Datev

What DATEV does

DATEV is a German software cooperative founded in Nuremberg in 1966. Its systems cover payroll, financial accounting and tax filing. In practice DATEV is the default in the German market: most tax advisors work in it, so companies that use an external advisor usually end up on the same platform.

Features

• Payroll: monthly payroll runs including social security and wage tax reporting, built around German statutory requirements.
• Financial accounting: bookkeeping, open item management and the data exchange format every German tax advisor expects.
• Advisor handover: the shared data set removes the export-and-reconcile step between company and advisor.
• Integrations: connects to upstream tools such as Yokoy for expense and invoice workflows.

Strengths

• Market standard: if your tax advisor works in DATEV, using it removes a whole class of reconciliation work.
• Statutory coverage: German payroll and tax rules are maintained by the vendor, not by you.
• Scales with the company: the same platform serves a ten-person firm and a mid-sized group.

Limitations

• Pricing is not public: list prices are not published, so a comparison needs a quote.
• Interface and onboarding: the software is built for accounting professionals, and teams without that background need training.
• German focus: for groups with entities outside Germany, DATEV rarely covers the full picture on its own.

Alternatives

• Sage – finance and payroll software with a broader international footprint.
• Lexoffice – cloud bookkeeping aimed at freelancers and small companies.
• Xero – cloud accounting platform used widely outside Germany.
• QuickBooks – accounting and payroll for small and mid-sized businesses.
• Weclapp – ERP suite that bundles accounting with other business processes.