-free and taxable shares as well as input tax
Account and contra account according to the settings per receipt type and travel activity
Cost center from project or employee master data
Booking date: the export date or the date of the payout
Receipt files: uploaded receipt PDFs and photo receipts are included as links in the DATEV export when the option with receipt link is enabled; alternatively they can be downloaded as a ZIP via the separate receipt download and filed alongside the booking file
