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Create a new accounting period - DATEV

Know how to close an accounting period / Create a new one

Create a new accounting period - DATEV

Create a new accounting period (Buchungszeitraum) in DATEV Unternehmen Online (UO) when your last period closes, for example at the start of a new calendar year. Missing accounting periods in DATEV cause export errors in Spendesk.

For: Admins and Controllers with DATEV Unternehmen Online (UO) access, on companies connected to the DATEV UO integration.

Before you start

  • You need admin access to DATEV Unternehmen Online (UO), independent of your Spendesk role.

  • Your company must have an active DATEV UO integration connected to Spendesk.

  • This action is performed directly in DATEV UO, not in Spendesk.

  • Best done before your current accounting period ends, to avoid export errors.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Log in to DATEV Unternehmen Online (UO) with your accountant or admin credentials.

  2. Open the accounting period (Buchungszeitraum) management area in DATEV UO.

  3. Create the new accounting period for the upcoming month or year, before Spendesk needs to export payables dated in that period.

  4. Confirm the new accounting period shows as open in DATEV UO.

  5. Return to Spendesk and retry any export that previously failed due to a missing period.

💡 Tip: DATEV UO usually creates new accounting periods automatically the first time a payable is imported for that period. Manual creation is mainly needed for past periods, which DATEV does not create automatically.

Troubleshooting

Symptom: An export from Spendesk to DATEV UO fails, and the error references a missing or unavailable accounting period.

Cause: The corresponding accounting period does not yet exist in DATEV UO, usually because it is a past period that was never automatically created.

Resolution:

  1. Identify the accounting period (month/year) referenced in the export error.

  2. Create that accounting period in DATEV UO, following the steps above.

  3. Retry the export in Spendesk.

⚠️ Warning: German law requires each invoice to be accounted for in the calendar month matching its invoice date. Backdating entries into a different, more recent period can trigger tax re-declarations and may lead to audits.

FAQs

Why does Spendesk ask me to create a new accounting period?

Spendesk relies on DATEV UO having an open accounting period for every date it needs to export. If that period doesn't exist yet, the export fails.

Who can create a new accounting period?

Only users with admin access to DATEV Unternehmen Online (UO) can do this — it isn't managed from within Spendesk.

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