DATEV Software – Service for tax consultancy and financial accounting
DATEV is a software service provider with a focus on tax consultancy and financial accounting. The name DATEV stands somewhat unwieldily for “Data processing organisation of tax agents for members of the tax consulting profession”. Strictly speaking, DATEV is a registered cooperative (eG). Originally, you could only become a member if you were a tax consultant, auditor or lawyer. Today, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as municipalities, associations and institutions can also work with DATEV. In addition, the organization also works on an international level.
What exactly does DATEV software do?
DATEV was founded in the 1960s to simplify the handling of tax returns for tax advisors and their clients. In doing so, it has always moved with the times: DATEV Software has not only met the ever-changing technical requirements, but has also expanded its business fields over time.
The following areas belong to the business fields of DATEV eG:
DATEV software for accounting and financial accounting
Around 2.5 million German companies, or their tax advisors, do their financial accounting with software from DATEV.
Payroll accounting
Every month, around 13 million payrolls are processed nationwide – 80% of which are still printed and sent out at the in-house printing and logistics center in Nuremberg.
Data distribution and information provision
DATEV also includes a computer center that processes and sends largely automated tax and accounting-relevant data between tax administrations and other institutions, tax advisors and their clients.
Security services
Since digitalization and the increasing distribution of data, the topic of data protection and security has become an important area of business.
Consulting
DATEV has also made a name for itself as a consulting company, especially for law firms and tax consultants.
Software for auditing
Auditors benefit from customized software products as well as offerings for quality control and digital data analysis.
Solutions for lawyers
Since 1998, DATEV has also offered software solutions for lawyers, including the law firm system ” lawyer classic pro”.
Software for municipalities and municipal enterprises
Public enterprises and administrations are also increasingly working with business software solutions.
What are the advantages of DATEV software?
With DATEV software, not only tax advisors but now also their clients can do their tax returns quickly, easily and digitally. However, it would be too short-sighted to reduce the organization only to standard financial accounting processes.
Searching in DATEV’s software shop, you will find more than 2,400 different products (e.g. DATEV Unternehmen online, DATEV Mittelstand Faktura- Programm, DATEV DMS and many more).
Although the development originated from an organization for tax agents, today almost 40 percent of the services offered are intended for companies. This starts with classic accounting for SMEs, continues with asset accounting, special software to access applications more easily online and from any location, and does not end with a payment data service for PayPal and a personnel management service.
Another advantage is the implementation of turnover tax checks. This enables companies to compare turnover declared in the advance VAT returns with the actual results from the annual financial statements (P&L). This is especially helpful if you don’t want to experience any nasty surprises at the next audit.
What is the significance of DATEV software for the Subscription Economy?
When DATEV was founded in 1966, the EDP era was proclaimed at the same time. However, while punch cards were still sent by post back then, today Cloud Computing is the magic word. Especially in dynamic times, in which more and more companies are emerging that offer subscription offers, the topic of tax returns and their processing must be rethought.
It is important to know that it is originally a Windows software. However, there are now emulators so that the software can also run on Mac computers. The data management itself runs on Microsoft SQL servers.
Conclusion: DATEV software – a “must” even for small users
At the latest since DATEV has opened up and since 2005 has also enabled the so-called member-bound client business, the comfortable data processing has also arrived at self-employed persons, freelancers as well as small entrepreneurs. However, due to the membership-based nature, the prior consent of the tax advisor is still necessary.
So anyone who wants to rely on professional and online bookkeeping and accounting cannot get around the products and services. In addition, numerous integrations and extensions of other accounting programs make the life of the tax advisor and the financial accountant easier.
