Best HR software for a 75-person German employer using DATEV

Compare seven HR systems for DATEV payroll

For employers keeping DATEV and their tax adviser

This guide is for a German employer with around 75 employees, a functioning tax-adviser relationship and DATEV payroll that will stay. HR wants better records, approvals, time capture and payroll preparation. This guide excludes employer-of-record services, outsourced HR and replacement payroll systems.

Our order is an editorial preference for that scenario. Invite the first three, then substitute a specialist when the conditions below apply. Use the same payroll-transfer test for your two finalists, with your payroll operator present.

We assessed published product, pricing and implementation documentation on 1 October 2026. We have not operated these products or measured their support.

1. HR WORKS: time, expenses and payroll preparation together

HR WORKS documents separate payroll and accounting connections: master and transaction data into DATEV LODAS or Lohn und Gehalt, payroll results back into HR, and expense bookings with linked receipts into DATEV accounting.

Start here if HR and finance currently enter or check the same travel and payroll records in separate systems.

Its FAQ describes licences plus an account base fee, with that base fee moving at headcount thresholds. It uses 100 licences as an example. Implementation consulting is separately charged by actual hours.

Our verdict: shortlist HR WORKS if you want time records, expenses and payroll preparation in one system. Request prices at 75, 99, 100 and 101 licences, plus a capped implementation scope. If you only need to record leave, compare the cost with a simpler leave tool.

2. Personio: onboarding and approvals alongside payroll preparation

Personio Core includes employee records, workflow automation, time tracking and preliminary payroll. Core Pro adds unlimited entity management and API access for custom integrations.

DATEV integration appears among the additional apps. Obtain a quote that explicitly includes it; the word “payroll” in Core does not establish the complete connection price.

We would prefer Personio when onboarding, approvals and organizational changes are substantial parts of the project. A planned second entity or custom integration can change the relevant edition.

The pricing FAQ also specifies a one-time account setup fee and a 12-month minimum for the annual subscription. No numeric licence quote was publicly verified for this scenario.

Our verdict: choose Personio for the HR processes you need to replace. If the only problem is a failed payroll export, first check whether fixing its field mappings would let you keep your existing HR system.

3. HRlab: review and send each payroll transfer

HRlab puts DATEV and ADDISON interfaces in Core; time and absence are additional modules. Its published module prices let you compare the cost of Core alone with Core plus time and absence.

Its DATEV documentation describes a monthly change report, client-specific handoff and returned payroll documents. It supports LODAS and Lohn und Gehalt. Its FAQ says an operator triggers the transfer with a click; unattended transfer is described as planned.

Our verdict: choose HRlab if your payroll team will review and send each transfer. If you need unattended transfers, the documentation describes them only as planned.

In the demo, ask your adviser to review the change report and approve a sequence of fictional employee changes.

What does the 75-person HRlab configuration actually cost?

For 75 licensed users, compare Core plus Time & Absence on annual and monthly terms.

These are subscription calculations, not complete deployment quotes. The published minimum is 30 licences. Add the cost of your adviser's work, DATEV services, setup and any further modules. Request prices for those extras.

The FAQ states three months' cancellation notice for an annual term and 30 days for monthly payment. Record the cancellation deadline.

The €2,070 difference is the price comparison for this configuration, not evidence of savings against another vendor. Test the payroll transfer before committing to an annual contract.

4. Rexx: return payroll results and documents to HR

Rexx explicitly documents payroll result information returning from DATEV, alongside outgoing master, payment and absence data. It also describes returned payslips and other payroll documents. Consider it if finance needs to see payroll results and documents in HR.

Our verdict: choose Rexx if payroll results and documents must return to HR. Require a demonstration of a payroll-side correction, its arrival in HR and the next outbound run. Agree which system holds the approved value when HR and payroll records differ.

We have no verified comparable price; ask each finalist to quote for the same data fields, setup tasks and support.

5. Factorial: time, expenses and variable pay for DATEV

Factorial brings time, absences, expenses and variable pay into payroll preparation. DATEV's own partner listing names both LODAS and Lohn und Gehalt, with master data, transaction data and electronic sick-note (eAU) information in its described exchange service.

Our verdict: compare Factorial if you also need to manage time, absences, expenses and variable pay. Specify the required DATEV data service in the proposal.

Demonstrate an outgoing employee change and the payroll documents you need returned. The public documentation does not confirm every returned document; ask the supplier to demonstrate yours.

6. Kenjo: one hourly rate per employee in the DATEV connection

Kenjo documents shift swaps, open shifts, employee availability and connected time recording. The DATEV connection has an important limit: its setup documentation says the current interface supports one hourly rate per employee. It also says new starters must be added to the export table manually.

Our verdict: a business with multiple rates per worker must resolve that case before buying. Ask your payroll operator to check that every rate produces the correct pay in DATEV. Choose another finalist if Kenjo cannot support the required rates.

Include a newly hired worker in the test and check that their record reaches payroll.

7. HiBob: a LODAS connection for existing Bob users

HiBob lists a Bob-built DATEV LODAS integration for Germany. If you already use Bob internationally, test this connection before buying a separate HR system for Germany.

Our verdict: confirm your adviser’s DATEV program first. The public listing names LODAS, not Lohn und Gehalt. If your adviser uses Lohn und Gehalt, require a demonstrated connection or compare a provider that documents support for it.

The public listing does not confirm all transferred fields or included services.

Four DATEV transfer tests before choosing

Book one joint session with HR, the payroll operator and the implementation lead. Use fictional records in a test environment. Record the exact DATEV program, data service, entity, adviser number and client number. These are proposed demo tests; we have not run them against the suppliers.

Personio's setup guide separates outgoing payroll data, returning documents and eAU retrieval. It also requires the adviser's service authorization before company-side configuration. Ask who will configure and test each service.

Record the expected employee set before transfer and reconcile it with accepted, rejected and excluded records afterwards. “The export succeeded” cannot explain why a starter disappeared. If no changes were expected, a zero-change run is legitimate; if changes were approved, the same result demands investigation.

A DATEV badge does not complete this test. DATEV's Factorial listing explicitly limits its technical check to importing the output file, without establishing that the supplied data are substantively correct. Check the employee values and returned documents as well as the file import.

Agree who handles setup, transfers and corrections

Before the final quote, agree who will:

• Approve employee data.
• Release the payroll transfer.
• Correct payroll errors.
• Control access to returned documents.

Have the adviser price their setup and ongoing work. Ask the vendor to price the exact edition, services, implementation and growth bands against the same scope. Use our complete-cost model to keep cash charges separate from the value of internal time.

Our first choice remains HR WORKS for the stated time-and-expenses scenario. Compare Personio first if onboarding, approvals and organizational changes are also part of the purchase. Compare HRlab if you want published module prices and an operator to review changes before sending them to DATEV. Compare the others only if you need their specific payroll, shift-planning or existing-system connections.

Keep the current system until HR and payroll have checked the replacement’s transferred records, corrections and returned documents.

Questions buyers ask