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How to connect Dext to your accounting software

Connect Dext to your accounting software to publish items directly and adjust your bookkeeping settings.

Written by Alexander

Connect Dext to your accounting software to publish receipts, invoices, and expense claims directly, with categories, tax rates, and supplier details applied automatically.

You can connect only 1 main accounting software to a Dext account at a time.

Note: Only Admin users can connect Dext to accounting software, including accountants and bookkeepers accessing a client account.

Which accounting software can I connect to Dext?

Dext connects to the accounting software listed here. The options you see in Dext depend on your account’s country.

Cloud accounting software

You can connect Dext to these online accounting software products:

  • BrightBooks (also known as Surf Accounts)

  • FreeAgent

  • KashFlow

  • MYOB (AccountRight Live, Business, Essentials and Connected Ledger)

  • Nomi (also known as Nomisma)

  • QuickBooks Online

  • Reckon One

  • Sage Accounting (also known as Sage One) and Sage Accounting South Africa

  • Twinfield

  • Xero

  • Zoho Books

Desktop accounting software

You can connect Dext to desktop accounting software using the Dext Connect App, which runs on Windows:

  • QuickBooks Desktop

  • Sage 50 UK and Sage 50 Canada

For setup details, go to What is the Dext Connect App?

Additional connections

You can add these as an additional bookkeeping connection alongside your main accounting software:

  • BILL (Bill.com)

  • ApprovalMax, for Xero and QuickBooks Online

For more details, go to How to use additional accounting software connections in Dext

Availability by country

Most connections are available for accounts in the UK, the US and other countries.

Sage 50 UK isn’t available for US accounts, and Sage 50 Canada isn’t available for UK accounts.

Software that works through file exports

Some accounting software doesn’t have a direct connection. Instead, you export items from Dext as a file and import it into your software. This includes Sage Pastel, VT Transaction+ and Visma e-conomic.

For the available formats, go to What CSV export formats are available in Dext?

For Sage Pastel, go to How to use Dext with Sage Pastel

Before you start

When you connect accounting software for bookkeeping, Dext imports the following from your accounting software:

  • Categories

  • Suppliers and customers

  • Tax rates

  • Products and services

  • Projects/Projects 2

  • Bank accounts

Important: If you use Data Health & Insights or Commerce, your bookkeeping connection and those features must use the same accounting software. If your connected software isn't compatible, you won't be able to assign Data Health & Insights or Commerce licences to the account.

Set up the connection

To connect Dext to your accounting software:

  1. Go to Business settings > Connections.

  2. Under Accounting software, select Connect.

  3. Select your accounting software from the list, then select Connect.

  4. Review the connection steps in the window that appears, then select Connect software. You'll be redirected to your accounting software to sign in.

  5. Select the organisation you want to connect to Dext and select Next.

  6. Complete any remaining steps in your accounting software, then return to Dext.

  7. Select Finish on the confirmation screen.

Connections page in Business settings showing the Accounting software section with the Connect button button outlined

You'll land on the connection settings page, where you can choose your publishing settings before you start.

Adjust your connection settings

After connecting, you'll land on the settings page for your accounting software. You can return here at any time from Business settings > Connections > Manage > Settings.

Note: The settings available on the page depend on the connected accounting software.

Accounting software section in Business settings Connections with the Manage drop-down in the Bookkeeping section selected and the Settings option highlighted

General

Set the default publishing destinations for cost items, sales items, and expense claims. The available options vary by accounting software.

Bank match

Enable Bank match to automatically send paid items to the matched bank account for easier reconciliation. Bank match is available for Xero, MYOB, and Sage Accounting only.

See How to use Bank Match in Dext for more details.

Tax

Choose how Dext applies tax codes to published items. The default tax setting won't overwrite supplier-specific rules or manual edits made to individual items.

Automatic publishing

Set up auto-publish rules at the supplier level once your category rules are in place. See How to use auto-publish in Dext for step-by-step instructions.

Manage an existing connection

To manage your connection after setup, go to Business settings > Connections and select Manage next to your accounting software.

From the Manage dropdown you can:

  • Settings - view and update your publishing settings

  • Reconnect - restore the connection if it's been interrupted

  • Refresh integration data - manually sync the latest lists from your accounting software

  • Change connection - switch to a different organisation in the same accounting software

  • Disconnect - remove the connection

  • Merge Lists - available after connecting; merges existing Dext rules with lists imported from your accounting software

Use the separate Connect button under Additional bookkeeping connection to connect secondary software such as ApprovalMax or Bill.com.

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