Best Ecommerce Accounting Software UK | Link My Books
In this guide
The quick answer
What is the best accounting and bookkeeping software for UK ecommerce?
Link My Books is a strong option for UK ecommerce sellers who use Xero or QuickBooks Online. It connects online sales channels to accounting software, organises sales, refunds, fees and tax information into settlement summaries, and helps match those summaries to bank payouts. It is also designed for accountants and bookkeepers managing ecommerce clients. The best choice depends on your sales channels, VAT setup and reporting needs.
Your sales dashboard might show one total while your bank receives a smaller payout after refunds, fees, promotions and taxes.
In the UK, VAT complicates the picture further. The test is whether a marketplace payout becomes accurate, reviewable accounting entries.
The video introduces Link My Books and the tutorials I recorded with co-founder Daniel Little. Below are the setup, UK VAT and offer details.
Affiliate disclosure
Some links in this guide are affiliate links. If you subscribe through my link, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support of my free tutorials.
Why is UK ecommerce bookkeeping different from ordinary sales accounting?
Ecommerce marketplaces often settle many transactions together. One deposit can combine sales from different days, refunds, referral fees, fulfilment charges and adjustments.
Suppose a marketplace reports the following hypothetical settlement. The numbers are deliberately simplified and exclude any separate VAT calculation.
| Settlement component | Example amount | Accounting meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Gross sales | £1,200 | Sales activity before deductions |
| Refunds | −£100 | Customer money returned |
| Marketplace fees | −£150 | Charges deducted by the channel |
| Other adjustments | +£20 | Illustrative reimbursement or credit |
| Bank payout | £970 | Amount to reconcile to the bank |
If you simply record £970 as sales, you lose the separate picture of £1,200 in gross sales and the deductions that produced the payout. A proper settlement workflow retains those categories and makes the bank deposit easier to reconcile. The correct treatment of VAT still needs its own settings and review.
How does Link My Books work with Xero and QuickBooks?
Link My Books connects sales channels to your accounting ledger. After authorisation, it imports payout transactions, categorises them and applies your approved mappings.
1. Connect
Authorise the sales channel and Xero or QuickBooks Online.
2. Categorise
Map sales, refunds, fees and tax treatments to the correct accounts.
3. Reconcile
Send summaries to the ledger and match the resulting payouts.
In Xero, each settlement is generally posted as an invoice; in QuickBooks Online, it is posted as a sales journal. The entries link to supporting settlement information for checking later. This distinction matters if your accountant expects the same document type in both products.
After checking an initial settlement, enable automatic posting while continuing to monitor exceptions. See Link My Books' settlement documentation.
Link My Books trial and discount
Try the bookkeeping workflow before subscribing
VOVA20
50% off your first 3 months
Start with the standard 14-day free trial. If you choose an eligible new monthly subscription, enter VOVA20 at checkout and check that the offer has applied.
Coupon terms apply to new customers on eligible monthly plans, not annual billing. Confirm the final price before paying.
Which ecommerce channels can Link My Books connect?
The video lists Amazon, eBay, Shopify, Walmart, TikTok Shop, Etsy, Square and WooCommerce. Those channels remain in Link My Books' official setup documentation. They connect through the service to Xero or QuickBooks Online, but geographic availability and the way channels are counted can differ.
| Sales channel | Typical bookkeeping use |
|---|---|
| Amazon | Amazon UK and supported international-region settlement accounting |
| eBay | Sales, refunds, charges and marketplace payouts |
| Shopify | Store payouts and payment-related fees |
| Etsy | Orders, seller fees, refunds and deposits |
| TikTok Shop | UK and US TikTok Shop accounts, subject to connection requirements |
| Walmart | Useful for UK businesses selling on Walmart's supported marketplace; Walmart Canada is excluded |
| Square | Payment and sales summaries for connected Square stores |
| WooCommerce | Online-store records via a supported WooCommerce connection |
Multiple channels can connect. For Amazon, each seller region may count separately, rather than each individual country storefront.
Check the official integration setup guide against your specific combination before picking a plan.
How does Link My Books help with UK VAT?
UK sellers may have standard-rated and zero-rated goods, or cross-border sales with different tax treatments. One blanket VAT mapping can distort the accounts.
Link My Books includes a guided Accounts & Taxes setup. It asks for your VAT registration status and provides mappings for sales, fees and other transactions. Where relevant, it can account for different product VAT groups, including standard, reduced and zero rates. You must review the suggested settings and confirm that they fit the business.
Important for UK sellers: Link My Books helps prepare bookkeeping data; it does not independently decide your legal VAT position or replace tax advice. Ask your accountant to review VAT registration, product classifications, cross-border transactions and the rates you have configured.
Its official Accounts & Taxes guide explains the setup and recommends professional review. Clean mapped data makes VAT reporting easier, but your accounting and filing responsibilities still remain.
Is Link My Books better for sellers or accountants?
Both can use it, but their setup and reporting priorities differ.
For ecommerce sellers
The goal is fewer hours spent exporting files and explaining unmatched deposits. You can review each channel's results, monitor fees, and see a more consistent sales picture in your accounts.
A seller who already uses Xero or QuickBooks Online is the most straightforward fit. You still review costs and profit rather than assuming that an automated posting is a complete business report.
For accountants and bookkeepers
The goal is consistency across clients. You can organise connections, use agreed mappings, inspect settlement histories and spend more time reviewing unusual transactions than re-entering routine figures.
A client may need to authorise their own marketplace connection. The practice can then manage the accounting setup without requesting the seller's personal login credentials.
For practice-specific instructions, see Link My Books' current user-type guidance and my accountants and bookkeepers FAQ.
How to set up Link My Books for a UK ecommerce business
I suggest testing one complete settlement before turning on full automation. That gives you a chance to spot a mapping error while the amount of data to review is still manageable.
- Start the free trial. Choose whether you are a business owner or an accountant. Create your login using a supported Xero, Intuit or Google sign-in.
- Connect the sales channel. Select Amazon UK, Shopify, eBay or the platform you actually sell on. Approve the connection using the authorised marketplace account.
- Connect your accounting software. Select the appropriate Xero organisation or QuickBooks Online company. QuickBooks Desktop is not a supported substitute.
- Complete the tax and account wizard. Confirm the business's VAT registration and account mappings. Have your accountant check the rates, particularly where products have mixed VAT treatment.
- Inspect one payout. Review sales, refunds, fees and taxes inside the settlement summary. Send it to Xero or QuickBooks and compare the entry to the bank deposit.
- Enable automation if the test looks right. Choose the appropriate posting start date, then review the dashboard regularly for missing settlements or failed postings.
Keep a monthly review of unmatched transactions, fee changes, unusual refunds and VAT mappings.
Is Link My Books free to try, and is onboarding free?
The standard Link My Books trial lasts 14 days, and its current signup page says no credit card is required. You can explore the workflow, connect accounts and decide whether it fits your monthly bookkeeping routine.
My video advertises free onboarding through the referral offer. However, Link My Books' newer public one-to-one onboarding policy now says calls are free for businesses processing at least 5,000 orders per month; for smaller businesses, a standard call costs £49 plus VAT.
A referral-specific free call may still exist. Ask Link My Books support whether my link qualifies your account before booking. Setup guides remain available.
A free trial is also different from the discount on a paid subscription. The coupon does not extend the trial; it changes the eligible subscription charge after you decide to subscribe.
How does coupon code VOVA20 give you 50% off?
Use VOVA20 when subscribing to an eligible Link My Books monthly plan as a new customer. The advertised offer reduces the subscription price by 50% for the first three months. It does not apply to annual billing and cannot normally be combined with another promotion.
For example, if your eligible plan normally costs £40 per month before tax, a 50% discount would make it £20 per month for three months, then return to the applicable standard price. This is only a calculation example, not a quote for a particular plan.
At billing, select your monthly plan, enter VOVA20 in the coupon field and verify the total. Link My Books' official coupon page describes the new-customer and monthly-plan restrictions. If your subscription is billed through Shopify rather than Link My Books directly, check the billing guidance because direct coupons are not accepted through Shopify billing.
Ready to test your bookkeeping setup?
Free trial + VOVA20 discount
VOVA20
50% off for 3 months
For eligible new monthly subscribers. Compare the standard price, monthly order limits and connected-channel allowance before committing.
Onboarding-call eligibility is separate from the coupon. Confirm it directly with the team before booking.
Watch the complete Link My Books tutorials
The short video at the top gives the overview. If you want to see the screens before connecting your own accounts, I recorded longer walkthroughs with Link My Books co-founder Daniel Little for two different audiences.
For ecommerce sellers: full setup and settlement walkthrough
Follow how a seller connects a marketplace, works through account mappings, examines payouts and sends settlement data to the ledger. You can also read my step-by-step seller tutorial.
For accountants and bookkeepers: managing ecommerce clients
This walkthrough focuses on client connections, repeatable bookkeeping processes and using Link My Books in an accounting practice.
For more related lessons, browse my Link My Books resource hub.
What should you check before choosing Link My Books?
Compare it against your real workflow: it automates bookkeeping connections, not every accounting, inventory or tax function.
- Your accounting platform: QuickBooks Online is supported, but QuickBooks Desktop and Self-Employed are not. Some entry-level Xero plans have invoice or bill limits.
- Your subscription allowance: Price depends on order volume and connected channels. Check your actual regions and stores rather than relying on an old video price.
- Completeness of your records: Costs of goods, other business expenses and tax classifications still need accurate inputs and review.
- Your VAT responsibilities: Automated entries help organise information, but they are not a promise that every VAT liability or return is automatically correct.
For current order and channel tiers, use the official pricing calculator rather than figures shown in older tutorials.
Frequently asked questions about UK ecommerce bookkeeping
Can I use Link My Books if I only sell on Amazon UK?
Yes. You can connect an eligible Amazon seller region to Xero or QuickBooks Online. Even one marketplace can generate complicated settlement reports, so multi-channel selling is not a requirement.
Does Link My Books replace Xero or QuickBooks?
No. It connects sales-channel information to those accounting platforms. You need a supported bookkeeping connection to complete the initial setup, and your wider accounts still live in Xero or QuickBooks.
Will Link My Books file my UK VAT return?
It helps map and post ecommerce transactions with relevant VAT information, but it is not a substitute for determining your VAT liability or fulfilling filing obligations. Confirm your filing workflow with your accountant.
Can my bookkeeper set it up without my marketplace password?
Yes. In the accountant workflow, the business owner can authorise the sales-channel connection and the bookkeeper can manage the accounting-side setup. This avoids sharing primary seller login credentials.
Can I use VOVA20 with an annual subscription?
No. The published three-month 50% coupon offer applies to eligible new monthly subscriptions. Annual plans and combined promotions have different rules. Confirm your final billing amount at checkout.
Is Link My Books worth trying for a UK ecommerce business?
If you use Xero or QuickBooks Online with supported channels, Link My Books is worth testing for clearer payouts and accounting entries.
Start with one channel, check a real settlement, confirm the VAT setup, and ask whether the resulting bank reconciliation is clearer than your current method. That is a stronger reason to subscribe than any feature list.
If it helps, use my Link My Books trial link and enter VOVA20 on an eligible new monthly subscription for 50% off the first three months. I hope it makes your next bookkeeping review a little easier. :)