Why is the sale booked at gross rather than the amount paid out?

Because revenue is the full amount your customer paid. The fee is a separate expense. Booking only the payout understates revenue, hides the fees and gets VAT wrong.

What is the Geldtransit account?

A clearing account for money moving between two of your own accounts (SKR03 1360, SKR04 1460). A payout leaves PayPal or Stripe and reaches the bank a few days later. Both sides are booked through Geldtransit, which ends at zero.

Do I need a separate DATEV account for PayPal?

Yes, a separate Finanzkonto per payment provider is common, like a second bank account. Then the balance in DATEV can be matched against the balance at PayPal or Stripe. Your Steuerberater picks the number.

What happens to PayPal holds and memo rows?

Memo rows, such as authorisations or money requests, don't change the balance and are skipped. Holds and their releases cancel out and aren't booked either. If the release falls outside the period, the tool tells you.

No. The export is read and the batch is built entirely in your browser. We only count that the tool was used, not what's in the file.

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// free tool

Convert PayPal and Stripe exports into a DATEV booking batch

For anyone who copies PayPal or Stripe transactions into DATEV by hand. The tool reads the export, books every transaction on your PayPal or Stripe account in DATEV and splits each sale from its fee. The result is a Buchungsstapel your Steuerberater can import. You set the accounts.

1. Load the export

Drop a CSV file here or choose one PayPal activity download or Stripe balance export (.csv)

Try it without your own file:

Which export to use

PayPal: Activity → Reports → Activity download, format CSV, one month at a time. Pick “Balance affecting” and, under “Customize report fields”, add the Transaction Event Code: the tool then classifies every row regardless of language.
Stripe: Reports → Balance → “Balance change from activity”, download the itemized CSV. The “All activity” export under Balances works too. The Payments export isn't enough, since it lacks payouts and fees.

2. Client and accounts

Chart of accounts

SKR03 SKR04

Beraternummer Mandantennummer Fiscal year starts in Account length (Sachkontenlänge)

Your Steuerberater has both numbers. They must match the client exactly, or DATEV rejects the import.

Accounts

Prefilled with common accounts from the chosen chart. Which accounts apply to your client is your Steuerberater's call. Agree the mapping with them before you pass the batch on.

PayPal or Stripe account The Finanzkonto your Steuerberater set up for PayPal or Stripe. The prefilled number is an example. Incoming payments (sales) 8400 / 4400 is the automatic account for 19% VAT. If you sell at 7%, into other EU countries, or already book your invoices elsewhere, use a different account here, such as a clearing or customer account. Refunds to customers Usually the same account as sales, so revenue and VAT go down. Fees Bank and payment fees. Whether Stripe fees fall under reverse charge is for your Steuerberater to decide. The tool sets no tax key. Payouts to the bank Cash in transit (Geldtransit). The other half of the booking comes with the bank statement. Unassigned transactions Purchases, chargebacks, conversions and anything unknown. These bookings are flagged and need a decision.

3. Result

Load an export or a sample and the booking batch appears here.

As of 25 September 2026. Columns and transaction types follow the PayPal activity download and Stripe's balance report (2025); suggested accounts follow the DATEV 2026 charts SKR03 and SKR04.

General information, not tax advice. The tool produces a booking proposal along a common pattern. Whether it fits your business is your Steuerberater's call. Agree accounts and approach with them before the batch is imported.

How it books

The payment account is treated like a bank account: every transaction that changes the balance is booked on it. Sale and fee are separate bookings, so revenue is recorded at gross and not at the payout amount.

Transaction	Booking (SKR03 / SKR04 prefilled)
Incoming payment	Payment account to revenue, gross amount (8400 / 4400)
Refund	Revenue to payment account (8400 / 4400)
Payout	Cash in transit to payment account (1360 / 1460)
Transfer from the bank	Payment account to cash in transit (1360 / 1460)
Chargeback or dispute	To the unassigned account (1590 / 1370), flagged
Purchase paid with PayPal	To the unassigned account, flagged: the receipt decides which expense it is
Currency conversion	Only euro is booked. Foreign-currency rows are listed, not booked
Fee on any transaction	Bank and payment fees to payment account (4970 / 6855), no tax key

What this tool doesn't cover

Foreign currencies: only euro transactions are booked, everything else is listed
Different VAT rates and EU sales: all incoming payments go to one account. For OSS cases, see the DATEV tax key finder
Matching payments to invoices or customer accounts (open items)
VAT on Stripe fees
PayPal exports from before 2017 with different column names

DATEV tax key and revenue account finder → DATEV EXTF file validator →

Frequently asked questions

Why is the sale booked at gross rather than the amount paid out?: Because revenue is the full amount your customer paid. The fee is a separate expense. Booking only the payout understates revenue, hides the fees and gets VAT wrong.
What is the Geldtransit account?: A clearing account for money moving between two of your own accounts (SKR03 1360, SKR04 1460). A payout leaves PayPal or Stripe and reaches the bank a few days later. Both sides are booked through Geldtransit, which ends at zero.
Do I need a separate DATEV account for PayPal?: Yes, a separate Finanzkonto per payment provider is common, like a second bank account. Then the balance in DATEV can be matched against the balance at PayPal or Stripe. Your Steuerberater picks the number.
What happens to PayPal holds and memo rows?: Memo rows, such as authorisations or money requests, don't change the balance and are skipped. Holds and their releases cancel out and aren't booked either. If the release falls outside the period, the tool tells you.
Is my file uploaded?: No. The export is read and the batch is built entirely in your browser. We only count that the tool was used, not what's in the file.

// scoping request

Moving PayPal, Stripe and your shop into DATEV by hand every month? We build and operate the integration that books payments, fees and payouts automatically, agreed with your Steuerberater, OSS and foreign currency included. Fixed-price scoping quote within 48 hours.