Accounting Exports & Integrations
After reading this article you'll know which route gets your invoices into accounting today — file export (DATEV, BMD) or direct transfer (sevdesk, bexio) — and what you need to set up for it.
Univents gets your invoice data to where your tax advisor or accounting software needs it. There are two routes, and the difference matters:
- File export. You download a CSV file and hand it on. That's the route for DATEV and BMD.
- Direct transfer. You connect your accounting account once, and from then on every issued invoice moves across with a single click. That's the route for sevdesk, bexio and Lexware Office.
Overview: what works today
| Provider | Type | Status | What is transferred |
|---|---|---|---|
| DATEV | File export (EXTF CSV) | Available | Outgoing invoices as a posting batch |
| BMD NTCS | File export (CSV) | Available | Outgoing invoices as a posting batch |
| sevdesk | Direct transfer | Available | Invoices, customer contacts, optionally the payment status back |
| bexio | Direct transfer | Available | Invoices, customer contacts, optionally the payment status back |
| Lexware Office | Direct transfer | Available | Invoices, customer contacts, optionally the payment status back |
| BuchhaltungsButler | Direct transfer | In preparation | — |
You'll find all six under Integrations in the left sidebar. You land on All integrations; click the Accounting category on the left or type the name into the search box. The ← All integrations link at the top left takes you back to the directory at any time.
All accounting connections are included from the Growth plan upwards. On smaller plans the card shows an upgrade notice instead of the feature.
Enter your DATEV settings
The DATEV export does not replace your own accounting software — it gives your tax advisor the file they need to import into their practice software.
- Open Integrations and then the DATEV card.
- Under DATEV credentials, enter your tax advisor's consultant number (7 digits) and client number (5 digits).
- Under Chart of accounts, choose between SKR 03 and SKR 04 and set the account number length (4–8 digits) and the start of the fiscal year.
- Under Default accounts, enter the collective debtor account and the revenue accounts for 19 % and 7 % VAT — fallback values for when no account number is stored on the contact or product.
- Click Save settings.
Ask your tax advisor for these values before entering them — wrong account numbers lead to follow-up questions during the import.
Export a posting batch
- On the DATEV card, in the Export posting batch section, choose the period using From and To (the last full month is preselected).
- Click Download DATEV CSV.
- Univents downloads the file and marks the included invoices as exported.
The export only contains finalised outgoing invoices with the status issued, sent, paid or overdue — drafts are deliberately left out. Cancelled invoices are not exported again, because the cancellation is represented by the matching credit note. Invoices that have already been exported are skipped by default; if you need them again, switch on Re-export: include already exported invoices — agree this with your tax advisor first to avoid double postings.
If the consultant number, client number or chart of accounts is still missing, Univents shows a DATEV settings missing notice at the top of the card with a direct link to the settings.
BMD NTCS
Austrian businesses get the same route in the BMD format: choose the period, check the preview, download the CSV. The full guide, including revenue and customer accounts, is in the BMD export article.
Connect sevdesk directly
sevdesk is the first direct connection: you store your own sevdesk API token, and from then on you transfer an issued invoice with one click — with line items, tax rates and the recipient as a customer. The step-by-step guide is in How do I connect my sevdesk account?.
New: invoices travel on their own. As soon as you issue or send an invoice, Univents creates it in your accounting software automatically — you no longer have to remember. The switch Transfer invoices automatically sits on the connection's detail page and is on from the start. If you'd rather check before anything goes over, switch it off and keep using the button on the invoice. If an automatic transfer fails, the reason appears in the transfer log below it and you can retry from the invoice — the invoice itself is issued normally either way.
Two further extra functions are optional and can be switched on individually:
- Take over payments. When a transferred invoice is marked as fully paid in sevdesk, Univents automatically marks it as paid here too, once per hour. The switch is off by default. Don't use it at the same time as the DATEV/BMD export or the bank statement import for the same invoices — otherwise a payment is recorded twice. Partial payments are not taken over yet.
- Transfer customer contacts. One click creates every customer who has ever received a quote or invoice from you in sevdesk — without typing anything twice. Address book entries without a document are not transferred, and existing contacts are never overwritten.
Connect bexio directly
bexio is the second direct connection: you sign in with your bexio account once, and from then on you transfer an issued invoice with one click — with line items, tax rates and the recipient as a contact. The step-by-step guide is in Connect & use bexio.
bexio offers the same two optional extra functions as sevdesk (see above): take over payments and transfer customer contacts.
Connect Lexware Office directly
Lexware Office (formerly lexoffice) is the third direct connection: you sign in with your Lexware Office account once, and from then on every issued invoice moves across with one click — with line items, tax rates and the recipient as a contact. Supported tax rates are 0%, 7% and 19%; small-business invoices under § 19 UStG can be transferred and are recorded there as tax-exempt. The step-by-step guide is in Connect Lexware Office.
Lexware Office also offers take over payments and transfer customer contacts.
BuchhaltungsButler
You'll see this card in the directory marked Coming soon. It cannot be connected yet. Click Register interest on the card — we collect how often each connection is needed and get in touch as soon as yours goes live.
Until then there are five routes into accounting: sevdesk, bexio or Lexware Office as a direct transfer, DATEV or BMD as a file. Ask your tax advisor whether they can import DATEV files — many practices can, even when they work with a different program themselves.
To read up:
Frequently asked questions
Which invoices end up in the export? Only finalised outgoing invoices in the chosen period (status issued, sent, paid or overdue). Drafts and cancelled invoices are excluded — the cancellation is represented by the credit note.
I only see an upgrade notice on the card — why? The accounting connections are included from the Growth plan upwards. On smaller plans there's an upgrade notice instead of the feature.
Can I export an invoice a second time? Yes, using the Re-export: include already exported invoices option. By default, already exported invoices are excluded so nothing is posted twice.
Can support enable BuchhaltungsButler for me? No. There is currently no way to do that — register your interest on the card and we'll let you know as soon as it starts.
Which direct connection fits me? sevdesk and Lexware Office are widely used in Germany, bexio in Switzerland. All three transfer invoices and customer contacts and can report the payment status back. Small businesses under § 19 UStG transfer their invoices via Lexware Office — sevdesk and bexio do not support that tax case.
Can I use the file export and the direct transfer at the same time? Technically yes, but not for the same invoices: your accounting would receive the same document twice. Decide on one route per set of invoices.
Do you also want to adjust invoice number ranges or price conditions that show up in the export? That's covered in Document numbers and price conditions.