From Excel to the Cockpit: How Payroll Offices Will Make the Leap into Digitalization in 2026

The table has ballooned to 47 columns. Row 312 shows a formula error. And the new employee from client Müller has been created three times because no one knew if the last version was saved.

This is what daily life looks like in many payroll offices. Excel was the salvation when everything was still on paper. Today, it has become a shackle.

The solution does not lie in a complete system overhaul. It lies in a digital pre-system with AI support that complements rather than replaces existing processes. project b. has developed a cockpit specifically for this, which does not force DATEV users to abandon their infrastructure.

Why Excel Becomes a Problem in Payroll Accounting

Excel is not bad. It was just never designed for payroll processing.

The Formula Problem

An accidentally overwritten cell. A copied area with incorrect references. A deleted row that destroys three other formulas. Such errors happen daily.

The problem: They often only come to light months later. For example, during the social security audit.

The German Pension Insurance checks every four years. About 25 percent of these examinations lead to objections. DEÜV reports must be corrected. This costs not only time but also damages the trust of clients.

No Interfaces, No Automation

Excel does not import data from other systems. Every number must be entered manually:

• Working hours from time tracking: typing out

• Sick notifications from emails: typing out

• Changes to master data from employee forms: typing out

This is prone to errors. And it is unattractive for young professionals who are accustomed to digital workflows.

The DIHK Skilled Labor Report 2025/2026 confirms: More than 40 percent of small and medium-sized enterprises struggle with staffing difficulties. In the payroll area, the job profile has lost attractiveness due to outdated tools.

Security Risks

The BSI warns: Microsoft Office products are a focus for cybercriminals. Excel files with wage data on local computers or in email inboxes pose a security risk.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are particularly affected. Funds for IT security are often limited.

What a Pre-system like project b. Does Differently

A pre-system does not replace DATEV. It sits in front, handling the preparatory work: collecting, structuring, validating, and releasing data. Only then do the verified information flow into the accounting system.

RITA: AI Support for Pre-Recording

project b. has developed an AI assistant called RITA that takes over exactly the work that Excel cannot do.

Example Sick Notification:

Without RITA: 1. Client sends a photo of the sick note via email 2. You open the picture, read the data 3. You type the name, date from, date to in Excel 4. You check: Is the employee known? Is the date correct? 5. In case of uncertainties: Follow-up by email 6. You manually transfer the data into DATEV

With RITA: 1. Client uploads sick note in the portal 2. RITA reads the document, extracts the data 3. RITA assigns the sick notification to the correct employee 4. RITA checks: Overlap with vacation? Longer than 6 weeks? 5. You see in the cockpit: “Sick notification Müller, 5 days, for approval” 6. You click “Approve”. The data flow into DATEV.

The difference: From 30 minutes to under 5 minutes. And no typing errors.

The Cockpit: Overview Instead of Chaos

The project b. cockpit shows at a glance:

• Which clients have not yet delivered?

• Which data is waiting for approval?

• Where are there plausibility warnings?

• Which deadlines are expiring?

No Excel table can do that. No email inbox can do that.

DATEV Integration Without Media Break

project b. works as a pre-system, not as a replacement. The data flows validated and structured directly into DATEV, Agenda, or SPS.

You keep your familiar accounting software. But the preparatory work is done.

The 5 Steps to a Digital Payroll Office

Step 1: Current Analysis with Numbers

Before you evaluate software, you need facts. Not feelings, but numbers.

Measure for one week:

• How many emails do you write for follow-up questions to clients?

• How long does it take to register a new employee?

• How often do you correct already recorded data?

• How much time do you spend searching (in folders, emails, tables)?

These numbers are your baseline. After switching to a pre-system, you can measure progress.

Step 2: Identify the Most Significant Leverage

You do not have to digitize everything at once. Start where the effort is greatest.

For most payroll offices, it is the Data Exchange with Clients.

A typical example: A client with 50 employees generates 15-20 emails monthly with notifications of changes. Sick notifications, vacation requests, changes to master data, inquiries.

With the project b. client portal, this is reduced to 2-3 approvals in the cockpit. The client records, RITA validates, you approve.

Step 3: Select Software (Without Abandoning DATEV)

The most important criterion: The pre-system must fit your existing infrastructure.

project b. was designed from the beginning as a supplement to DATEV, not as a replacement. The founders ran a payroll office themselves and know the reality: No one wants to give up their established system.

Check with each provider:

• Are there interfaces to DATEV, Agenda, SPS?

• GDPR compliance with server location in Germany?

• ISO 27001 certified?

• How intuitive is the interface for you and your clients?

Step 4: Pilot Project with a Client

Choose an IT-savvy client for a test run. Three months are sufficient for the most important processes:

• Month 1: Migrate master data, play through first billing with RITA

• Month 2: Establish regular processes (sick notifications, vacation requests)

• Month 3: Test special cases (hiring, termination, year-end)

project b. offers a personal Customer Success Manager to assist you during this phase.

Step 5: Gradual Rollout

After the pilot project, you roll out by client. Not all at once.

Prioritization:

1. Digitally savvy clients: Quick success, positive experiences

2. Clients with high effort: Greatest time savings with RITA

3. Skeptical clients: Convince with success stories from others

Plan for 2-3 new clients per month. This gives your team time to become confident.

The Benefits in Numbers

Time Savings with RITA

The AI-supported pre-recording saves concretely:

With 20 clients each having 50 employees, this adds up to 60+ hours per month.

Error Reduction

RITA automatically checks:

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

• Completeness: Sick notification without a certificate after 3 days? Reminder.

• Consistency: Termination and salary increase simultaneously? Follow-up.

The social security error rate decreases measurably. Fewer corrections during audits.

Scaling Without Additional Staff

The biggest problem for payroll offices: Growth requires proportionally more staff.

With project b., that changes. A payroll office owner reports: “We took on 40 new clients and only hired 0.5 FTE additionally.”

The Most Common Objections

“Can I trust AI with wage data?”

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

Every change is transparent, traceable, and documented securely. You can see exactly what RITA has recognized and can correct before the data flows into the accounting system.

This is not a black box. It is an assistant that takes care of the preparatory work for you.

“My clients can’t do that”

The project b. portal was built for clients, not IT experts.

The input forms are self-explanatory. Anyone who uses online banking can manage the portal. And if not: project b. offers short video instructions and support.

“This is too expensive for my size”

The question is not what the software costs. The question is: What does the current situation cost you?

Calculate:

• Hours for manual data entry × hourly rate

• Hours for follow-up questions × hourly rate

• Hours for error correction × hourly rate

• Rejected orders due to lack of capacity × lost revenue

Most payroll offices amortize project b. within 12 months.

What Changes for Your Team

Digitalization is changing the job profile. From "data entry clerk" to "Digital Payroll Manager".

Less Repetitive Work

Typing, searching, correcting. These tasks are taken over by RITA. Your team works with already validated data.

More Qualified Consulting

The saved time flows into tasks that require expertise: complex special cases, consulting on collective agreements, optimizing salary structures.

More Attractive Work Environment

Young professionals expect modern tools. A digital cockpit instead of Excel chaos makes your payroll office more attractive as an employer.

Checklist: Is Your Payroll Office Ready?

• You know your current time expenditure per client (in numbers)

• You have identified the most frequent sources of error

• At least one client is ready for a pilot project

• Your DATEV/Agenda/SPS installation is current

• Budget for software and training is available (or calculated)

• Your team is informed and generally open

Four out of six points? Then you are ready.

Conclusion: The Right Time is Now

From January 2027, payment documents must be maintained electronically. The legal development is clear: digital is mandatory, not optional.

Those who start now with a pre-system like project b. have time for a structured transition. RITA takes care of the preparatory work, the cockpit provides an overview, and DATEV remains your accounting system.

The first step is simple: Measure your actual time expenditure for one week. With these numbers, you can make informed decisions.

Would you like to see how RITA and the project b. cockpit work in practice? In a 30-minute demo, we show you real processes, not a presentation. Free of charge, non-binding, without sales pressure.

Further Links

• DATEV Payroll Office

• BStBK Digitalization

• DATEV Digitalization