Payroll in DATEV, posting in SAP Business One
SAP Business One does not calculate wages and salaries – DATEV does. With the SAP package “Personalabrechnung mit DATEV HR” (payroll with DATEV HR) you transfer employee data to DATEV Lohn und Gehalt or LODAS and read the finished payroll back in as a posting document. It makes no difference whether your tax adviser runs the payroll or your own payroll team does.
SAP Business One Gold Partner in business since 1999 more than 400 midsize customers offices in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Payroll with SAP Business One – in brief
Payroll accounting calculates each employee’s net pay from gross pay, pays over wage tax and social security contributions and produces the statutory reports. Every payroll run ends with a posting document for financial accounting.
SAP Business One has no payroll in its standard scope. For companies in Germany, SAP provides the package “Personalabrechnung mit DATEV HR”: payroll runs in the DATEV applications Lohn und Gehalt or LODAS, SAP Business One supplies the employee data and takes over the result.
In practice this means employee data is maintained once in SAP Business One, the tax adviser receives it as a file, and the payroll arrives in financial accounting as a draft journal entry – to be checked and posted rather than retyped.
- Classification
- SAP package “Personalabrechnung mit DATEV HR” for SAP Business One
- Payroll runs in
- DATEV Lohn und Gehalt or LODAS
- Who runs payroll
- tax adviser or in-house payroll team
- Return path
- payroll as a draft journal entry
- Technical basis
- SAP Business One integration component, DATEV-HR scenario
- Prerequisite
- company database with German localization
- Several companies
- several company databases supported
- Implemented by
- init consulting AG, SAP Business One Gold Partner
Where payroll costs midsize companies time
Typical situations when payroll in DATEV and accounting in SAP Business One run without a connection.
Payroll postings are retyped
The payroll journal arrives as a PDF from the tax adviser and the posting is entered by hand in financial accounting. Every month brings the same reconciliation work.
Employee data in two places
Name, address and bank details are held in the ERP and again at the tax adviser. Which version is correct only becomes clear when they differ.
Changes get lost
New hires, moves or new bank details are reported by email or phone – and sometimes reach the tax adviser only after the payroll run.
Month-end reconciliation
Payroll expense in the books and the payroll journal do not match because an item is missing or was entered twice. Tracking it down costs time at closing.
Several companies, several routines
Each company reports to the tax adviser differently and posts differently. There is no common process.
The tax adviser should stay
Payroll at the tax adviser works and nobody wants an in-house payroll system. What is needed is a clean connection, not new software in payroll.
How SAP Business One and DATEV work together
This is how SAP describes the process in its guide to payroll with DATEV HR. Payroll is calculated in DATEV, data is maintained and posted in SAP Business One.
Capture in SAP Business One
Employee master data contains additional fields for DATEV. General data, home address, personal data and financial data are transferred.
Transfer to DATEV
In the employee list, the relevant employees are selected and transferred. The data is exported to a file that goes to the tax adviser.
Run payroll in DATEV
The tax adviser or the in-house payroll team runs payroll in DATEV Lohn und Gehalt or LODAS and adds any missing details, for example on social security.
Read in and post
The payroll file is placed in the inbound folder. SAP Business One creates a draft journal entry from it and notifies the responsible user, who checks and posts it.
What the DATEV HR payroll package covers
The scope follows SAP’s guide. The source is listed at the end of the page.
Additional fields in employee master data
Employee master data offers numerous additional fields that supply the master data in the DATEV applications with the most important information.
Transfer from the employee list
Select employees, transfer, done. Additional columns in the employee list show the last successful data transfer.
Payroll as a draft journal entry
The payroll file supplied by the tax adviser is read in and created as a draft journal entry – with a document number and a request to check and post it.
Messages in the system
In the Messages/Alerts Overview window, the package reports the start and end of processing, the name of the export file with the list of employees, and journal entries that have been read in.
Several company databases
Employee data can be transferred from several company databases and payroll results read into several company databases. The assignment uses the database name in the payroll file.
Existing authorizations
The standard SAP Business One authorizations for HR and employee master data apply. No separate role concept is needed.
What changes in accounting and payroll
| Feature | What it means day to day | Business result |
|---|---|---|
| Employee data from SAP Business One | The tax adviser receives a structured file instead of individual emails. | Fewer queries and fewer errors in the payroll run. |
| Payroll as a draft journal entry | The payroll posting is imported, not retyped from a printout. | Faster month-end closing, no transfer errors in personnel cost postings. |
| Check before posting | Accounting sees the document before it takes effect. | Control stays with financial accounting. |
| Payroll stays in DATEV | The tax adviser or payroll team keeps working in the application they know. | No system change in payroll, existing expertise stays usable. |
| Transfer status in the employee list | It is visible when which data was last transferred successfully. | Traceability when the tax adviser has questions. |
What payroll with DATEV HR does not do
These points belong before the decision, not in the first project meeting after signing.
SAP Business One does not calculate payroll
Calculation, reports to social security and the tax office, and certificates are produced in DATEV, not in SAP Business One.
Exchange via files
Employee data is exported to a file that goes to the tax adviser. The payroll also comes back as a file. An ongoing online connection to DATEV is not described in the guide.
Not all data is transferred
Passport details and employee costs are not transferred. Details such as social security information are added by the tax adviser in DATEV.
Posting follows a check
The payroll is created as a draft journal entry and is not posted automatically. Someone in accounting has to check and post it.
Germany only
A company database with German localization is required. For companies in Austria or Switzerland we discuss the right solution with you.
Integration component required
The package runs on the SAP Business One integration component with the DATEV-HR scenario activated. It has to be installed and operated.
From the current-state review to the first imported payroll
Current-state review
We clarify who runs payroll today, with which DATEV application, how many companies are involved and how the payroll posting reaches financial accounting today.
Setup
We install the integration component, activate the DATEV-HR scenario, define the folders for outbound and inbound files and decide who is notified about imported documents.
Complete master data
Employee master data in SAP Business One is extended with the details DATEV needs. Beforehand we agree who maintains which fields.
Alignment with the tax adviser
File exchange, assignment to the right company database and account assignment are agreed with your tax adviser. We recommend a test month before the new process replaces the old one.
Operation
After go-live your contacts stay the same. Support and maintenance come from the same company.
Payroll terms explained
- Personalabrechnung mit DATEV HR
- An SAP package for SAP Business One (payroll with DATEV HR). It supplies the DATEV payroll applications with employee data and reads the finished payroll back in as a posting document.
- DATEV Lohn und Gehalt / LODAS
- The two payroll applications from DATEV, the German software cooperative used by tax advisers and companies to calculate wages and salaries. The DATEV HR package supports both.
- Gross-to-net calculation
- The monthly pay calculation per employee: from gross pay via wage tax and social security contributions to the amount paid out.
- Draft journal entry
- A posting document in SAP Business One that has been created but not yet posted. It is checked first and only then posted.
- Employee master data
- The master record of an employee in SAP Business One with general, personal and financial details. It is the source of the data sent to DATEV.
- Integration component
- The SAP Business One integration component with the integration framework. The DATEV-HR scenario runs on it.
- Localization
- The country version of a company database in SAP Business One. DATEV HR requires the German localization.
Topics related to payroll
How payroll postings are processed further in financial accounting is described on the accounting page. If personnel costs are to be allocated to projects, project management is the next building block.
For storing HR documents digitally, document management with B1ECM is the starting point. Licensing models and cost factors are summarized on prices and costs; an overview of the system as a whole is given in ERP for SMEs.
Questions about payroll with SAP Business One
Is payroll included in SAP Business One?
No. SAP Business One has no wage and salary payroll in its standard scope. For companies in Germany, SAP provides the package “Personalabrechnung mit DATEV HR”: payroll is calculated in DATEV Lohn und Gehalt or LODAS, SAP Business One supplies the employee data and takes over the result.
Can our tax adviser keep running payroll?
Yes, that is exactly what the package is for. Your tax adviser keeps running payroll in DATEV and receives the employee data as a file from SAP Business One. The payroll comes back as a file.
Does it also work if we run payroll ourselves?
Yes. The package also supports companies that run payroll themselves with DATEV Lohn und Gehalt or LODAS.
How does employee data get to DATEV?
In the employee list in SAP Business One, employees are selected and transferred. The data is exported to a file that goes to the tax adviser. Additional columns show the last successful transfer.
Which employee data is transferred?
General data such as the name, the home address, personal data without passport details, and financial data without employee costs. Details such as social security information are added by the tax adviser in DATEV.
How do payroll postings reach financial accounting?
The tax adviser’s payroll file is placed in the inbound folder. SAP Business One creates a draft journal entry from it and notifies the responsible user, who checks and posts it.
What are the technical prerequisites?
A company database with German localization and the SAP Business One integration component with the DATEV-HR scenario activated. We take care of installation and setup.
Does it work with several companies?
Yes. Employee data can be transferred from several company databases and payroll results read into several company databases. The assignment uses the database name in the payroll file.
What does the connection cost?
The effort depends on the number of companies, the state of the employee master data and the alignment with your tax adviser. The online calculator gives a first estimate. Costs on the DATEV side are a matter for DATEV or your tax adviser.
Does this also apply to Austria and Switzerland?
No. The package requires a company database with German localization. For companies in Austria or Switzerland we discuss the right solution with you.
Who supports us after go-live?
The same contacts who accompanied the project. Consulting, implementation and support come from one company, with a personal direct line rather than a ticket number as the only contact.
Work out what connecting to DATEV will cost
The online calculator gives you a first, non-binding estimate. Useful for the conversation: the number of companies and employees, the DATEV application your tax adviser uses, and an example of how the payroll posting reaches financial accounting today.
Direct contact
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