goBD

GoBD stands for Grundsätze zur ordnungsmäßigen Führung und Aufbewahrung von Büchern, Aufzeichnungen und Unterlagen in elektronischer Form sowie zum Datenzugriff. It is a set of administrative regulations issued by the German Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) that governs how businesses must create, store, and provide access to electronic accounting records and other tax-relevant documents. GoBD applies to taxpayers who maintain books and records in electronic form or rely on scanned or converted documents, with the aim of ensuring auditability and long-term legibility for tax authorities.

The scope of GoBD covers all electronic records that are used for tax purposes, including invoices, receipts, ledgers, and related digital documents. It addresses both originals stored electronically and documents converted from paper, emphasizing that records must remain usable and verifiable over the entire retention period.

Key principles include authenticity and traceability (the origin and integrity of data must be demonstrable), data integrity and immutability (records should not be altered undetectably), readability (data must be accessible and readable for the retention period), and completeness with timely capture of transactions. GoBD also requires documentation of the processes used to create, store, and retrieve data (Verfahrensdokumentation) and ensures that tax authorities can access the relevant data as needed (Datenzugriff).

Retention periods under German tax law generally range from six to ten years, depending on document type. Electronic storage must preserve readability over time, with appropriate controls such as backups, versioning, and audit trails. Compliance is achieved through internal controls, clear documentation, and compatible IT systems; non-compliance can affect tax audits and penalties. GoBD is complemented by related legal requirements, including data protection considerations, but it is a guidance framework rather than a statutory standard.