DATEV Meine Steuern: Overview
An overview of DATEV Meine Steuern. How the portal works, accessing it via SmartLogin and setting up a DATEV account, layout and navigation, collaborative use with the practice.
Introduction
DATEV Meine Steuern is an online portal through which you can provide us with all the documents and details required for your personal income tax return. You upload your supporting documents – via your browser or the app – without having to send anything by post or attend an in-person appointment.
We access the documents you’ve provided and use them to prepare your tax return. The portal serves as our shared workspace for this: you supply the supporting documents, and we use them to prepare the return.
First, a few clarifications, as there are often misunderstandings about ‘Meine Steuern’:
Using the service does not mean that you prepare your tax return yourself – we still take care of that; the portal is simply for exchanging documents. Nor do you need to install any software on your computer or use a tax programme.
You needn’t worry much about the technical side of things either. Your data is stored in the DATEV data centre in Germany, not on a private server, and access is protected by a personal login procedure.
This article explains what you can do with the portal, how to gain access and how the portal is structured.
What you can do with DATEV Meine Steuern
The portal is divided into a few sections that follow the steps involved in completing a tax return.
In the ‘Tax-related documents’ section, you upload your supporting documents – such as your payslip, donation receipts, insurance premiums or tradespeople’s invoices. The documents are available to us immediately after uploading, so that we can link them directly to the relevant fields in your tax return.
In the ‘Tax Data’ section, you enter details for which there is no traditional supporting document – for example, the distance to work, days spent working from home, or costs for telephone and internet. Guided questions take you through the necessary entries, so you don’t have to type anything in free-form.
In your inbox, you’ll find documents that we provide for you, such as the completed tax return and, later, the tax assessment notice.
At the end of the process, you digitally approve the prepared return before we submit it electronically to the tax office. The individual steps are described in separate articles:
Access and initial login
We will set up your access to DATEV Meine Steuern for you. You will then log in using a personalised login procedure – for private individuals, this is usually DATEV SmartLogin, an app on your smartphone.
We have described in detail how to log in using DATEV SmartLogin in the following article:
Structure of the portal
You can access DATEV Meine Steuern via apps.datev.de/mytax. After logging in, you first select the tax year you wish to work on. Only then will the folders containing the documents open.
Within a tax year, you can navigate between the three sections: Tax-Relevant Documents, Tax Data and Inbox. This ensures that each year’s documents remain clearly separated, and older tax returns do not get mixed up with the current one.
When uploading documents, always ensure you have selected the correct tax year. A document filed under the wrong year will be missing from the current tax return and will need to be re-sorted at a later date.
Collaborative and non-collaborative use
As a client, you will usually upload your documents yourself – DATEV refers to this as collaborative use. This allows you to keep track of what we already have on file and to add further documents at any time.
Alternatively, we can upload the documents for you if you provide us with the paperwork by other means. We’ll discuss together which method suits you best.
Common sources of error
- DATEV account not linked: Since February 2026, it has no longer been possible to log in without a linked DATEV account. The login may appear to be faulty, but in fact the one-off linking via the wizard is simply missing.
- Wrong tax year selected: Documents end up in the wrong year and do not appear in the current tax return. This is often only noticed at a late stage and leads to queries.
- Out-of-date email address: Notifications about documents made available or outstanding tasks do not arrive. As a result, you may miss the deadline for approving your tax return.
- Registration letter misplaced: Without a SmartLogin ID and registration code, you cannot set up the app. A new letter must be requested, which delays the start.
- Confusing the app and the portal on the same device: SmartLogin is the login app; you open the portal in your browser. Both go together, but they are not the same thing.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay for DATEV Meine Steuern?
As a client, there are no costs for you to use the portal and the SmartLogin app. We bill the costs for the DATEV applications via the client agreement.
Do I need any special software or hardware?
No. All you need is an up-to-date browser and your smartphone to log in via SmartLogin. No installation on your computer is required.
How secure is my data?
Your documents are stored at the DATEV data centre in Germany. Access is protected by your personal login procedure and your DATEV account.
Do I have to prepare my tax return myself now?
No. We’ll still prepare the return for you. You simply provide the supporting documents and some details via the portal.
Can I also use the portal on my smartphone?
The easiest way to upload receipts is using the DATEV Upload mobil app. You can access the portal itself via your browser, which also works on mobile devices.
What is a DATEV account and do I need one?
A DATEV account is your personal identity for the DATEV Cloud. From February 2026, it will be a prerequisite for logging in. You set it up once using the DATEV Account Wizard.
What happens if I’ve lost my registration letter?
Please contact us. We’ll order a new registration letter, which you can use to set up the app again.
Can my spouse and I access the account together?
In the case of joint taxation, access can be set up so that both people can upload documents and approve the tax return. We’ll work with you to clarify how this applies in your specific situation.
Legal notice
This article provides an overview and is not a substitute for individual advice. The features and menu navigation of DATEV Meine Steuern may change as a result of updates; the current version of the application is always the authoritative one.
If you have any questions about your access or the use of the portal, please contact us directly.
As at: June 2026