Hamburg, February 27, 2020 – While half the world is excited about the obligation to pay a receipt for bakers, it has been in force for many other businesses such as craftsmen, alternative practitioners, consultants and self-employed persons since 2015, where it is not called a receipt obligation but GoBD as an abbreviation for “Principles for the orderly keeping and storage of books, records and documents in electronic form and for data access”. In essence, it’s all about the same thing: the respective business transaction – the purchase of a roll, the repair of a gutter, advising a customer – should be documented in an unalterable form in order to rule out subsequent manipulation. At the baker’s, the printed receipt represents the unchangeable document; other businesses must ensure that their digital documents (files) cannot be subsequently altered. In all cases, the legislator wants to take action against accounting fraud and money made illegally in order to secure the tax revenue. Anyone who fails to comply with this will have to reckon with considerable back payments during the next tax audit, because the tax offices simply estimate the taxes – and do so in their favor. In addition, depending on the extent, there are further penalties if the company has no GoBD efforts to show for example. These circumstances are pointed out by the Hamburg-based company TeamDrive, which offers a data service with which companies can set up GoBD-compliant filing and processing procedures without any great effort.
Computer files must be stored unalterably
In order to comply with the GoBD as a kind of “general obligation to provide receipts”, companies must store all computer files in such a way that an auditor can later fully trace all changes. This applies not only to invoices, but also, for example, to offers and calculations. It is precisely this, the traceability of all changes, that TeamDrive offers with its file management system of the same name. Regardless of which programs are used in the company, such as Microsoft Word or Excel, the TeamDrive system ensures that the requirements of GoBD can be fulfilled as required by the tax authorities.
Word, Excel etc. can still be used
TeamDrive consists of two parts: The software is installed on all company computers and the files are automatically stored via the Internet. All previous programs such as Word or Excel can still be used. The company must document how the creation and prompt archiving is carried out. TeamDrive ensures that all documents can be retrieved in accordance with the law, are traceable, unalterable and tamper-proof.
Data protection and data security included
Important: In addition to the “general receipt obligation” GoBD, TeamDrive also automatically ensures the data protection prescribed by law in accordance with the GDPR (basic data protection regulation). And finally, TeamDrive also provides security for companies in the event of a computer breakdown: if the data on the company computer is lost, TeamDrive automatically secures it in a German, high-security computer centre.
To try out TeamDrive, you can download it free of charge. For the operational use of TeamDrive there are fees starting at 5.66 Euros net per month, which cover all costs. “TeamDrive is probably the cheapest way to meet all legal, data protection and security requirements, including GoBD and GDPR,” says TeamDrive Managing Director Detlef Schmuck.
