Accounting: so necessary, and so tedious. If there were awards for "business processes with the most data entry," accounting would definitely be near the top. On top of that, accounting requires precision since mistakes can be costly.
Accounting automation solves both of these problems. When you automate your accounting workflows, you send data from one product to another, saving time and reducing the chance of error. Automation can handle many different accounting processes, from invoicing to expensing to internal communication.
If you want to automate an accounting process but aren't sure where to start, we've rounded up some of our favorite examples using various accounting software options and other tools. If you use different products, you can check out our full list of supported tools and follow the same workflow, but with the tools you're using in your business.
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Table of contents
Add transactions from your payment processing apps
Connecting your accounting software to your bank account will capture the net payments from your payment processing apps, but only the app itself contains the processing fees paid. To properly capture the gross sales and the amount of the fees, you'd need to adjust the bank transaction manually. The bank transaction also lacks other details, like the original date of the translation or individual transactions that might be included in a lump payout.
Instead, you can use Zapier to automatically send transactions from payment processors like Stripe, Square, and PayPal. By doing this, you'll have more accurate accounting records and better reporting of your sales.
Add transactions in Wave for new Stripe sales
Stripe + Wave
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When you make online sales and process with Stripe, you need to also record the income in Wave to keep your bookkeeping up to date. This integration will create an Income transaction in Wave for each new Stripe payment processed, ensuring that your online captured sales are correctly recorded in Wave. Sales income and payment card processing fees are captured separately, so you have fully accurate records.
Record Wave sales for new Square transactions
Square + Wave
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This integration records Wave sales for new Square transactions.
Create Xero invoices for new Stripe payments
Stripe + Xero
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Automatically created paid invoices in Xero when your Stripe customers are charged with this Stripe Xero integration. After you set up this integration, every time there is a new Stripe charge, a new Xero invoice is created. It's automatic accounting at its best.
Create new Xero invoices for new PayPal sales
PayPal + Xero
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You collect payments with PayPal and manage your books with Xero. Use this PayPal Xero integration to make the two systems work in harmony - each time you make a sale with PayPal, an invoice will be automatically created in Xero.
Create QuickBooks Online customers with sales receipts for new Stripe payments
Stripe + QuickBooks Online
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Increased sales don't have to mean more time lost to paperwork — let Zapier be your personal accountant. This multi-step Stripe-QuickBooks Online integration will happen at any new Stripe charges, automatically finding the right QuickBooks Online customer or creating them if they don't exist, followed by issuing a sales receipt in their name — all in one go.
Create invoices based on emails
If you get an email notifying you that someone is interested in your services, your next step is probably to send an invoice. But how do you quickly and easily get that information from your email? Hopefully not by copying and pasting, which makes it very easy to accidentally grab incorrect or miss important information.
Instead, Zapier can use email notifications to create invoices. With Zapier's built-in email parser tool, you can extract data from the email, like the person's name, the amount, and the services. This saves you time since you won't have to add the new customer to your accounting software manually, and ensures that invoices are sent promptly.
Upload documents for bookkeeping purposes in Lexware Office from new email attachments
Email by Zapier + Lexware Office
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Upload new bookkeeping documents to Lexware Office simply by sending an email with attachments. This integration handles the file management for you, automatically uploading documents with each new emailed attachment you receive in your Zapier email account.
Raise expenses in Hnry with new inbound emails
Email by Zapier + Hnry
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Activate this Zap to keep your expenses updated, without needing any duplicate data entry. As soon as an inbound email is received, this Zap automatically raises an expense in your Hnry account.
Send QuickBooks Online invoices from new emails parsed by Zapier
Email Parser by Zapier + QuickBooks Online
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Spending too much of your time creating invoices from your emails? Reclaim your time by automating the process with QuickBooks Online and Zapier's Email Parser. Once active, this automation will trigger whenever a new email is parsed by your parser mailbox, automatically sending the extracted data to QuickBooks Online, creating an invoice and emailing that invoice out to your client.
Create new Xero invoices from parsed emails by Zapier
Email Parser by Zapier + Xero
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The copy-and-paste routine feels easy at first, but i can be a serious time suck. Use this Zapier integration to automatically pull out relevant payment and reciept information buried in the auto-generated notification emails you receive and create new invoices in Xero.
Upload documents to your accounting software
You may store documents in an app like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive for record-keeping purposes, but you also need a copy in your accounting software. With accounting automation, you can send files from your cloud storage to your accounting software, rather than upload the file twice.
You can even have the uploaded files create and send invoices. Since Zapier's automation is based on using a specific folder as a trigger, you can have different folders trigger different workflows. For example, an upload to a designated folder might send an invoice to a specific client.
Pro Tip: You can also automate saving email file attachments directly to your Google Drive. Here's how.
Upload documents for bookkeeping purposes from new files in Google Drive folders to Lexware Office
Google Drive + Lexware Office
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The days of uploading files to Lexware Office via web browser are gone. Use this Zapier integration in combination with Google Drive and you can simply copy your documents for bookkeeping purposes to a local folder on your computer and they will be uploaded to Lexware Office automatically. Your life just got a lot easier!
Upload new Dropbox files to Lexware Office
Dropbox + Lexware Office
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Are you tired of uploading documents for bookkeeping purposes (PDF/JPG/PNG) to your Lexware Office account? Now with the help of Dropbox and Zapier, whenever a new file is added to a specific Dropbox folder, Zapier will automatically upload those files to Lexware Office. Stop wasting time doing manual work and automate the process!
Upload new documents for bookkeeping purposes from new files in OneDrive to Lexware Office
OneDrive + Lexware Office
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Wouldn't it be great to be able drag and drop your documents for bookkeeping purposes from your local file system to a folder to make them available in Lexware Office? With this integration, you can do just that! Now, whenever a new document is added to a specific OneDrive folder, this Zap will automatically upload those document files to your Lexware Office account.
Create sales receipts in QuickBooks Online for new Google Drive folders
Google Drive + QuickBooks Online
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Effortlessly manage your sales receipts with this seamless workflow between Google Drive and QuickBooks Online. When you create a new folder in Google Drive, a sales receipt will be generated in QuickBooks Online, saving you time and ensuring accurate record-keeping. Keep your financials organized while enjoying increased efficiency with this simple automation.
Send updated Google Drive files as sales invoices by email with Xero
Google Drive + Xero
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Effortlessly manage your sales invoices with this efficient workflow between Google Drive and Xero. Whenever you update a sales invoice file in Google Drive, an email is instantly sent through Xero, notifying your customers about the updated information. This automation streamlines your sales processes, helping you maintain clear communication with your clients and saving you valuable time.
Add transactions to a spreadsheet or database
Spreadsheets are a frequent supplement to accounting software. Whether you need more robust reporting than your accounting software can provide or need a more detailed breakdown, spreadsheets fill the gaps.
While you can typically download transactions from your accounting software, this is usually for bulk actions (such as a month-end review). With Zapier, you can send transactions to a spreadsheet as they occur. That way, you can review them in your spreadsheet immediately and don't have to export transactions from your accounting software constantly.
Add new Wave invoices to Google Sheets rows
Wave + Google Sheets
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Who doesn't want to build a backup of all their invoices or keep track of them in a separate system? That's just smart business! Build a database automatically with this Zap: Zapier will take your new invoices from Wave and send their information to new rows in Google Sheets. In just a few minutes, you'll have your own backup database ready to go.
Add new QuickBooks Online invoices to Google Sheets spreadsheet rows
QuickBooks Online + Google Sheets
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If you use Google Sheets to track or report on your invoicing, you can use this integration to automatically start adding new QuickBooks Online invoices to a specified spreadsheet. Simply select your worksheet and you will be able to send QuickBooks Online invoice data to specific columns in your spreadsheet, with no manual copy-and-paste tasks.
Create Google Sheet rows for new Splitwise expenses
Splitwise + Google Sheets
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When you split expenses with others, you may want to organize the details on a spreadsheet. This integration makes it easy by automatically creating a row on a Google Sheet with the details from a new expense in Splitwise. It's never been easier to organize expenses you split.
Log new Bunq payments as Google spreadsheet rows
bunq + Google Sheets
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Whenever a payment is made to a sub-account, the payment details will be added to a Google spreadsheet. This creates a overview for you or your employees
You can even send transaction data to a database like Airtable for more complex or customizable use cases, especially if Airtable is your central hub for other parts of your business.
Create Airtable records for new QuickBooks Online invoices
QuickBooks Online + Airtable
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When you have new invoices, you'll want the info stored in your database. This integration helps by automatically creating a record in Airtable with the details of a new invoice in QuickBooks Online. You won't have to manually copy important invoice info to your database again.
Create Airtable records from new Xero payments
Xero + Airtable
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With this Zap, there's no more need to copy and paste payment information into Airtable—Zapier will do it for you! Whenever you receive a new payment through Xero, Zapier will take the information, like name, amount, date, etc., and create a new record in Airtable, giving you the tools to create a payments database.
Create Airtable records for new Wave invoices
Wave + Airtable
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When you have new invoices, you'll want the details added to your database. This integration helps by automatically creating a record in Airtable with details from a new invoice in Wave. It's never been easier to track your invoices.
Send notifications based on invoices and payments
Very often, sending an invoice or receiving a payment triggers another action in your company, whether it's reaching out to a customer or starting a new project. The people who need to be informed about those invoices and payments aren't necessarily the same as those working in your accounting software.
Whether your preferred method of communication is Slack or email (or both!), you can set up a Zap to automatically send notifications based on new invoices or received payments.
Send Slack messages for new Wave invoices
Wave + Slack
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Staying on top of new invoices as you receive them can be a tall order. With a little help from Zapier, you can automatically be alerted in a messaging app like Slack, any time a new invoice comes in. Never worry about thinking "what's the status of that?" ever again!
Send Slack messages for new invoices in QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online + Slack
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Ensure that you're always updated with your financial operations with this handy workflow. Whenever a new invoice is created in QuickBooks Online, a corresponding message is sent in your specified Slack channel. This ensures seamless communication and keeps your team informed about billing updates, improving organizational efficiency.
Send gmail emails for new QuickBooks Online payments
QuickBooks Online + Gmail
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When you have new payments in your accounting tool, you'll want to know about it. This integration helps by automatically sending a Gmail email with details from a new payment in QuickBooks Online. It's never been easier to organize your payment details.
Send Slack channel messages for new payments in Xero
Xero + Slack
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When you receive new payments from customers, you'll want to share the good news with your team. This integration helps by automatically sending a channel message in Slack with the new payment details from Xero. It's never been so effortless to share the good news.
Send Gmail messages when new payments are received in Xero
Xero + Gmail
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Want to keep certain stakeholders in the loop about payments? Or your entire team? This integration will automatically send Gmail messages to certain recipients whenever new payments are received in Xero. That way, essential team communication is taken care of for you.
Add new customers to your marketing apps
New customers often mean adding customer information to several different apps. If you're already adding customer contact information to your accounting software, why not save a step and add that customer to your marketing apps?
Whether you're using an email service provider like Mailchimp or a CRM like Salesforce, you can create new customer records based on adding new customers or creating invoices within your accounting software. Within these apps, you may have additional automation set up, such as adding tags to the customer or kicking off a welcome sequence.
Create Mailchimp subscribers from new Wave customers
Wave + Mailchimp
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Wouldn't you want to also add new customers to your email marketing list? Of course, but that adds a few extra steps in your day, which can be time consuming. Zapier can take care of that for you. All you need to do is worry about nurturing the personal relationship, and let integration automatically create a Mailchimp subscriber every time a new customer is created in your Wave account.
Create Salesforce records for new QuickBooks Online invoices
QuickBooks Online + Salesforce
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Easily streamline your invoicing and customer management process with this workflow that connects QuickBooks Online and Salesforce. When a new invoice is created in QuickBooks Online, a corresponding record will be generated in Salesforce, ensuring your customer information stays up-to-date and organized across both platforms. Save time and improve efficiency with this seamless automation.
Add new Mailchimp subscribers from new contacts in Xero
Xero + Mailchimp
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If you're not adding your accounting software customers to your email marketing lists, you might be missing out on potential customer connections. This Xero Mailchimp integration will get these apps talking, leaving you more time for business. Every time a new contact is added to Xero, they will be subscribed to a Mailchimp list.
Subscribe new Zoho Books customers to a list on Mailchimp
Zoho Books + Mailchimp
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Sending emails about the latest news and offers to customers is an integral part of expanding your business. Let this automation do the work of building up your audience: Turn it on, and every new customer you add to Zoho Books will also be subscribed to a list on Mailchimp, guaranteeing your newsletters always reach the widest possible audience.
Connect your accounting software to the apps you use every day
Accounting automation in software can do a lot of things, such as categorizing transactions or setting up recurring invoices. While this type of automation can save your accounting team a lot of time, it doesn't cover the full spectrum of tasks that are related to accounting but occur within other apps.
Whether you have a high volume of transactions or a small team, accounting automation can keep your business running smoothly. You won't have to worry about delayed communication, extra steps, or errors because your systems are out of sync.
Don't see the apps you use in the workflows we shared? Zapier connects with thousands of apps. Check out our App Directory to start automating your accounting app.
This article was originally published in April 2021, written by Joanna Rutter. It was most recently updated by Anna Burgess Yang in December 2024.
