For companies, digitizing bank statements is not just a question of efficiency; legal obligation. Since the introduction of GoBD (principles for the proper management and storage of books, records and documents in electronic form), companies have had to digitize their accounting in an audit-proof manner.
In this guide, we compare all methods for digitizing account statements, explain the legal requirements and show you how to archive your account statements in a GoBD-compliant manner.
Important change in 2025
Since then January 1, 2025 The retention period for accounting documents (including bank statements) was increased from 10 8 years shortened (Fourth Bureaucracy Relief Act). This applies to both paper and digital statements.
Methods in comparison
There are three main methods of managing bank statements: paper, PDF and CSV. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages.
| Kriterium | paper | PDF | CSV Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|
GoBD-compliant for German workflows where relevant Meets legal requirements | ✓ (with effort) | ✓ | ✓ |
Evaluable by machine Automatic processing possible | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Space requirement Physical/digital storage space | High | Means | Low |
Searchability Find transactions quickly | Very bad | Means | Very good |
DATEV import Direct import into accounting | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Time expenditure Manual work per bank statement | Very high | High | Low |
Costs Ongoing costs | Archive room | Storage | Minimal |
paper
CSV
Hinweis: Alle Angaben basieren auf durchschnittlichen Werten. Die tatsächliche Zeitersparnis kann je nach Komplexität der Kontoauszüge variieren.
Method 1: Paper Bank Statements
The classic method: Account statements are obtained from the bank in paper form and archived in folders.
- ✓ No technical infrastructure required
- ✓ Physically tangible and familiar
- ✓ No dependency on software
- ✓ Original document available
- ✗ High space requirement (archive room)
- ✗ Time-consuming search
- ✗ No machine evaluation
- ✗ Danger of fire, water, loss
- ✗ Manual booking required
- ✗ High personnel costs
Important for paper archiving
You must also meet the GoBD requirements for paper archiving:
- • Organized storage: Chronological and comprehensible
- • Protection against loss: Fireproof cabinets, insurance
- • Access control: Authorized people only
- • Retention period: 8 years (since 2025)
Method 2: PDF statements
Bank statements are downloaded from the bank as PDF files or scanned paper statements are saved as PDF.
- ✓ No physical space required
- ✓ Easy storage and backup
- ✓ Faster search than paper
- ✓ GoBD-compliant for German workflows where relevant (with proper archiving)
- ✓ Protection against physical damage
- ✓ Offered by most banks
- ✗ No machine evaluation
- ✗ Manual booking required
- ✗ No direct DATEV import
- ✗ Time-consuming data extraction
- ✗ Error prone when transferring manually
Method 3: CSV Statements (Recommended)
Bank statements are converted into structured CSV files that can be imported directly into accounting software.
- ✓ Can be evaluated automatically
- ✓ Direct DATEV/Lexware import
- ✓ Minimal time investment
- ✓ No manual booking
- ✓ Lowest storage requirements
- ✓ Perfectly searchable
- ✓ GoBD-compliant for German workflows where relevant
- ✓ Error minimization
- ✗ Conversion required (one-time)
- ✗ Not all banks offer CSV
- ✗ Technical understanding helpful
Why CSV is the best choice
CSV files offer the perfect balance between legal certainty and efficiency:
Instead of 5 minutes/page, only ~30 seconds
Graduated prices: 0,16 € - 0,08 €/page
Legal requirements (GoBD)
The GoBD (Principles for the proper management and storage of books, records and documents in electronic form) regulate how companies must keep their accounting records digitally.
- Traceability: All bookings must be traceable
- Immutability: No subsequent changes without a report
- Completeness: All business transactions must be recorded
- Timeliness: Timely recording (max. 10 days)
- Order: Systematic filing and archiving
- Availability: Readable and evaluable at any time
- ✓ Account statements must be made promptly (within 10 days).
- ✓ Digital storage is a must unchangeable be (e.g. WORM memory)
- ✓ All bank statements must completely be archived
- ✓ Access only for authorized persons
- ✓ Procedural documentation must be present
- ✓ Everything has to be done during an audit available immediately be
Retention obligation
New retention period since 2025
Since then January 1, 2025 a shortened retention period applies:
When does the retention period begin?
The retention period begins not on the day of creation, but only with the End of the calendar year.
Example:
📅 Account statement created: March 15, 2024
🗓️ Deadline begins: January 1, 2025
⏰ Deadline ends: December 31, 2032 (8 years)
So you have to keep the bank statement until the end of 2032!
Audit-proof archiving
Audit-proof archiving means that your account statements are stored in such a way that they can withstand the requirements of an audit.
Once saved, account statements may no longer be changed. Use WORM storage (Write Once, Read Many) or special archive systems.
Only authorized persons may have access to the archived account statements. Log all access.
Account statements must be legible and evaluable at all times. Regular backups are mandatory.
Recommended archive systems
- ✓ Cloud archiving: Lexware archiving, DATEV DMS
- ✓ Local systems: DocuWare, ELO Digital Office
- ✓ Hybrid solutions: Combination of cloud and local
Best practices
- 1. Download account statements monthly
- 2. Convert to CSV (with KontoCSV)
- 3. Import into accounting software
- 4. Archive in an audit-proof manner
- 5. Destroy originals (PDF/paper).
- ✓ Automatic bank download (FinAPI, EBICS)
- ✓ Automatic CSV conversion
- ✓ Automatic DATEV import
- ✓ Automatic archiving
- ✓ 3-2-1 rule: 3 copies, 2 media, 1 external
- ✓ Daily backups
- ✓ Regular recovery tests
- ✓ Encrypted storage
- ✓ Create process documentation
- ✓ Define responsibilities
- ✓ Document processes
- ✓ Update regularly
Frequently asked questions
No, since 2025 digital retention has been fully GoBD-compliant for German workflows where relevant. You no longer have to keep paper account statements once you have digitized them in an audit-proof manner.
PDF is an image format for people, CSV is a structured data format for machines. CSV can be imported directly into accounting software, PDF cannot.
8 years (since January 1, 2025, previously 10 years). The period begins at the end of the calendar year in which the account statement was created.
Yes, you can scan old paper statements and save them as PDF or CSV. Audit-proof archiving is important.
Violations can lead to fines, back taxes and, in the worst case, the entire accounting being thrown out.
On average about 30 seconds per side. A 10-page bank statement is ready in about 5 minutes.
Conclusion & recommendation
- ✓ Paper: Outdated, high effort, not recommended
- ✓ PDF: Better than paper, but no machine evaluation
- ✓ CSV: Ideal for modern accounting, GoBD-compliant for German workflows where relevant, efficient
- ✓ Retention period: 8 years (since 2025)
- ✓ GoBD requirements: Immutability, completeness, availability
- ✓ Best practices: Automated workflow with CSV conversion