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General instructions for creating CSV files for the import function

Certain forms in My ELSTER support data entry in an import function using a CSV file. A CSV file is a text file that is structured line by line according to certain specifications. These instructions describe the creation of CSV files in general. You can find form-specific information in the data record tables of the import help in the import area of the respective form.

Important notes

In connection with the use of the import function, the Federal Central Tax Office draws attention to the following:

Use of the import function is at your own risk. The BZSt excludes all liability for direct and indirect damages incurred by applicants due to the use of this functionality or the inability to use this functionality, in particular for loss of data, additional expenses or incorrect results, loss of profit, business interruption, loss of business information and other financial losses.

Note

The import function has been revised. Due to the extended character set, CSV files to be imported must be encoded in UTF-8. The previous encoding ISO-8859-15 is no longer supported.

Further information can be found here.

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Structure of a CSV file for the import function of My ELSTER

1st line: Latest CSV version of the import function with the prefix #v, e.g. "#v2.4"

2nd line, only for imports with a record type: In this line, the field names must be entered in the order of the record type of the form. The field names can be based on the field names of the data record table and are used to assign the columns when creating the CSV file.

3rd to last line: Data records to be imported, structured according to the data record tables and record types

Versioning and version table

Changes to the import function result in a new version of the import interface. The version table can be used to track changes between the older version and the latest version. This allows you to adapt older CSV files to the latest version. When importing a CSV file, the system checks that your CSV file has the latest version of the import function. You can find the current version table in the import help of the form.

Data record tables and record types

At least one data record table exists for each form with import, each of which describes a record type. A record type defines the exact structure of a line in a CSV file. Both the order of the fields and the format specifications for each field are specified. In addition, mandatory fields are marked, which must always be specified.

There are several data record tables for more complex imports, as several record types have to be used. All data record tables can be found in the import help in the import area of the respective form.

Specifications for valid CSV files

The following specifications must be observed. Otherwise the import may fail due to invalid information or your data may be transferred incorrectly during the import.

  1. The entries in a line are separated from each other by separators (, or ;). Only one separator may be used file-wide.
  2. The order of the entries in the rows is determined by the order of the field names in the data record table used.
  3. Information that is marked as mandatory in the data record table must be entered.
  4. Optional specifications may be left blank. An empty specification is represented by two consecutive separators.
  5. Empty lines are not permitted.
  6. A point must always be used as a decimal separator for numbers.
  7. The permitted encoding is ISO-8859-15.
  8. Information (except numbers) may be enclosed in single or double quotation marks.
  9. Separators (, or ;) may be used in specifications as long as the specification is enclosed in quotation marks (" or ').
  10. Quotation marks (" or ') may be used in statements as long as the statement is also enclosed in quotation marks. Please note the following: Quotation marks in disclosures must be doubled if the entire disclosure is enclosed in the same quotation marks.
    Valid examples:
    "Delivery to 'Mayer AG' 2018"
    "Delivery to ""Mayer AG"" 2018"

Importing the CSV file

The CSV file can be imported into the form in the expandable "Import data (CSV format)" area of the form (= "Import area"). Each CSV file is subjected to an extensive check during the import. If errors occur, the data records in the CSV file are not imported.

Instead, you will be offered a commented CSV file for Download in the import area. In this commented CSV file, you will find all the errors that occurred during the import in the last column. After correcting the errors, you can repeat the import process.

After a successful import, you should check that the number of data records in the CSV file matches the number of imported data records.

Hotline and user support

In addition to the information you receive directly from My ELSTER via the Online Help, you can also use an information center (Hotline) set up by the federal and state tax administrations, which will provide you with the following information

  • Mondays to Fridays from 7:00 to 22:00 and
  • Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to 18:00
is available for questions and problems with My ELSTER. Individual questions can be answered or received by telephone on 0800 52 35 055 (for callers with an international telephone number: +49 180 5 23 50 55). The information center can also be contacted using the contact form. To the contact form

Please note: No tax advice is possible via the Hotline.