Shopify + Xero setup guide

youtube video guideWatch video guide 5:09 Minutes

Overview of Shopify + Xero integration

  • Sales sync
    • On a daily basis, the integration will sync a summary of your previous day’s sales data into Xero generating a summarised invoice, or, opt to sync each Shopify order into an individual Xero invoice.
    • You can customise your preferred sales summary view choosing from a wide array of formats.
    • Capture all payment transactions including gift cards, tips, tax and payment fees.
    • Easily reconcile Shopify sales and payments in Xero.
  • Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) sync
    • Automatically synchronise the total cost from sold items and adjust the inventory amount, generating a manual journal.

How to set up Shopify + Xero integration

  1. Register or sign in to the Amaka dashboard to get started.

  2. Click the New integration button and select Shopify + Xero from the integrations list to commence the setup.

  3. Sign in to your Shopify account by clicking the Connect new account button underneath Shopify logo. Follow the guided authentication process to grant all relevant permissions.

    Authenticate your Xero account following the same procedure, then click Save + Continue.

  4. Follow the wizard to choose your preferred configuration method, invoice breakdown, invoice format, mapping and scheduler options to complete the setup of the integration.

  5. Click Save + Continue to finish and activate the integration.

If you have selected today’s date as your scheduled sync start date, your transactions will not appear in Xero until tomorrow.

Configuration methods

At the beginning of your setup wizard, you’ll be able to choose your preferred configuration method from the options listed below.

Express configuration

Every day, an invoice with your daily sales summary will be created in Xero.

The integration will automatically map sales and payments from Shopify into Xero by creating the following default accounts:

Account and code mapping
Sales Type Xero Account Xero Account Type Account Code
Sales Shopify Sales Revenue SH-20000
Discounts Shopify Discounts Revenue SH-20001
Shipping/Delivery Fees Shopify Shipping/Delivery Fees Revenue SH-20002
Shopify Fees Shopify Fees Expense SH-30000
Tips Shopify Tips Current Liability SH-80000
Gift Card Shopify Gift Card Current Liability SH-80001
Adjustment Shopify Sales Revenue SH-20000
Cost of Goods Sold Shopify COGS Expense SH-30001
Inventory Shopify Inventory Current Asset SH-63000

For US regions only:

Transaction Type Xero Account Xero Account Type Account Code
Sales Tax Shopify Collected Taxes Current Liability SH-80003
Total sales tax amount is synced to a separate line within the generated invoice and mapped to the Shopify Collected Taxes by default. The Tax Exempt tax rate will be used as the tax rate for the transaction lines such as sales, discounts, shipping, etc.
Payment mapping
Payment Type Xero Account Xero Account Type Account Code
Shopify Payment Shopify Payment Balance Bank Account SH-00000
Cash Shopify Cash Clearing Current Asset SH-60000
Cash on Delivery (COD) Shopify Cash Clearing Current Asset SH-60000
Gift Card Shopify Gift Card Current Liability SH-80001
Exchange Credit Shopify Exchange Credit Clearing Current Liability SH-80002
All Other Payment Types Shopify Other Payment Clearing Current Asset SH-60001
Advanced setup

The advanced setup will allow you to choose your own custom mapping in relation to sales and payments in Shopify.

Recommended for professional bookkeepers and accountants.
Guided setup

Schedule a call with one of our Integration Specialists that will help you decide on the best configuration method for you and guide you through the setup.

Schedule a call now

FAQ on how to set up Shopify + Xero

Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about this integration.

Yes! Using our free integration, a summary of your previous day’s sales data is automatically synced from Shopify into Xero as an invoice. This means you get perfectly reconciled accounts.

Forever free plan available. Visit our pricing page to find out more about premium features.

Of course! If you would like to request a walkthrough or discuss the capabilities of the integration in more detail, you may schedule a support session with one of our integration experts.

Sure, you can select the date that you wish the data to be synced from through the integration scheduler page.

In case you have revoked the access or changed credentials of an account used for an integration, you can easily reconnect it by expanding the options menu and clicking the Reconnect (or Edit) button in the Connected accounts page.

At any time, you can access your Amaka dashboard and disable an integration by either turning it OFF or deleting it entirely. You can follow the instructions here.

  • Purchases of a Gift Card – The integration will sync the purchase of gift cards on the sales invoice and the user is able to map these sales to a corresponding liability account within Xero (e.g. a “Gift Cards” Liability Account).
  • Using a Gift Card to pay for an order – Payments of orders via gift cards will be applied on the invoice the same way as other payment types. Payments via Gift Cards can also be mapped to the same liability account as above (where Gift Cards are sold) in order to maintain a running balance of gift cards that have been issued as well as their corresponding redemptions.

The integration syncs returns/refunds as credit notes in Xero, showing discounts and shipping fees as separate line items on the credit note.

For orders that are marked as pending via bank deposit, the integration will capture the sales and also the expected bank deposit payment, e.g. If an order (sale) of $100 was made on 1/1 and the payment was marked as pending via bank deposit, the integration would capture the $100 as a sales amount (revenue) and record a payment of $100 (receipt/asset).

When the payment is received from the customer, this amount would be reconciled against the account where the integration originally created the payment.

Using the example above:

  • On the 1/1, the integration would record both the sale and the pending payment:
    • Cr Sales $100
    • Dr Cash (current asset account) $100
  • When payment is actually deposited into the bank account:
    • Cr Cash $100
    • Dr Bank Account $100

What’s next?

Starting at less than USD 9/month

Let us reconcile your books!

Our Integration Specialists can also take care of reconciling your books.

Amaka managed reconciliation services

Shopify accounting eBook

Learn how to automate your Shopify accounting and spend less than an hour on your books every month.

Shopify accounting guide
Was this article helpful?