Client portal vs. Email chaos: What modern payroll processing is all about

Monday, 8:47 AM. 23 unread emails. Seven of them contain payroll data: a sick note as a photo, two Excel spreadsheets with hour changes, a follow-up to a follow-up that you had answered last week.

Welcome to the everyday life of payroll accounting.

Email communication has long been standard. Today, it is the biggest obstacle to efficient payroll processing. And a data protection problem that many underestimate.

project b. has developed a client portal that solves this problem. With RITA as an AI assistant, which automatically processes incoming documents. This article shows how the transition works.

The Problem with Email in Payroll

Email is a means of communication. Not a data management system.

The Data Protection Nightmare

Payrolls contain sensitive data: salaries, social security numbers, sick notes, absences. These are personal data within the meaning of GDPR.

An unencrypted email with payslip is comparable to an open postcard. Anyone with access to the data stream on the way can read along.

The BSI regularly warns: Sending sensitive data via standard email is problematic under data protection laws.

The Legal Situation:

• GDPR requires "appropriate technical and organizational measures"

• Unencrypted emails do not meet this requirement

• Fines can be substantial: up to 4% of annual revenue or 20 million euros

And even if you encrypt: Who archives, who deletes, who has access to old emails? These questions are hard to answer with email.

The Chaos Problem

Emails are linear. Payroll processing is not.

A typical sequence:

1. Client sends sick note for employee A

2. You ask: "From when exactly?"

3. Client replies on a different email thread

4. In the meantime, a master data change for employee B comes in

5. Client corrects: "The sick note was only until Friday"

6. You search for 10 minutes for the original email

The result: Information spread across dozens of emails. No overview of which data is current. High probability of error.

The Time Problem

Studies show: Knowledge workers spend an average of 28% of their working hours on emails. In payroll accounting, it is often more.

Every follow-up question via email means:

• Formulating and sending an email

• Waiting for an answer (often days)

• Reading and understanding the response

• Transferring information into the correct system

• In case of uncertainties: asking again

A single sick note can cost four to five emails and 30 minutes of time. With 20 sick notes per month, that amounts to 10 hours, just for one subject.

How the project b. Portal Solves the Problem

The project b. client portal is not an email replacement. It is a structured workspace with AI support.

Structured Input Instead of Free Text

In the portal, there are no free text fields for payroll data. There are input masks.

Sick note in the project b. portal:

• Select employee (dropdown with autocomplete)

• Date from (datepicker)

• Date to (datepicker)

• Upload certificate (file)

• Done

The system automatically validates: Is the employee known? Is the date in the future? Does the sick note overlap with vacation?

Incorrect or incomplete entries are displayed immediately, not three days later through follow-up questions.

RITA: AI-Powered Document Processing

The client doesn't even have to fill in all the fields themselves.

Example: The client simply uploads a photo of the sick leave certificate.

RITA takes over:

1. Recognize document (sick leave certificate, employment contract, termination…)

2. Extract relevant data (name, date from, date to)

3. Assign employee (based on name and personnel number)

4. Check plausibility (overlap with other absences?)

5. Make ready for approval in the cockpit

The client needs 30 seconds. RITA needs 10 seconds. You need one click for approval.

Central Data Storage in the Cockpit

All information in one place. No searching through 200 emails.

The project b. cockpit shows:

• When was the information entered?

• By whom?

• Has it already been processed?

• Are there any changes or corrections?

• Which approvals are pending?

Documented in a tamper-proof manner. During an audit, you can prove every step.

Automatic Validation by RITA

RITA checks before you even see the data:

• Plausibility: 400 overtime hours in a month? Warning to the client.

• Completeness: Sick note without certificate after 3 days? Automatic reminder.

• Consistency: Termination and salary increase at the same time? Follow-up question.

• Duplicates: Same sick note submitted twice? Notice.

You only work with already validated information.

The Digital Personnel File: Mandatory from 2027

The development is clear: Digital will be mandatory.

Legal Requirements

From January 1, 2027, payroll documents must be maintained electronically as mandatory. This has been regulated by the legislator in the Seventh Act to Amend the Fourth Book of the Social Code.

This means:

• Paper archives are no longer sufficient

• Electronic storage must comply with GDPR

• Access must be logged

• Deletion deadlines must be observed

Email inboxes do not meet these requirements. The project b. portal does.

What the BAG Says

The Federal Labor Court decided in January 2025: Employers can provide payslips digitally. The text form is fulfilled.

This is an important clarification. You no longer need to create and send a paper copy for each employee by mail. A secure portal like project b. is sufficient.

590 Search Queries Per Month

590 people search every month for "DATEV digital personnel file." 320 search for "digital personnel file requirement." The topic has entered public consciousness.

project b. integrates the digital personnel file directly into the portal. All documents of an employee in one place, stored GDPR-compliant, with access logging.

Concrete Benefits with project b. in Numbers

Time Savings: 1,400 Hours Per Year

A firm with 10 employees can save up to 1,400 hours per year through the project b. portal. This is almost equivalent to one full-time position.

The savings are distributed as follows:

Error Reduction with RITA

Every manual data entry is a source of error. Every email that is misinterpreted is a source of error.

RITA reduces both:

• Structured input masks prevent formatting errors

• AI document recognition eliminates typos during transcription

• Validation rules detect plausibility errors

• Automatic data transfer to DATEV prevents transfer errors

The SV error rate decreases measurably. Fewer corrections, less rework, less frustration during audits.

Client Satisfaction

Clients benefit from the project b. portal:

• No more forgotten follow-up questions (RITA reminds automatically)

• Transparent status in the portal (when will my change be processed?)

• Faster processing (less waiting time due to email ping-pong)

• Anytime access to their own documents and payslips

This improves the relationship. Satisfied clients stay. And they recommend further.

GDPR Compliance with project b.

Encryption and Security

The project b. portal offers:

• End-to-end encryption for all data transfers

• Server location in Germany (no data transfer to third countries)

• ISO 27001:2022 certification (highest security standards)

• Access logs (who saw what and when)

• Automatic deletion after legal deadlines expire

This is more data protection than any email inbox can provide.

Technical and Organizational Measures

The GDPR requires appropriate TOM. project b. meets this through:

• Modern encryption methods

• Secure authentication (optional with 2FA)

• Regular security updates

• Clear access permissions per role

• Logging all accesses

During a data protection audit, you can prove every access.

The Concerns that Payroll Accountants Have

"My clients don't want new software"

This is understandable. But: Most clients already have digital experience.

• 89% of Germans use online banking

• 82% shop online

• 67% carry out official transactions digitally

The project b. portal is not more complicated than these applications. Often it is easier because it has a specific purpose.

The trick: Don't switch all clients at once. Start with the digitally inclined. The others will follow when they see the benefits.

"I will lose personal contact"

A portal does not replace conversation. It replaces searching through emails, waiting for answers, correcting misunderstandings.

The time you save with project b. can be used for real consulting. For the phone call when a client has a complex question. For the conversation about salary optimization.

Digitalization does not make contact less personal. It makes it more valuable.

"Can I trust RITA with payroll data?"

RITA makes suggestions. The final decision always lies with the human.

When RITA recognizes a sick note, you see in the cockpit:

• The original document

• The extracted data

• Any warnings or follow-up questions

You can correct before anything is released. RITA is an assistant, not a black box.

"That is too expensive"

The costs for project b. are typically in the low three-digit range per month. Depending on the number of clients.

Consider the following:

• Hours for email management × hourly rate

• Costs for errors and corrections

• Opportunity costs (rejected mandates due to lack of capacity)

Most firms achieve a return on investment within 6-12 months.

The Transition to project b.: Step by Step

Phase 1: Preparation (Week 1-2)

Analysis of the status quo:

• How many emails do you exchange per month with clients?

• What types of data are transmitted by email?

• Which clients generate the most follow-up questions?

Get to know project b.:

• Arrange free demo

• Clarify questions (DATEV integration, pricing model, implementation time)

• Make a decision

Phase 2: Setup (Week 3-4)

Your personal Customer Success Manager at project b.:

• Sets up your cockpit

• Configures the DATEV interface

• Trains you and your team

Create first client:

• Import master data

• Set up portal access for client

• Run first test entries

Phase 3: Pilot Project (Month 2-3)

Using one client productively:

• All payroll data via the portal

• Use RITA for document recognition

• Gather feedback

Document:

• What works well?

• Where are the problems?

• How much time do you actually save?

Phase 4: Rollout (Month 4-12)

Gradual expansion:

• 2-3 new clients per month

• Priority: more demanding clients first

• Individual introduction meetings

Accompanying measures:

• Short instructions for clients (project b. provides video tutorials)

• Support hotline from project b. for the first weeks

• Regular feedback to your Customer Success Manager

Conclusion: From Email Flood to Structured Workflow

Email was good enough when there was no alternative. Today there is project b.

The portal with RITA is:

• Safer: GDPR-compliant data transfer, ISO 27001 certified

• More efficient: RITA does the preliminary work, you only approve

• More transparent: Cockpit overview instead of email search

• Future-proof: Prepared for the digital personnel file from 2027

The question is not whether, but when you will switch. And: when will you start to take advantage of the benefits?

Do you want to see how the project b. portal and RITA work in practice? In a 15-minute demo, we show you real processes. No presentation, real software. Free and without obligation.

Further Links

• BSI Email Encryption

• DSK Guidelines

• Digital Personnel File 2026