The MetronHR payroll file for DATEV
Each month MetronHR exports a text file in the import format of DATEV LODAS or DATEV Lohn und Gehalt: hours, premium hours, vacation and sick days per person under the accountant's wage types. This page shows both formats field by field, with sample files and the format description for the ASCII import.
As of: 24 October 2026
- Two formatsLODAS and Lohn und Gehalt
- One file per monthPer client and payroll month
- The accountant's wage typesNo preset numbers
- In both plansNo extra cost for the business
The file for LODAS
An ASCII file with the sections Allgemein, Satzbeschreibung, Bewegungsdaten and Hinweisdaten, in the ANSI character set with CR/LF line endings. It covers one client and one payroll month. It names no database version, so LODAS assumes the current one. The Hinweisdaten appear in the import log and name the month, number of people and creation date.
| Field | Contents |
|---|---|
| pnr#bwd | DATEV personnel number, 1 to 5 digits |
| abrechnung_zeitraum#bwd | First day of the payroll month, DD.MM.YYYY |
| bs_wert_butab#bwd | The value: hours with two decimals, days with one |
| bs_nr#bwd | Processing key: 1 for hours, 71 for vacation days, 72 for sick days |
| la_eigene#bwd | The accountant's wage type, only with processing key 1 |
Record type u_lod_bwd_buchung_standard. Values of zero and below are not booked; a value too large for its field stops the export instead of being cut off.
pnr#bwd
- Contents
- DATEV personnel number, 1 to 5 digits
abrechnung_zeitraum#bwd
- Contents
- First day of the payroll month, DD.MM.YYYY
bs_wert_butab#bwd
- Contents
- The value: hours with two decimals, days with one
bs_nr#bwd
- Contents
- Processing key: 1 for hours, 71 for vacation days, 72 for sick days
la_eigene#bwd
- Contents
- The accountant's wage type, only with processing key 1
Record type u_lod_bwd_buchung_standard. Values of zero and below are not booked; a value too large for its field stops the export instead of being cut off.
Example: September 2026, three people
[Allgemein]
Ziel=LODAS
Version_SST=1.0
BeraterNr=1234567
MandantenNr=12345
Datumsformat=TT.MM.JJJJ
Feldtrennzeichen=;
Zahlenkomma=,
[Satzbeschreibung]
1;u_lod_bwd_buchung_standard;pnr#bwd;abrechnung_zeitraum#bwd;bs_wert_butab#bwd;bs_nr#bwd;la_eigene#bwd;
[Bewegungsdaten]
1;101;01.09.2026;142,50;1;100;
1;101;01.09.2026;12,00;1;300;
1;101;01.09.2026;8,00;1;310;
1;102;01.09.2026;6,50;1;200;
1;102;01.09.2026;3,0;71;;
1;103;01.09.2026;2,0;72;;
[Hinweisdaten]
MetronHR: Bewegungsdaten 09/2026 für 3 Personen, erstellt am 01.10.2026.The file for Lohn und Gehalt
The first line names the consultant number, client number and month. Records with twelve fields follow, separated by semicolons. Hours are monthly records with wage type and value; absences are calendar records, one per day. The accountant loads the downloadable format description once into the ASCII import assistant, after that Lohn und Gehalt knows the format.
| Absence key | Meaning | How it is set |
|---|---|---|
| U | Leave | Per vacation day with the day's target hours, 1.00 or 0.50 for a half day |
| K | Sickness with continued pay | For every calendar day of the sickness; a day off carries the key alone |
| KF | Sickness on a public holiday | Instead of K when the sick day is a public holiday |
Wage types from 1 to 5999 and from 8000 to 9999, up to 744 hours a month. Days after six weeks of sickness are not in the file, the business sees at the export who is affected.
U
- Meaning
- Leave
- How it is set
- Per vacation day with the day's target hours, 1.00 or 0.50 for a half day
K
- Meaning
- Sickness with continued pay
- How it is set
- For every calendar day of the sickness; a day off carries the key alone
KF
- Meaning
- Sickness on a public holiday
- How it is set
- Instead of K when the sick day is a public holiday
Wage types from 1 to 5999 and from 8000 to 9999, up to 744 hours a month. Days after six weeks of sickness are not in the file, the business sees at the export who is affected.
Example: the same month for Lohn und Gehalt
1234567;12345;09/2026
101;;;100;;;142,50;;;;;
101;;;300;;;12,00;;;;;
101;;;310;;;8,00;;;;;
102;;;200;;;6,50;;;;;
102;14;U;1500;8,00;1,00;;;;;;
102;15;U;1500;8,00;1,00;;;;;;
102;16;U;1500;8,00;1,00;;;;;;
103;24;K;1600;8,00;1,00;;;;;;
103;25;K;1600;8,00;1,00;;;;;;What the business needs from the accountant
- The payroll program: LODAS or Lohn und Gehalt
- Consultant number (4 to 7 digits) and client number (1 to 5 digits)
- One wage type per value to be handed over
- Each person's DATEV personnel number
The business enters this once at the first export. After that the file is created every month with one click and sent by email or through the client portal. How the routine looks in the business is described under the DATEV payroll export.
Sample files
- Sample file for DATEV LODAS
- Sample file for DATEV Lohn und Gehalt
- Format description for the ASCII import of Lohn und Gehalt
People, numbers and wage types in the samples are made up. The files are created with the same code as the export in the product.
Related
Where to go from here, and what waits for you there.
Questions from accountants
What we are asked most often about it.
Question not answered here? Every step is explained in the help centre.
Send us a messageWhat happens if a LODAS file is imported twice?
The values are booked twice. LODAS adds movement data to what is already recorded for the month. If the business sends a new file after a correction, it says that it replaces the first one; MetronHR points this out in the export.
Are premium amounts handed over?
No, the hours. Night, Sunday and holiday hours come separately, each under one of the accountant's wage types; the payroll program calculates the amount and the tax exemption under § 3b EStG.
What does the file hold for sickness beyond six weeks?
The days after the sixth week are not in the Lohn und Gehalt file, because the right key depends on circumstances only the accountant knows. The business sees at the export who is affected and passes it on.
Which wage types does the file use?
The accountant's. The business enters them at the first export, one per value; there are no preset numbers. The wage types in the sample files are placeholders. In LODAS vacation and sick days carry no wage type, they use processing keys 71 and 72.
How does the personnel number get into the file?
Every person in MetronHR has a field of their own for the DATEV personnel number, 1 to 5 digits. If the MetronHR personnel number is already that short and numeric, it is suggested; if one is missing, the export asks for it, and it refuses duplicates.
Recommend your clients a time tracking that delivers DATEV files
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