CSV and PDF export — status and workaround

When to read this

You opened Settings → Export, saw only "JSON" as the output format, and you need a CSV (your accountant asked for one, your spreadsheet doesn't open JSON natively, your DATEV import wants a structured file). This article explains where CSV / PDF stand on the roadmap and gives you four workarounds for the gap.

For the JSON export flow itself, see export your records for year-end. For the multi-client bulk-export available to tax advisors, see bulk export as a tax advisor.

What's live today

JSON export. Available from Settings → Export. The file contains every document in your chosen date range, with every extracted field, all your manual corrections, the bank-match status and matched transaction reference, and signed download URLs for the original PDFs / images. UTF-8, pretty-printed, key-ordering stable across exports (so diffs between two exports of the same period stay minimal).

JSON is structured, complete, and lossless. It's just not the format your accountant or spreadsheet wants out-of-the-box. The four workarounds below cover the gap.

What's coming

CSV export — flat per-invoice rows with all extracted fields. Estimated H2 2026. The plan: a default column layout (vendor / date / net / VAT / gross / category) plus a custom-column-selection panel so you can include or exclude line items, original-currency amounts, conversion rates, etc. Tracked on the changelog.

PDF export — a printable summary report grouped by period / vendor / category. Estimated late 2026. The plan: a one-PDF-per-period handover package suitable for end-of-year submission to an accountant who prefers paper-style summaries.

Both are tracked on the changelog; we announce each when it ships, and Settings → Export will show the new formats as soon as they're live.

Why JSON first, CSV and PDF later: JSON is the lossless format (every field, every relation, every correction history entry). CSV and PDF are "lossy presentations" of that data — once JSON is solid, both downstream transforms are derivable. The roadmap prioritises lossless first.

Workaround 1 — JSON → CSV via free online converter

The fastest path for a one-off conversion:

1. Search "json to csv online". Many free tools exist (csvjson.com, convertio.co, etc.).
2. Drop the JSON file. Download the CSV.

Trade-offs: you're uploading invoice metadata to a third-party site. For year-end exports containing vendor names + amounts + dates, this is usually fine; for highly sensitive data (specific client names, regulated industry context), prefer one of the local-only workarounds below.

Workaround 2 — JSON → spreadsheet locally (Excel / Google Sheets)

Excel (Microsoft 365)

Excel has native JSON import via Power Query:

1. Open Excel, blank workbook.
2. Data → Get Data → From File → From JSON.
3. Pick the JSON file. Power Query loads it and shows a structured tree.
4. The export's top level is a list (one entry per document). Click the List cell, then To Table (default options).
5. Expand the columns you want (click the ⇼ icon on the column header; pick which sub-fields to include).
6. Close & Load. The data appears in a sheet.

The first import takes 5 minutes to figure out. Once you save the Power Query, future months' JSON files load in one click into the same workbook with the same column mapping.

Google Sheets

Google Sheets doesn't have native JSON import, but two free options work:

• JSON Tools add-on (free, in the Workspace Marketplace). After install: Extensions → JSON Tools → Import JSON file. Pick the file; it expands into a sheet.
• Custom Apps Script with JSON.parse() and setValues(). Useful if you want to automate (e.g. pull JSON from a URL each month). About 20 lines of code; templates available in many community help threads.

LibreOffice / Numbers

Both have JSON-import limitations. The cleanest path on either is: open the JSON in any text editor, use a free online converter (Workaround 1), then open the CSV.

Workaround 3 — pass JSON straight to your accountant

Many accounting platforms accept JSON imports via their API or import wizard:

• Xero: API supports JSON imports via the third-party-app ecosystem; ask your bookkeeper.
• QuickBooks Online: same, via the QuickBooks API.
• DATEV (Germany/Austria): accepts via DATEVconnect or via manual import in DATEV Unternehmen Online. Your tax-advisor's DATEV-side tooling handles the mapping. The TaxItEasy JSON has all the fields DATEV needs.
• Sage / Lexware / Microsoft Dynamics: each has its own importer; provide them the JSON and they map.

The accountant's tooling almost always handles JSON better than you'd expect. Asking is worth a 5-minute conversation before you try to convert manually.

Workaround 4 — write to support for a one-off CSV

If you need a quick CSV-formatted year-end export and can't wait for the feature or set up Power Query, write to [email protected] with [BILLING] one-off CSV export in the subject line. Include the company and the period (e.g. "Acme GmbH, 2025 calendar year"). We generate it manually and email back, typically within 1–3 working days.

This is a manual operation on our side, so we don't promise instant turnaround, but it's available for the cases where you need a specific format right now and the workarounds aren't right for your situation.

DATEV-specific export

DATEV export exists in the backend for users who explicitly need it (Germany / Austria). It's not surfaced in Settings → Export UI yet because TaxItEasy targets EU-international users, not Germany-only — making DATEV a UI-default would imply universal availability that isn't accurate.

Same workaround as one-off CSV: write [TECHNICAL] DATEV export in the subject line to [email protected], and we generate the DATEV file manually. Surfacing DATEV as a self-service option is on the same roadmap as CSV / PDF; we'll announce when it lands.

Edge cases

My accountant only accepts DATEV format. See the DATEV-specific section above. Manual generation via support is the path today.

I need year-end export by Jan 31. Start the JSON export now; use Workaround 2 (Excel Power Query) for an offline conversion. Don't wait for the CSV feature. The Power Query setup is a 5-minute one-time investment that pays off for every subsequent month-end.

Why is JSON the only format today? JSON is lossless — every field, every relation, every correction history entry. CSV and PDF are presentations of subsets of that data; once we have the lossless format solid, both downstream transforms are derivable. The roadmap order is "complete first, presentations second", which is the right order from a data-integrity perspective.

The free online JSON-to-CSV converter mangled some fields. Common when the JSON has nested arrays (e.g. line items inside an invoice). Power Query (Workaround 2) handles nesting cleanly; online tools vary. If you must use an online tool, pick one that explicitly supports "flatten nested arrays".

My JSON export is 50 MB and the converter fails. Split the date range in Settings → Export (e.g. quarterly instead of yearly), produce 4 files, convert each, concatenate the CSVs. Or use the local Power Query path which scales fine to large JSON.

Original-file URLs in the JSON expired by the time I exported to CSV. The download URLs are valid for 7 days from JSON-export generation. If your CSV conversion takes longer or you're re-running months later, re-export the JSON to get fresh URLs.

Related

• Export your records for year-end — the JSON export flow
• Understanding the VAT aggregation view — for VAT-return-specific summaries
• Bulk export as a tax advisor — multi-client export for tax-advisor accounts