Chift is now certified for DATEV BuchungsdatenService

DATEV is the dominant accounting platform used by German tax advisors and accountants. Roughly 40% of German tax advisors work in DATEV as their primary system. It is where financial data is reviewed, validated, and signed off.

For any software operating in the German market, this has a direct consequence: data that doesn't arrive in a DATEV-compatible format creates friction in a workflow that is otherwise tightly structured. German accountants have built their processes around DATEV. The software tools their SME clients use are evaluated, at least in part, on how well they fit into that ecosystem.

Read our guide on how to succeed an integration with DATEV.

What BuchungsdatenService does

DATEV BuchungsdatenService is the service that enables structured data exchange between third-party software and DATEV's accounting system.

In practice, it allows external tools, invoicing platforms, POS systems, ERPs, e-commerce platforms, spend management tools, to push financial data directly into a DATEV-managed accounting file. No manual export. No reformatting. No re-entry.

The data transferred through the service covers:

• Booking data: individual bookings, recurring bookings, booking text constants
• Master data: customer and vendor master data, account labels, account notes, payment terms, addresses, text keys
• Fixed asset data: journal entries or branches for fixed asset accounting
• Document images: stored in DATEV Belege online and automatically linked to their corresponding accounting entries

The flow is straightforward. Booking and master data from the connected software are virus-checked and securely transferred to the DATEV cloud. They arrive as complete, structured accounting entries inside DATEV Kanzlei-Rechnungswesen or DATEV Mittelstand Faktura with accounting.

Why is the certification is significant

DATEV controls the certification process tightly. To become a certified API partner, a software provider must meet DATEV's technical and data quality standards, which DATEV validates formally before granting access.

This matters for three reasons.

Distribution. German accountants are the primary route to SME clients in Germany. A DATEV certification signals that your software is a verified, compatible tool, removing friction from the recommendation and onboarding process.

Trust. German accountants carry professional liability for the accuracy of the data they handle. They are selective about which tools they bring into their workflow. Certification answers the question "can I trust this tool with my clients' data?" before it is asked.

Barrier to entry. Certification is not trivial to obtain. Software vendors who have it are in a materially different position than those who don't when it comes to being recommended and integrated by German accounting practices.

What Chift's certification means in practice

Chift is now a certified DATEV BuchungsdatenService partner.

Any software vendor connecting to Chift's API can push structured financial data into DATEV, without going through the certification process themselves, and without building or maintaining the DATEV integration in-house.

Through Chift, you can sync booking (chift journal entries as well as customer and supplier data) and master data from your platform directly into DATEV, with document images transferred and linked automatically to accounting entries in DATEV Belege online.

The German market is large, structured, and accountant-driven. BuchungsdatenService is the integration layer that makes it accessible. Chift's certification removes the most significant technical barrier for software vendors looking to operate there.

Want to connect your software to DATEV? Get in touch with out team.