Paperless: Why document management and scope of services

Paperless-ngx: Efficient digital archiving for long retention and verification obligations. Why and why ? Let’s talk straight!

Why is document management becoming increasingly important?

Paperless-ngx is a powerful solution for meeting the requirements of long retention periods and specific obligations to provide evidence, such as those imposed by the German Crypto Tax Transparency Act (KStTG-E). The main advantages are audit-proof archiving, fast retrievability and the traceability of changes.

The Crypto Asset Transparency Act EU (KStTG-E)

Das neue internationale Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) spielt ebenfalls eine Rolle, und es ist nicht die einzige Neuerung.

Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF): Overview and Participants

Pension insurance

Pension insurance is also getting a new look, with an EU pension ID card. Here you have to prove your pension entitlement, identity and so on. Provide a digital proof of life – until now this was only possible in non-EU countries.

Money laundering and terrorist financing

Money laundering and terrorist financing are a very big factor here. Even if none of us have enough money to do something like this, we are simply accused of it. As a result, laws are passed with no other purpose than to control citizens – while others line their pockets.

My favorite example is car sales, where you had to show the sales documents. After this request was complied with, the question was asked: “Where did you get the money to buy the Mercedes?”

All-Crime Principle

The all-crime principle is a central concept in the fight against money laundering. It states that any criminal offense that leads to illegally obtained assets can be considered a possible predicate offense for money laundering.

This means that it is no longer only certain serious crimes (such as drug trafficking) that can be considered a predicate offense for money laundering. Instead, money from fraud, tax evasion or embezzlement, for example, which is subsequently attempted to be “laundered”, can also constitute money laundering. Suspicious cash deposits, especially those that exceed certain thresholds (e.g. EUR 3,000 for certain cases in Germany) and whose origin is unclear, can also be an indicator of an underlying criminal offense that falls under the all-crimes principle and thus gives rise to suspicion of money laundering.

You can also expect the same when you receive transfers, for example from crypto exchanges, sell your second car or a motorcycle if you want to emigrate (which is only understandable).

The core aim of this principle is to make the fight against money laundering more comprehensive and effective. It should enable the authorities to take broader action against the concealment of criminal profits.

The downside, however, is that it increases the risk for all those who come into contact with assets – whether illegally or legally acquired. It creates a situation in which the burden of proof and potential suspicion can also affect innocent parties.

Your advantages with document management

Document management may sound like a lot of work at first, but it offers you many tangible benefits that can make your everyday life and work much easier. Here are the most important points:

• Audit-proof archiving:
  • Unaltered storage of originals: Paperless-ngx saves documents in their original state.
  • PDF/A conversion: Documents are converted to PDF/A format, a standard for long-term archiving that ensures legibility for decades.
  • Checksums: Generated checksums confirm the integrity of the documents.
  • Deletion protection: Configurable settings prevent accidental or premature deletion of tax-relevant documents.
• Quick findability & traceability:
  • Full-text search: Thanks to OCR, all documents are fully text-searchable, which enables relevant documents (e.g. crypto transactions) to be found quickly.
  • Metadata management: Comprehensive tagging and the assignment of correspondents/types facilitate the precise categorization and filtering of documents.
  • Customizable workflows: Automated processes help assign and classify documents for specific recordkeeping requirements.
• Traceability of changes (audit trail):
  • An activatable audit trail logs all changes to documents and metadata. This is crucial for the traceability and fulfillment of requirements such as the GoBD.

Important note: Although Paperless-ngx offers many functions for audit-proof filing, detailed procedural documentation of the internal processes must also be created and a robust backup concept implemented for full GoBD compliance.

It is a self-hosted solution that gives you full data sovereignty: All data remains on your computer system.

You do have the option of hosting on the internet, but I would advise against this – even if you could use two-factor authentication (2FA).

In the video I explain everything again and show an overview of what Paperless looks like in the application and what it can do.

In further videos we will then go into details such as filing, filtering the display, searching for documents, scanning documents with a cell phone or scanner, sharing and sending documents, etc.

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More articles in this series:

Paperless NGX Docker installation: https://www.klissner.uk/en/paperless-ngx-docker-installation-2/

Paperless adding documents Basics: https://www.klissner.uk/en/paperless-adding-documents-basics/

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