The accounting export supports three formats, which you select in the basic settings: DATEV, Lexware and a universal general CSV format. This article describes the structure of each export file as well as the overarching concept of how ZEP turns receipts, daily allowance and mileage into booking records.
DATEV format
The DATEV export follows the DATEV specification for the ASCII import/export of booking batches. ZEP fills the fields below; fields that exist in the specification but are not populated by ZEP remain empty.
No. | Description | Content |
1 | Revenue (without debit/credit indicator) | Absolute amount of the receipt (in foreign currency if applicable) |
2 | Debit/Credit indicator | "S" (Debit) or "H" (Credit) |
3 | Currency Code Revenue | Currency of the revenue, 3-digit currency code (e.g. "EUR") |
4 | Exchange Rate | Empty if revenue is in base currency, otherwise the exchange rate for converting into the base currency. |
5 | Base Revenue | Empty if revenue is in base currency, otherwise the revenue converted into the base currency. |
6 | Currency Code Base Revenue | Empty if revenue is in base currency, otherwise the currency code of the base currency. |
7 | Account | Expense account (receipt type / daily allowance / mileage) or personnel number or creditor number |
8 | Offsetting Account | Account of the payment type or personnel number / creditor number of the employee |
9 | Tax Key | BU key (booking key) |
10 | Receipt Date | Invoice date in "DDMM" format according to DATEV specification |
11 | Receipt Field 1 | Receipt number for receipts, otherwise empty |
12 | Receipt Field 2 | empty |
13 | Cash Discount | empty |
14 | Booking Text | Receipt text, daily allowance or mileage including remark from ZEP |
15–19 | — | all empty |
20 | Receipt Link | Receipt number (only with DATEV export with receipt link) |
21–36 | — | all empty |
37 | KOST1 | Value according to the KOST1 configuration in the basic settings |
38 | KOST2 | Value according to the KOST2 configuration in the basic settings |
39 | — | empty |
40 | EU country and VAT ID | VAT identification number of the customer |
41 ff. | — | all empty |
Note: The EXTF header for DATEV Unternehmen online and the related master data such as consultant number, client, chart of accounts (SKR) and business-year start are activated via the DATEV settings. Details are in the article DATEV Configuration.
Lexware format
The Lexware format is significantly more compact than DATEV and consists of ten columns. It is designed for the import into Lexware Buchhalter.
No. | Description | Content |
1 | Receipt Date | Posting date of the receipt in "DD.MM.YYYY" format |
2 | Receipt Number | Receipt number for receipts, otherwise empty |
3 | Booking Text | Receipt text, daily allowance or mileage including remark from ZEP |
4 | Booking Amount | Amount |
5 | Debit Account | Expense account of the receipt type |
6 | Credit Account | Account of the payment type or personnel number / creditor number of the employee |
7 | Tax Key | BU key of the receipt type |
8 | Cost Center | Cost center according to KOST1 configuration |
9 | Cost Unit | Cost unit according to KOST2 configuration |
10 | Currency | Base currency (usually "EUR") |
General format
The general format outputs each booking in eleven columns and is intended as a universal CSV format. It is suitable if your accounting software supports neither DATEV nor Lexware import. The mapping into the target system happens on the customer side.
No. | Description | Content |
1 | Date | Posting date of the receipt in "DD.MM.YYYY" format |
2 | Receipt Number | Receipt number for receipts, otherwise empty |
3 | Amount | Amount |
4 | Currency | Currency of the revenue, 3-digit currency code (e.g. "EUR") |
5 | VAT | VAT rate of the receipt |
6 | Debit Account | Expense account of the receipt type |
7 | Credit Account | Account of the payment type or personnel number / creditor number of the employee |
8 | Booking Key | BU key of the receipt type |
9 | Booking Text | Receipt text, daily allowance or mileage including remark from ZEP |
10 | Cost Center | Cost center according to KOST1 configuration |
11 | Cost Unit | Cost unit according to KOST2 configuration |
Content of the export file
Regardless of the format, every booking that the accounting export creates is recorded from an internal perspective – meaning expenses or costs in the company, not amounts charged on to customers.
Split bookings and receipts
When a receipt is split across different accounts or cost centers (e.g. a hotel receipt across two projects), ZEP creates a split booking. The format of the split differs:
DATEV and General: Each split is exported as its own line. The sums per account match, the receipt number repeats.
Lexware: The receipt is exported as a Lexware-style split booking with one header line and multiple detail lines.
Daily allowance and mileage
Daily allowance (VMA) and mileage allowance are exported per day and employee, analogously to the cost accounting report. Lines with an amount of 0.00 (e.g. a tax-free day) do not appear in the export. ZEP automatically chooses which expense account and which tax code to use (tax-free vs. taxable) based on the configuration and the tax rules at the booking date.
Repeated export and later changes
Receipts and cost accounting reports that have already been exported can be re-exported – ZEP does not prevent it. In the overview of checked cost accounting reports, you see the date of the last export per entry and can optionally exclude already exported entries to receive only new ones.
Note: With DATEV export and active finalization, the exported bookings go directly into DATEV finalization – they can no longer be changed in DATEV afterwards.