# Convert PayPal and Stripe exports into a DATEV booking batch

Load the CSV export from PayPal or Stripe and get a DATEV Buchungsstapel: sales at gross, fees booked separately, payouts through the transit account. Free, and the file stays in your browser.

## 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.

## 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

*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.*

## 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.

## DATEV integrations where this matters

- [Shopify ↔ DATEV](https://seamless.engineering/integrations/shopify-datev/): Shopify DATEV integration
- [Amazon ↔ DATEV](https://seamless.engineering/integrations/amazon-datev/): Amazon DATEV integration
- [WooCommerce ↔ DATEV](https://seamless.engineering/integrations/woocommerce-datev/): WooCommerce DATEV integration
- [Stripe ↔ DATEV](https://seamless.engineering/integrations/stripe-datev/): Stripe DATEV integration
- [PayPal ↔ DATEV](https://seamless.engineering/integrations/paypal-datev/): PayPal DATEV integration
- [JTL ↔ DATEV](https://seamless.engineering/integrations/jtl-datev/): JTL DATEV integration
- [lexoffice ↔ DATEV](https://seamless.engineering/integrations/lexoffice-datev/): lexoffice DATEV integration
- [sevDesk ↔ DATEV](https://seamless.engineering/integrations/sevdesk-datev/): sevDesk DATEV integration

## Request a scoping call

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.

- Email: hello@seamless.engineering
- Contact form: https://seamless.engineering/#contact