What a posting batch actually is
A DATEV posting batch is a structured file — usually in the EXTF/DTVF format as CSV — that hands finished posting records to the firm. Not the invoice itself, but the posting for it: account, contra account, amount, tax key, voucher field.
The idea behind it: the firm does not retype, it takes over. But that only works if the handed-over fields are correct.
The fields that matter
A few fields decide between value and trouble. Account and contra account determine where it is posted. The tax key determines the VAT treatment. The voucher field links the posting to the original document. Amount and date must match the invoice exactly.
A wrong tax key or a missing voucher link quickly turns “time saving” into “query”. This is exactly where clean separates from sloppy hand-over.
The voucher link is not a detail
A posting batch without a link to the original document forces the firm to search. With a voucher link every posting leads directly to the corresponding invoice — that is not just convenient but relevant for traceability under GoBD.
Whoever delivers the batch without a document reference saves themselves work at the firm's expense. That backfires at the latest in an audit or on the firm's bill.
Why data quality comes before automation
A posting batch does not automate correctness, only transmission. If accounts, tax keys or assignments are wrong, you automate the error — faster, but wrong.
That is why clean capture belongs before the export: correct creditors, maintained default accounts, clear VAT keys. A batch is only as good as the data flowing into it.
Where hand-overs fail
Always the same classics:
- Wrong or missing tax key.
- No voucher link — the firm must assign every posting manually.
- Amounts or dates that do not match the invoice exactly.
- Inconsistent account assignment from month to month.
- A batch without the archived original in the background.