Before You Start

This guide assumes you have an active Stripe account and administrator access to your accounting software (QuickBooks Online or Xero).

Overview

20 min
Setup Time
Intermediate
Difficulty
Monthly
Maintenance

What You’ll Learn

  • How Stripe payouts are structured for accounting
  • Accurately splitting fees, refunds, and disputes
  • Automating reconciliation with third-party tools
  • Matching bank deposits to Stripe payouts

1. Understanding Stripe Payouts

Stripe payouts are net amounts, meaning fees, refunds, and other adjustments are deducted before the transfer to your bank account. For accurate books, these components need to be recorded separately.

Key Components of a Payout

  • Gross Sales
  • Stripe Fees
  • Refunds Issued
  • Disputes/Chargebacks
  • Adjustments & Transfers

Impacted Accounting Accounts

  • Stripe Bank Account (Asset/Bank)
  • Sales Income (Income)
  • Stripe Fees & Processing (Expense)
  • Sales Tax Payable (Liability)
  • Stripe Refunds (Contra-Income or Expense)

2. Choosing Your Integration Method

You have a few options to get Stripe data into your accounting software.

Method A: Manual Reconciliation

This involves manually importing transaction reports from Stripe.

Pros:
  • It’s free (no extra app costs).
  • Full control over categorization.
  • Good for very low transaction volumes.
Cons:
  • Extremely time-consuming.
  • High risk of errors and discrepancies.
  • Difficult to manage for high volumes.
  • Challenges matching net payouts.

Method B: Automated Third-Party Tools (e.g., A2X for Stripe)

These are paid apps designed to automate and simplify reconciliation.

Expert Tip: We highly recommend an automated tool like A2X for Stripe. It precisely breaks down each payout into its components (sales, fees, refunds, disputes) and posts them as a summary journal entry, perfectly matching the bank deposit. This makes reconciliation seamless and accurate, especially for businesses with complex or high-volume transactions.

3. Preparation Steps

Before integrating, ensure your accounting software has the necessary accounts ready to categorize Stripe’s various transaction types. This typically involves setting up accounts for Stripe’s gross sales, fees, refunds, and a ‘clearing’ or ‘bank’ account for the payouts themselves.

Here is a sample JSON structure of a Stripe payout report, illustrating the complexity.

{
  "id": "po_12345",
  "amount": 95000,
  "currency": "usd",
  "status": "paid",
  "created": 1678886400,
  "destination": "ba_abcde",
  "balance_transactions": [
    { "type": "charge", "amount": 100000, "fee": 2900 },
    { "type": "refund", "amount": -5000, "fee": 0 },
    { "type": "stripe_fee", "amount": -1600, "fee": 0 }
  ]
}

4. Setting Up A2X for Stripe

Here’s the streamlined process for connecting Stripe to your accounting software using A2X.

  1. 1

    Connect Stripe to A2X

    Authorize A2X to access your Stripe account. Ensure you connect the correct Stripe account if you have multiple.

  2. 2

    Connect A2X to Accounting Software

    Link your QuickBooks Online or Xero account in A2X settings. Grant necessary permissions for data sync.

  3. 3

    Map Your Accounts

    Assign your Stripe sales, fees, refunds, and the payout clearing account to the correct accounts in your QBO/Xero chart of accounts.

Common Error: Unmatched Deposits

Ensure your Stripe Payouts account in your accounting software is correctly mapped as a ‘Bank’ or ‘Current Asset’ type, matching the actual bank account receiving deposits. Mismatched account types can prevent automatic reconciliation.

5. Reconciling Stripe Payouts

With A2X configured, reconciling Stripe payouts becomes a quick, routine task.

Monthly Reconciliation Checklist

  • Verify A2X imports match Stripe payout reports
  • Confirm fees and refunds are correctly categorized
  • Match bank deposits to corresponding A2X entries
  • Review for any unallocated transactions or discrepancies

Need Help?

Get Expert Support

Stripe reconciliation can be complex. Our experts can help optimize your setup and troubleshoot any issues.

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