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v26.3

The Setup Wizard

The Setup Wizard walks you step by step through everything that makes your POS "tax-office-ready": tax data, the cash register notification to the tax office, and your menu. It's the same path for everyone — whether you're starting a new business or switching to DiKAS from another POS system. The wizard asks questions and shows only the steps that apply to you.

Starting the Wizard

  • On first login, the wizard starts automatically.
  • After that, you can reach it any time from the Admin dashboard — look for the "Einrichtungs-Assistent" (Setup Wizard) card there. There's no separate menu entry in the sidebar.
  • Click "Später" (Later) to leave the wizard at any time. Your progress is saved — just continue from the dashboard right where you left off.

Dashboard with setup status and quick access to the "Einrichtungs-Assistent" (Setup Wizard)

Everything Is Also Possible Without the Wizard

The wizard is a convenient guided path, not a requirement. You can skip any step and complete it individually later — tax data and the tax office notification under Settings → Finance, the menu import under Articles → Import.

The Steps at a Glance

Step What happens For whom
1. Welcome Checklist: what's still missing for a ready-to-use POS? Everyone
2. Tax data Enter tax number, tax office, state Everyone
3. Tax office notification Register the POS electronically via ELSTER Everyone
4. Data source Fresh start or switching from a legacy system? Everyone
5. Export guide Instructions: export data from the legacy system Switchers only
6. Menu Import or create articles Everyone
7. Switch checklist Legal obligations when changing POS systems Switchers only
8. Done Your POS is ready to go Everyone

Step 1: Welcome and Checklist

The wizard greets you with "Mach deine Kasse startklar" ("Get your POS ready to go") and shows a checklist of the current status:

  • TSE active
  • Tax data
  • Tax office notification
  • Menu

Completed items are checked off — you see at a glance what's still missing.

Wizard — "Mach deine Kasse startklar" (Get your POS ready to go) with checklist

Step 2: Tax Data

Here you enter the data the tax office needs for your POS:

Field Description
Tax number Your business tax number
Tax office number The number of your responsible tax office
State Select from the list

This information forms the basis for the Kassenmeldung (cash register notification) under § 146a AO — the legally required registration of your POS with the tax office.

Wizard — tax and tax office data

Step 3: Register the POS with the Tax Office (ELSTER)

DiKAS registers your POS electronically via ELSTER — you don't need to fill out a form:

  1. Upload your ELSTER certificate file (file extension .pfx or .p12)
  2. Enter the associated PIN
  3. DiKAS submits the cash register notification to the tax office electronically

Don't have a certificate handy? Choose "Überspringen" (Skip) and complete the notification later. If you've already registered the POS yourself via the ELSTER portal, choose "Bereits manuell angemeldet" (Already registered manually).

Wizard — register the POS with the tax office (ELSTER)

For more details on the notification, see Kassenmeldung — Cash Register Notification to the Tax Authority.

Step 4: Where Does Your Data Come From?

The wizard asks "Woher kommen deine Daten?" ("Where does your data come from?") — this is where new businesses and switchers diverge:

Choice What happens
Fresh start, no legacy system Continue straight to the menu — no switch-related steps
ready2order Direct import of your data
orderbird Import via the DSFinV-K export
Vectron Import via the DSFinV-K export
Other system Import via the DSFinV-K export
Excel/CSV Import from your own spreadsheets

Step 5: Export Guide (Switchers Only)

If you selected a legacy system, the wizard shows a tailored guide: where to find the export in the old system, which format you need, and what to watch out for. This way you can pull your data out without having to search through the old system's manual.

Step 6: Create Your Menu

The article import is embedded directly in the wizard. Two ways:

  • AI import: Photograph your menu or upload it as a PDF/CSV — DiKAS reads out the articles and creates them.
  • Import from the legacy system: Load the data you exported in Step 5.

For details on managing articles (prices, tax rates, categories), see Creating Articles.

Switching POS systems comes with legal obligations. The wizard walks you through the checklist:

  1. Perform an end-of-day report in the legacy system — cleanly close out the old system
  2. Archive the final DSFinV-K export — retain it for 10 years (§ 147 AO)
  3. Keep the old hardware TSE and report its decommissioning
  4. Report the new POS to the tax office within 1 month (§ 146a AO) — Step 3 takes care of this
  5. Update your procedural documentation — record the POS switch in writing

Don't Simply Switch Off the Old System

Data from the old POS system remains subject to the retention obligation. Secure the final export and keep the old TSE first — only then switch it off.

Step 8: Done

Your POS is ready to go. If you switched systems, the switch checklist stays accessible from the dashboard until it's complete, so nothing gets left behind.

Two Real-World Examples

Example: New Business — Ristorante Bella Vista

Giulia is opening Bella Vista and has never operated a POS before. On first login, the wizard starts: she enters her tax data, uploads her ELSTER certificate — the POS is registered with the tax office. At "Woher kommen deine Daten?" ("Where does your data come from?"), she chooses Fresh start, no legacy system and photographs her printed menu — the AI creates the articles. She never even sees the export guide or the switch checklist. She's done after four steps.

Example: Switching — Curry Corner Moves from ready2order

Curry Corner has been using ready2order for years. In the wizard, the owner selects ready2order as the data source — the direct import takes over his articles. He also gets the export guide for ready2order and, at the end, the legal switch checklist: end-of-day report in the old system, archive the final export, keep the old TSE. This way, the switch is cleanly documented for the tax office as well.

Outside Germany

The tax office steps (tax data with state, ELSTER, cash register notification under § 146a AO) apply only to Germany. If you operate your POS in another country, simply skip these steps — the rest (data source, menu) apply everywhere.

Next Steps