DATEV Personal: Retrieving an electronic certificate of incapacity for work (eAU)
Guide to retrieving the electronic certificate of incapacity for work (eAU) in DATEV Personal. Prerequisites, retrieval from personnel data, validity of the retrieval and content of the notification.
Introduction
If an employee covered by statutory health insurance is off sick, as an employer you no longer need to obtain the certificate of incapacity for work in paper form; instead, you retrieve it electronically from the health insurance fund. You can retrieve this electronic certificate of incapacity for work – eAU for short – in DATEV Personal, and the retrieved data is then available for payroll processing.
A few clarifications first, as there are often misunderstandings regarding the eAU:
The eAU does not mean that the employee no longer needs to report their absence at all: the obligation to notify the employer of their incapacity for work and its expected duration remains in place. The only requirement that has been removed is the obligation to submit the yellow certificate.
Furthermore, the eAU applies only to those with statutory health insurance; those with private health insurance must continue to submit the certificate in paper form. And retrieving the eAU is not an automatic process for all employees; it is only permitted in specific cases of illness.
This article explains what the eAU is, who it applies to, how the retrieval process works and when it is permitted. We cover the obligations under employment law and the continued payment of wages in a separate article:
What the eAU is and what has changed
The eAU is the electronic procedure through which employers retrieve data on incapacity for work directly from the health insurance fund. It has been compulsory for those with statutory health insurance since 1 January 2023.
No longer required to submit the form, but the obligation to report remains
Before the eAU was introduced, the employee had to hand in the yellow certificate to their employer. This obligation to submit the certificate has been abolished for those with statutory health insurance. The doctor sends the data to the health insurance provider, and you retrieve it from there.
What remains is the employee’s obligation to notify you. They must still inform you immediately that they are unfit for work and for how long this is expected to last. Without this notification, you will not know that a retrieval is due, or for whom.
The eAU does not change the fact that the employee must report sick. It merely replaces the paper-based process for the medical certificate. The process for reporting sick at work remains the same as before.
Who is covered by the eAU
The electronic procedure applies to employees covered by statutory health insurance. For these employees, you retrieve the certificate electronically.
Privately insured employees are not included in the procedure. They must continue to submit their certificate of incapacity for work in paper form, and you should submit this to us as usual via the personnel file \[Link zu einem Hilfsartikel].
In individual cases, the paper-based procedure may also still apply for certificates from doctors who are not connected to the system. In such cases, please contact us.
How to retrieve the eAU
You can initiate the retrieval in DATEV Personal under ‘Personnel Data’ as soon as you receive a sick note.
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The employee reports sick
The employee informs you of their incapacity for work and the expected duration. This forms the basis for the retrieval.
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Open the ‘Personnel Data’ section
In DATEV Personal, open the Personnel Data section and select the relevant employee.
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You initiate the eAU request
You initiate the request for the reported case of sickness. The request is sent to the employee’s health insurance provider.
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The data is made available
As soon as the health insurance provider has made the data available, it is ready for use and is incorporated into our payroll processing.
The data is not always available immediately. The health insurance provider makes the eAU available as soon as it receives the doctor’s notification. It may therefore be advisable to repeat the retrieval after a few days if it does not yield a result initially. The certificates remain available on the health insurance providers’ communication server for 42 days; checking once a week has proved effective.
When a retrieval is permitted
Retrieving the eAU is subject to certain conditions. It is only permitted if an employment relationship exists and the employee has reported an inability to work, including the expected duration.
A blanket or regular retrieval for all employees without a specific reason is not permitted. Retrieval is only permitted for an actual reported case of illness. The unauthorised retrieval of health data may have consequences under data protection law.
Access always relates to a single, reported case. You should therefore not access the data ‘as a precaution’, but only once you have received a sick note.
What the eAU contains
The certificate retrieved contains the information required for continued pay and payroll processing: the start date of the incapacity for work, the expected end date or duration, and whether it is an initial or follow-up certificate.
The eAU does not contain a diagnosis. As an employer, you will not be informed of the nature of the illness – the system only transmits the data required for payroll processing, not any medical details.
Since 2024, it has also been possible to retrieve details of periods of day-case treatment; since 2025, this has been extended to include certain periods of medical rehabilitation and preventive care.
What is not covered by the eAU
Not every absence due to incapacity for work can be accessed via the eAU. Certain cases are excluded from the system and must be documented by other means.
| Case | Can it be retrieved via eAU? |
|---|---|
| Illness of a person with statutory health insurance | Yes |
| Illness of a privately insured person | No, paper certificate |
| Illness of a child | No, separate proof required |
| Prohibition on working during pregnancy | No |
| Gradual return to work | No |
| Illness whilst abroad | No, separate evidence required |
We explain how these special cases are handled and what consequences they have for continued pay in the article on sick leave and continued pay \[Link zu einem Hilfsartikel].
Common sources of error
- Enquiry without a sick note: If an enquiry is made even though no incapacity for work has been reported, the enquiry is not permitted and often yields no result.
- Retrieval too early: If the health insurance provider has not yet received the doctor’s notification, the retrieval will yield no result. Retrieving the information again after a few days may help.
- Privately insured individuals: no eAU available: There is no electronic retrieval option for privately insured individuals. In such cases, the paper certificate remains valid.
- Special cases not covered by eAU: A sick child, a prohibition on work or a return-to-work programme cannot be checked via eAU and require separate proof.
- Employees’ duty to report sickness is underestimated: Without a sick note submitted to the company, you will not know that a retrieval is due. The eAU does not replace the sick note.
Your and our responsibilities
Your responsibilities:
- Receive sick notes from your employees
- Initiate the eAU retrieval for the reported case
- Repeat the request if necessary
- Submit special cases and paper certificates via the personnel file
Our tasks:
- Take the retrieved data into account in payroll processing
- Correctly implement continued pay
- Provide advice in special cases and in response to enquiries
We will work with you to agree who in your organisation is responsible for retrieving the data and how the process for reporting sick leave is organised.
Frequently asked questions
Does my employee still need to report sick despite having an eAU?
Yes. The obligation to notify the company of their incapacity for work and its expected duration remains in place. The only requirement that has been waived is the need to submit the yellow certificate.
Does the eAU also apply to privately insured individuals?
No. The electronic procedure applies only to those with statutory health insurance. Privately insured individuals must continue to submit the certificate in paper form.
Can I see my employee’s diagnosis?
No. The eAU does not contain a diagnosis, but only the start date, duration and information on whether it is an initial or follow-up certificate.
Why is my enquiry not returning any results?
Often, the health insurance provider has not yet received the doctor’s notification. Please try again in a few days. The data remains available for up to 42 days.
Can I retrieve information for everyone as a precaution?
No. A blanket enquiry without a specific case of illness is not permitted. Enquiries may only be made for an actually reported incapacity for work.
How do I handle a ‘child is ill’ notification?
A child’s illness cannot be retrieved via the eAU system and requires separate evidence. Please submit this via the personnel file.
How often should I retrieve the data?
Retrieving data weekly has proved effective, as the data remains available on the health insurance funds’ communication server for up to 42 days.
What happens to the retrieved eAU?
The data is incorporated into the payroll and forms the basis for continued pay. We explain the details of continued pay in a separate article.
Legal notice
This article provides an overview and is not a substitute for individual advice. The eAU procedure and the underlying regulations are subject to change; the current status at any given time is decisive. The retrieval of health data is subject to data protection laws and is only permitted in specific cases of illness.
If you have any questions about data retrieval or special cases, please contact us directly.
As at: June 2026