Many self-employed people and e-commerce shops use PayPal like a second bank account - but the question arises at the latest for tax returns or annual financial statements: How do I get my PayPal transactions cleanly in CSV and in DATEV, Lexware or sevDesk?
In this guide you will find out which ones PayPal offers data sources (CSV, PDF, API, SFTP reports), which method suits your use case and howcompatible with the German DATEV profile CSV files without any manual fumbling.
If your target is specifically DATEV, use the separate page Import PayPal into DATEV. This guide intentionally stays broader and explains CSV, PDF and report options.
Important for PayPal users (2025):
PayPal offers a CSV export via the account Activity Download Report. Per report are up to 12 months possible, the history is enough up to 7 years back. Technically great - but the CSV is perfect for accounting Raw format.
The real problem: For tax, DATEV and tax advisor workflows, “any CSV” is not enough.
- PayPal-CSV: 30+ columns, no DATEV layout, charges as separate rows
- Practice: Column mapping, adjust decimal/date formats, assign fees
- KontoCSV: PayPal-PDFs → finished DATEV-/Excel-CSV (fees, currencies, balances mapped correctly)
Understand PayPal specifics
PayPal is not a classic bank account, but a payment service with its own logic. These points are crucial for export and accounting:
- →No bank: PayPal is a payment service provider – account statements are called“Activities”
- →Activities ≠ Account statement: CSV and PDF reports are based on the activity data
- →Multi-currency wallet: A PayPal account can hold multiple currencies at the same time
- →Fee logic: Income comes gross, fees are often stated own lines in export – important for correct booking
- →Activity Download Report: CSV/PDF/TAB/QuickBooks,up to 12 months per export, data up to 7 years retroactive, 50,000 line limit per CSV
- →Monthly & Custom Statements: PDF reconciliation/accounting statements (typical 7 yearsavailable)
- →Transaction Search API: Programmatic access to transaction history
- →Transaction Detail Report (SFTP): Daily detailed reports, approx. 45 days available in SFTP
Retention obligations 2025
PayPal statements are considered Booking documents and have to 8 years stored (since 2025). Books/financial statements remain 10 years, lots of business letters 6 years. Download PDF statements, archive them in a GoBD-compliant way for German workflows where relevant and convert them for accounting.
Source: IHK retention periods from 2025
When the PayPal-CSV export is enough
- • Few bookings per month
- • Only Excel/Sheets evaluations, no DATEV import
- • Manual rework (delete columns, merge fees) is okay
3 Methods to Export PayPal CSV (and Why We Recommend KontoCSV)
PayPal can provide CSV – but only KontoCSV provides accounting data. This is how we classify the three paths:
1. PayPal Activity Download
CSV/PDF/TAB directly in the account under “Activities”
2. KontoCSV (PDF → CSV/DATEV)
Convert PayPal PDF bank statements to structured CSV/DATEV
3. PayPal API / SFTP
Programmatic access to transaction data
Method 1: PayPal CSV export (only for very simple cases)
About the Activity Download Report you can use reports for up to 12 months download as CSV/PDF/TAB (history up to 7 years). Good for a quick look at Excel - but as a raw format not intended for accounting/DATEV.
How to export CSV from PayPal (as of 2025):
- 1At Register PayPal (www.paypal.com)
- 2Up “Activities” click (at the top of the navigation)
- 3On the top right of that Download icon →“Custom” or click “Download report”.
- 4Set time period: up to 12 months per report (calendar or quick filter)
- 5Select report type (e.g. activity report) and activate the desired columns
- 6format “CSV” select (alternatively PDF/TAB/QuickBooks)
- 7Create a report, wait a moment, then Download CSV
Official documentary: PayPal Activity Download Report
- ✓ Completely free and available immediately
- ✓ Up to 12 months per export (data up to 7 years)
- ✓ CSV/PDF/TAB/QuickBooks selectable
- ✓ Columns configurable
- ✓ Good for quick Excel/Sheets evaluations
- ✗ Raw format: 30+ columns, not a finished DATEV layout
- ✗ Fees as separate transactions → allocation required
- ✗ Language-dependent column names make standard imports difficult
- ✗ 50,000 line limit → Split into multiple CSVs/ZIPs
- ✗ Time costs: manual column mapping & checking
Why we only recommend the PayPal-CSV to a limited extent
PayPal delivers per report up to 12 months(History up to 7 years). This applies to large accounts 50,000 line limit and several CSVs/ZIPs are created. The format remains raw: you have to do the column mapping, decimal/date formats and fee allocation yourself.
Practical use: Okay for a few bookings or pure Excel analyses. As soon as accounting, tax advisors or many bookings are involved, it is more economical PayPal-PDFs with KontoCSV to convert and a compatible with the German DATEV profile CSV for import to receive.
Method 2: KontoCSV for PayPal PDF reports ⭐
The best solution for professional accounting: PayPal provides monthly statements as PDFs (typical 7 yearsretroactively). KontoCSV reads these official PDFs and creates them structured, DATEV-compatible CSV files – Fees, currencies and balances included.
Result: you get ready to post files instead of raw data and can process entire financial years or multiple accounts without column mapping.
- Any number of months/years: As long as the PDF statements are available (PayPal lasts up to 7 years)
- compatible with the German DATEV profile: CSV prepared for import into DATEV, Lexware and sevDesk
- Structured format: Clearly and cleanly formatted
- ~30 sec/page: Lightning-fast conversion
- Fees correct: Fees are allocated correctly
- 3 pages for free: Try for free
- Paid: From the 4th page (tiered prices: 0,16 € - 0,08 €/page)
- PDF required: You need to download PayPal PDF reports first
When is KontoCSV the best choice for PayPal?
- ✓ You want complete years Export without column mapping
- ✓ You use it DATEV, Lexware or sevDesk
- ✓ You want PayPal data for Tax return prepare
- ✓ You are E-commerce retailer with many PayPal transactions
- ✓ You need one clear, structured format
- ✓ You want Fees automatically assigned get
Method 3: PayPal API & SFTP (For Developers)
For large retailers or individual integrations, PayPal offers direct interfaces. They provide raw data that still needs to be mapped to an accounting format.
- • Programmatic access to transaction history
- • Filterable by date, status, transaction type
- • Near real-time – ideal for ERP/BI feeds
- • Requires OAuth, error handling, cron jobs
- • Daily CSV/TAB files with detailed information
- • In the SFTP directory approx. 45 days available
- • Good fee/refund details
- • SFTP client + automation required
Good for automation, but not DATEV ready
API/SFTP provide raw data that you have to map into an accounting format (DATEV, Lexware etc.) yourself. For most SMEs the route is via PDF statements + KontoCSV faster and cheaper.
Detailed comparison of methods
| Kriterium | PayPal CSV Official export Free | KontoCSV PDF conversion Recommended | PayPal API For developers Complex |
|---|---|---|---|
period Maximum exportable period | Up to 12 months per export (data up to 7 years) | Any number of months/years (with PDFs, typ. 7 years) | API: unlimited, SFTP: approx. 45 days |
compatible with the German DATEV profile Can be imported directly into DATEV | |||
format Clarity and structure | Raw CSV (30+ columns) | DATEV/CSV structured | JSON/CSV |
Fees Correct fee allocation | Separate lines | Correctly assigned | Rich in detail, needs to be mapped |
Time expenditure Time until the finished CSV | ~10-20 minutes including mapping | ~30 sec. | ~1-2 hour setup |
Technical knowledge Required knowledge | None | None | Programming |
Costs Pricing model | Free | Tiered prices from 0,08 €/page | Development |
Automation Automatically repeatable | Manually | Batch upload possible | Automatable |
PayPal CSV
Official export
KontoCSV
PDF conversion
PayPal API
For developers
Hinweis: Alle Angaben basieren auf durchschnittlichen Werten. Die tatsächliche Zeitersparnis kann je nach Komplexität der Kontoauszüge variieren.
Step-by-step: Convert PayPal PDF with KontoCSV
Part 1: Download PayPal PDF Report
Login to PayPal
Log in to PayPal and go to “Activities”
Open bank statements
Click at the top right “Reports” → “Account statements” or directly on paypal.com/reports/accountStatements
Select month
Select month or period (e.g. 01/2024, 02/2024…). Simply request every 12 months for one year.
Download PDF
Up “Request” click, wait a moment and then Download PDF. Store files locally (PayPal typically provides them for 7 years).
Part 2: Convert to CSV with KontoCSV
Upload PDF
Open kontocsv.de and upload your PayPal PDF report (drag and drop or file selection)
Automatic conversion
KontoCSV automatically analyzes PayPal report and extracts all transactions with AI (~30 sec/page)
Download CSV
Download the finished CSV file. The file is ready to use for:
- • DATEV import
- • Lexware Import
- • sevDesk Import
- • Excel/Google Sheets
- • Tax advisor submission
PayPal Business Features
PayPal Business accounts have additional export options relevant to businesses:
- ✓ Activity Download Report: CSV/PDF/TAB/QuickBooks, up to 12 months per export, data up to 7 years
- ✓ Monthly & Custom Statements: PDF Reconciliation/Year-End Account Statements
- ✓ Fee/Refund/Chargeback Reports: Detailed reports for booking & reconciliation
- ✓ Multiple currencies: Separate reports per currency/wallet
- • Transaction Search API: Programmatic retrieval of transaction history
- • Transaction Detail Report (SFTP): Daily CSV/TAB files, available in the SFTP for approx. 45 days
- • QuickBooks/Connectors: Automatic syncs for international accounting
- • Permissions: Roles/employee accesses for exports
Further links: Activity Download Report · Transaction Search API · Transaction Detail Report (SFTP)
Tip for e-commerce retailers
If you use PayPal for online shop payments, download monthly Download your PayPal PDF reports and convert them with KontoCSV. This is how you getfinished DATEV-/Lexware-CSV without column mapping and can give complete months/years collected to the tax advisor.
Import PayPal CSV into DATEV
Many companies want to import PayPal transactions into DATEV. Here are the step-by-step instructions:
Important: PayPal CSV vs. compatible with the German DATEV profile import
❌ PayPal CSV export
The PayPal-CSV is no finished DATEV layout. Fees are separate lines, date and decimal formats do not fit, column names vary per language. Import only works with manual mapping.
✅ KontoCSV Export
KontoCSV created compatible with the German DATEV profile CSV files: correct date and decimal format, fees mapped to general booking, import columns prepared for DATEV, Lexware and sevDesk.
How to import PayPal to DATEV:
- 1. PayPal PDF report with Convert KontoCSV
- 2. Open DATEV → “Batch bookings”
- 3. "Import" → "CSV file" choose
- 4. Select KontoCSV file
- 5. Check column assignment (save import profile once)
- 6. "Import" click
- 7. Check and approve bookings
Common Problems & Solutions
Problem: PayPal CSV shows incorrect amounts in Excel
Cause: PayPal uses point as decimal separator (1234.56), Excel expects comma (1234.56)
Solution: In Excel under "Data" → "Text in columns" → "Advanced" → change decimal separator to period. Or: Use KontoCSV (automatically converts to German format).
Problem: Fees are missing or incorrect
Cause: PayPal CSV export shows fees as separate transaction rows, not as a column
Solution: KontoCSV automatically detects fees and assigns them to the main transaction. The “Fee” column is filled correctly.
Problem: DATEV import fails
Cause: PayPal CSV format is not compatible with the German DATEV profile
Solution: Use KontoCSV for DATEV compliant CSV files. KontoCSV creates files with correct DATEV columns (booking date, sales, debit/credit, etc.).
Problem: Too many columns in PayPal CSV
Cause: PayPal CSV has over 30 columns, many of them irrelevant
Solution: KontoCSV reduces to relevant columns: date, recipient, amount, fee, purpose, balance. Clear and structured.
Best practices for PayPal accounting
- 1.Export monthly: Download PayPal PDF reports every month
- 2.Convert with KontoCSV: Convert PDFs to DATEV-CSV
- 3.Import into Accounting: Use a German DATEV/Lexware export profile
- 4.Archive PDFs: Store original PDFs in a GoBD-compliant archive for German workflows where relevant (8 years)
- →Retention obligation: PayPal documents as accounting documents 8 years, books/financial statements10 years, lots of business letters 6 years
- →Deduct fees: PayPal fees are operating expenses
- →Back up data: PayPal typically holds reports7 years before – additionally archive PDFs/CSVs locally
- →Sales tax & currencies: PayPal shows no VAT, documents foreign currencies with exchange rates
Frequently asked questions
Activity Download: up to 12 months per report, data up to 7 years retroactively (50,000 lines per CSV). With PDF statements + KontoCSV: As far as you have the PDFs archived (PayPal typically provides them for 7 years).
There are two methods: 1) Activity Download Report (CSV/PDF/TAB/QuickBooks) directly in PayPal. 2) Download PayPal PDF bank statement and convert it to structured, compatible with the German DATEV profile CSV using KontoCSV.
The PayPal-CSV contains 30+ columns, internal status codes and often lists fees as their own transaction lines. You only need a fraction of that for accounting. KontoCSV reduces to the relevant columns and maps fees automatically.
Technically yes, if you map columns, date and decimal formats to the DATEV schema (link charges to general ledger). KontoCSV delivers ready-made DATEV-CSV without manual mapping.
PayPal CSV export: Raw format, up to 12 months per export, charges as separate lines, 50k line limit. KontoCSV: PDF statements → finished DATEV-/Excel-CSV, fees mapped, several months/years in one go.
PayPal offers QuickBooks/Quicken formats and connectors. DATEV dominates for German SMEs - KontoCSV provides the appropriate CSV layout and does the mapping for you.
Conclusion: Which method is the right one?
Our clear recommendation
Use PayPal CSV export if...
- ✓ you one fast Excel/Sheets export need
- ✓ You individual months up to 12 months Export and map columns yourself
- ✓ You no accounting software use
- ✓ 0€ costs prioritize and allow time for manual checking
Use KontoCSV if...
- ✓ You complete months/years want to export without mapping
- ✓ You DATEV/Lexware/sevDesk use
- ✓ You E-commerce retailer or have many bookings
- ✓ You professional accounting do
- ✓ You Charges automatically want to be assigned