Accounting according to GoBD: What your software must be able to do

Everything has changed since the beginning of last year. In addition to the GoBS (principles of proper IT-supported accounting systems) and GDPdU (principles of data access and verifiability of digital documents), the GoBD now also apply.

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GOBD, i.e. principles for the proper management and storage of books, records and documents in electronic form and for data access.
The short form: the GoBD specify how the Accounting should be implemented in software systems.

The top priority for GoBD-compliant accounting is still to ensure traceability, completeness and accuracy in the system. The exact requirements that accounting software must (or can) fulfil in accordance with the GoBD standard are listed here:

Safety firstNo matter what data is involved. In Germany, data is stored on dedicated servers under our data protection laws. It is also important to comply with the retention periods. A system must guarantee secure storage.
Original: the originally uploaded document must be retained in the same way. Appropriate authorisation settings can also ensure the security of all documents.
On the wholeCompleteness is very important in accounting. For this reason, it should be possible in the system to Business transaction and link other documents to it. The software should also log the processing of the incidents in order to cover everything in terms of traceability.
Search & findFull-text search or drill-down functions are standard in good accounting software. The system should also allow everything to be filed clearly and in an organised manner.
Assistant: Current or pending postings must also be tracked in the system (e.g. using an account assignment assistant). Information can thus be called up quickly and understood by employees.
Automatic: All relevant receipts are immediately allocated to the respective cash movement. The current cash balance can also be called up with a click. The options for quick analyses and reports are a major advantage of the accounting software.
Easily testedIn addition to fast reporting, tax auditors can also be pleased with the types of access that the system guarantees. External access - or any access at all - can be controlled and documented in a differentiated manner using the authorisation settings.
At every turn: Process documentation is also important for the GoBD. The system must document all processing steps.