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A GoBD-compliant POS system – legally sound with orderbird PRO

It has been a long day, the place was full and you are just hoping everything adds up at the next tax audit. No receipts forgotten, no data lost, no trouble with the tax office.

With orderbird PRO you work GoBD-compliant: from the first order to the export for your tax advisor. So that you no longer have to be afraid when someone from the tax office is at the door.

Work GoBD-compliant with orderbird now

What is the GoBD?

The same thing every time: the tax office announces a visit and you ask yourself whether your POS records are really watertight. Whether all the data is there. Whether you can prove that nothing has been manipulated.

GoBD stands for "Grundsätze zur ordnungsmäßigen Führung und Aufbewahrung von Büchern, Aufzeichnungen und Unterlagen in elektronischer Form sowie zum Datenzugriff" (principles for the proper keeping and retention of books, records and documents in electronic form and for data access). They govern all the requirements the tax authorities place on bookkeeping and tax-relevant data, whether electronic or on paper. They also set out the rules on how the tax authorities may access electronic data during audits. Why is it important to know exactly what the GoBD say? To know what the tax office expects of your bookkeeping, and to be sure what an inspector may and may not do during a tax audit.

The GoBD have applied since 1 January 2015. They replace the previously applicable "Grundsätze zum Datenzugriff und zur Prüfbarkeit digitaler Unterlagen" (GDPdU) and the "Grundsätze ordnungsgemäßer DV-gestützter Buchführungssysteme" (GoBS).

What the GoBD mean for you

The GoBD lay down how businesses have to keep and retain their digital data. From the receipt to the monthly closing. For hospitality professionals that means: every sale, every cancellation, every booking has to be stored completely, traceably and securely.

What used to be ring binders and paper chaos is digital today, and auditable too. The tax office uses special software to analyze POS data.

Anyone who is not prepared risks back payments or penalties.

Working GoBD-compliant – on the safe side with orderbird PRO

Do you want to concentrate on your business rather than on legal clauses? orderbird PRO is your tax office compliant iPad POS system that meets every GoBD requirement.

What orderbird PRO takes care of for you:

  • An integrated online TSS

    Every transaction is encrypted by the technical security system and stored tamper-proof. You do not have to install anything extra.

  • Secure archiving

    All POS data is stored automatically on German servers. Unalterable. Traceable. For 10 years.

  • Live reporting & full transparency

    See in real time what your place is taking. Access your revenue figures and reports from anywhere – via MY orderbird, your digital back office.

  • Process documentation included

    The process documentation describes how your POS system works. With orderbird PRO it is already on file – you do not have to create it yourself.

  • A DATEV export at the push of a button

    Your tax advisor needs data? One click and all the information is transmitted: tax office compliant and in seconds.

  • For Germany and Austria

    orderbird PRO meets not only the German KassenSichV but also the Austrian cash register obligation.

Your advantage: a stress-free tax audit

With orderbird PRO you have all the data under control. When the tax office comes, you export the requested information in just a few minutes.

Get free advice now

Which data is tax-relevant?

According to the German Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF), all data has to be retained "in so far as it is of significance for taxation". That leaves the tax authorities a loophole, because tax relevance has to be established case by case. Even so, the GoBD give rough pointers: key figures from financial accounting, asset accounting or payroll accounting are included. The relevant data covers:

  • Books and reports, opening balance sheets and the associated work instructions, inventories and annual financial statements as well as the opening balance sheet

  • Business and commercial correspondence

  • Accounting vouchers

  • Journal data (individual orders, cash-ups, cancellations with reasons, and so on)

  • Reports (analysis data such as Z reports)

  • Master data changes (users, items, product groups and so on)

  • Programming data / operating instructions for the POS

  • Process documentation

To avoid an unmanageable hoard of receipts, the GoBD oblige you to record bookings within 10 days. That does not apply to cash transactions, however. Cash-intensive sectors such as hospitality in particular have to record cash income and cash expenditure daily under § 146(1) sentence 2 AO.

Obligations – what you have to observe as a business owner

The GoBD place clear requirements on how you keep your POS records. That sounds like a lot of red tape at first, but with orderbird PRO every obligation is met automatically.

The most important GoBD requirements at a glance:

Tamper-proofing

All POS data has to be protected against subsequent changes. Thanks to the integrated TSS, orderbird PRO stores every transaction unalterably.

Digital storage

Electronic records have to be archived digitally and be machine-readable. orderbird PRO stores all data automatically in the required formats.

A daily POS closing

A POS closing (Z receipt) summarizing all transactions has to be created every day. With orderbird PRO that happens automatically. All you have to do is close the day.

Cashbook

All cash income and expenditure has to be documented completely. With the digital Cashbook from orderbird PRO you capture receipts with the camera. No more paper chaos.

Process documentation

The tax office wants to know how your POS system works. orderbird PRO supplies the process documentation ready-made. You do not have to write anything yourself.

orderbird PRO takes care of all of that for you

You do not have to take care of anything. orderbird PRO meets every GoBD requirement automatically. From the first order to archiving. Your bookkeeping is always tax office compliant.

In the next step you will find out how GoBD-compliant archiving of your POS data works in detail.

This is how GoBD-compliant data archiving works at orderbird PRO

A tax audit announced? No problem. With orderbird PRO all the data is already where it needs to be: stored securely, unalterable and immediately available.

Automatic storage – without you having to do anything

Every order, every sale, every cancellation is recorded automatically and archived on German servers. Unalterable. Traceable. Tax office compliant.

This is what happens with every transaction:

  • Automatic recording of all POS transactions in accordance with § 146 AO

  • Encryption by the integrated online TSS

  • Storage in machine-analyzable formats (for example PDF/A-3, DSFinV-K)

  • Archiving on secure servers in Germany

Data can be called up at any time

The tax office, your tax advisor or your own analysis. You can export all the data at any time. With one click. In seconds.

orderbird PRO stores not only POS data but also all receipts, invoices and accounting documents. Everything in one place. Always to hand.

Secure handover to your tax advisor

Your tax advisor needs your POS data? No problem. orderbird PRO creates DATEV exportsthat can be imported straight into your tax advisor's accounting software. No more manual transfers. No errors.

Get going GoBD-compliant now

A POS with GoBD certification: live reporting, tax audit exports & a DATEV connection

Say goodbye to paper chaos. With orderbird PRO you have all the figures in view. Live, clearly laid out and available to you at any time.

Live analyses for your business decisions

Do you want to know which dishes sell best? Which shift brings in the most revenue? How much cash is in the till?

orderbird PRO shows you in real time:

  • Daily revenue by product, product group and payment method

  • Sales figures per member of staff

  • Detailed reports on cancellations, discounts and returns

  • All analyses on mobile too, via MY orderbird, your digital back office

These live analyses are not only practical, they are also the basis for well-founded business decisions. orderbird PRO gives you the answers you need.

Immediate report creation for tax inspectors

A tax audit announced? No problem. orderbird PRO creates every required report at the push of a button:

  • A DSFinV-K export (the standardized POS format for the tax office)

  • A DATEV export for your tax advisor

  • Z receipts and till-count records

  • The complete receipt history

All digital. All in seconds. No more paperwork.

A DATEV connection – your tax advisor will be pleased

Your tax advisor uses DATEV? Perfect. orderbird PRO transfers all the relevant data straight into the accounting software. Automatically, error-free and tax office compliant.

That saves time, prevents errors and makes sure your bookkeeping is always up to date.

To the data export for tax advisors

MY orderbird – your owner's hub from anywhere

You do not have to be on site to know how your place is doing. With MY orderbird you access your revenue, reports and analyses from anywhere – from a smartphone, tablet or laptop.

Full control. At any time. From anywhere.

More about MY orderbird

By Hospitality Pros. For Hospitality Pros.

We know how much paperwork a business brings with it, and how great the pressure is when the tax office is suddenly at the door. That is exactly why we developed orderbird PRO so that you can concentrate on what really counts: your business, your guests, your team.

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Frequently asked questions about the GoBD and the orderbird PRO POS system

What does GoBD-compliant mean for POS systems?

GoBD-compliant means that your POS system stores every transaction completely, traceably and unalterably – exactly as the tax office requires. orderbird PRO meets every GoBD requirement automatically.

The TSS, GoBD and KassenSichV – what actually belongs together?

The KassenSichV (cash register security regulation) obliges you to use a TSS (technical security system) that encrypts all transactions. The GoBD govern how you have to store and archive your POS data. orderbird PRO meets all three requirements – automatically.

Since when has the GoBD applied?

The GoBD have applied since 2015 and were updated in 2020. Anyone using an electronic POS has to meet the GoBD requirements – regardless of sector or company size.

Which data do I have to retain under the GoBD?

All tax-relevant data: POS receipts, invoices, Z receipts, cancellations, till-count records and electronic records. orderbird PRO archives everything automatically – you do not have to save anything manually.

How does GoBD-compliant archiving work?

orderbird PRO stores all POS data automatically on German servers – unalterable and machine-readable. Archiving is done in the formats required by the tax office (for example DSFinV-K, PDF/A-3). You do not have to do anything.

What happens if my POS is not GoBD-compliant?

If your POS records are not in proper order, the tax office can estimate your revenue – often to your disadvantage. That leads to back taxes and, in the worst case, to fines. With orderbird PRO you are on the safe side.

How do I issue GoBD-compliant invoices?

orderbird PRO automatically creates GoBD-compliant invoices with all the mandatory details. You can store invoices digitally, send them by email or print them – all tax office compliant

More information on the GoBD?

Do you want to go deeper into the subject? In our blog post "GoBD-Kassencheck" you will find all the details on the legal requirements, common sources of error and best practices for keeping your POS records.

To the GoBD POS check on the orderbird blog