Connecting Shopify to QuickBooks Online: What You Need and What to Expect
A walkthrough of the Shopify Connector by QuickBooks Online, covering setup, transaction import settings, product matching, and payout account configuration.
QuickBooks Online includes a built-in tool for syncing Shopify sales, and the setup is relatively straightforward — provided you have the right information on hand and understand how the connector maps your store data.
What You Need Before You Start
The connection requires a QuickBooks Online account, your original Shopify store URL (in the format my-store.myshopify.com, not your custom domain), and your Shopify login credentials. You also need sufficient permissions in Shopify to install third-party apps.
Starting the Connection
From QuickBooks Online, navigate to the integrations menu and search for the Shopify Connector. After selecting the option to add the integration, you enter your Shopify store URL and sign in to Shopify to authorize data sharing between the two platforms.
Reviewing App Settings
Once authorized, QuickBooks redirects you to a settings review page where you configure how the integration behaves. The key decisions happen here.
Transaction Import Date
You choose when the connector begins importing orders. The tool can pull transactions from up to one year in the past. If you have already recorded transactions from that period manually, you can exclude or undo the imported entries to avoid duplication.
Automatic Transaction Posting
QuickBooks can add high-confidence transactions to your books automatically. When enabled, these transactions appear in the categorized section of your integration transactions list. If you leave this feature off, imported transactions sit in a review queue and require manual approval before posting.
Product Tracking
Product tracking controls how Shopify items map to QuickBooks inventory. When turned on, the connector attempts to match Shopify products to existing QuickBooks items by SKU and name. Exact matches sync automatically. Close matches appear as suggestions in a review tab. If no match is found, the product is not created automatically — you must set it up manually in QuickBooks.
When product tracking is off, all transactions post to a default sales item. You can change this default item in the app settings.
Customer Tracking
Customer tracking works similarly. Enabled, the connector pulls customer details from Shopify into QuickBooks. Disabled or unmatched customers default to a generic entry — typically labeled something like “Shopify Customer.”
Deposit and Payment Accounts
The deposit account is where the connector records Shopify payouts — usually a checking account. The payment account handles negative payouts, which occur when you owe Shopify money (for chargebacks or fees, for example). This is typically a credit card account. Both can be changed later.
Shipping, Discounts, and Defaults
The connector uses default items for shipping and discounts when those tracking options are turned off in settings. These defaults — typically labeled along the lines of “Shopify Shipping Item” and “Shopify Discount Item” — can be reassigned to your own chart-of-accounts items if you prefer.
Finalizing the Sync
After configuring your settings, you initiate the sync. Once the connection is live, you can monitor imported transactions through the integration transactions view, where you review, categorize, or undo entries as needed.
A Note on Matching
The most common friction point users encounter is product matching. The connector relies on SKU and name alignment, so inconsistent naming between Shopify and QuickBooks will result in unmatched items that require manual attention. Cleaning up item names and SKUs in both systems before enabling the sync can significantly reduce the review workload.