Link My Books Demo Account: VAT & Xero Tutorial
In this guide
The quick answer
Can you try Link My Books without connecting your store?
Link My Books offers a demo account that lets you explore ecommerce bookkeeping with sample data before connecting Amazon, Shopify, eBay, or another sales channel. Choose a UK, US, or Australian demo, review how payouts are separated into sales, refunds, fees, and tax categories, and see the workflow for posting settlements to Xero or QuickBooks Online. You can also start a separate 14-day free trial when you are ready to test your own business data.
A marketplace payout can look reassuring when the money reaches your bank. But the deposit alone does not explain how much you sold, how much the marketplace deducted, which products carried VAT, or what remains after costs. That missing detail is what makes ecommerce bookkeeping difficult as a store grows.
In my Link My Books walkthrough, we open a UK demo business and examine how a single settlement can contain very different types of transactions. We also discuss a practical problem for sellers: what happens when standard-rated, reduced-rated, and zero-rated products are all mixed together?
Below, I will show you how to explore the demo account, what the VAT breakdown means, how product groups are assigned, and when to send your bookkeeping data automatically. I have also included current setup and pricing notes where the software has changed since the recording.
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How to create and explore a Link My Books demo account
You do not have to give the software access to a live marketplace just to understand its layout. The current demo account instructions let you choose an example business and walk through the setup wizard using demonstration information.
- Create your login. Begin the signup flow and use a Google, Xero, or Intuit QuickBooks login. Signing in establishes your Link My Books user account; it does not, by itself, authorize access to your stores.
- Choose the demo option. On the sales-channel connection screen, select the option to create a demo account rather than linking your real sales channel.
- Select a region. Choose a UK, US, or Australian example business. The video uses a UK demo because UK VAT treatment is central to the discussion.
- Complete the sample setup. Review business settings, chart of accounts, and the Accounts & Taxes wizard. For a UK example, confirm the demonstration business's VAT registration setting and proposed tax mappings.
- Inspect the settlement. Open the sample payout and examine how different sales, fees, refunds, and tax categories appear within the breakdown.
The best way to use the demo is to follow the money from the payout total into its component lines. Ask which entries represent revenue, which represent marketplace charges, and which tax mapping will eventually reach the bookkeeping software.
Demo versus real connection: A sample business helps you learn the interface. It is not a review of your actual VAT liability, and it should not be treated as proof that your live store's taxes are already configured correctly.
What a marketplace payout really contains
The video opens a sample settlement and explains why its total is not the same as taxable sales or profit. A payout may represent several days or weeks of orders. Behind it could be thousands of individual transactions, especially if you sell through multiple channels.
Link My Books groups those transaction types into summary lines. For an Amazon, eBay, or similar marketplace payout, the categories can include principal sales, shipping income, refunds, selling fees, fulfilment fees, and relevant taxes. Instead of entering every order manually, you review the settlement-level breakdown and the accounting mappings behind it.
| Settlement entry | Possible VAT treatment | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying UK food or children's products | May be zero-rated | Confirm the exact product's classification |
| Qualifying exports from Great Britain | May be zero-rated | Check destination, conditions, and export evidence |
| Standard-rated UK domestic sales | Usually 20% VAT | Verify the rate and who accounts for VAT |
| Marketplace fees and refunds | Depends on the transaction | Review fee invoices, tax mappings, and refund reversals |
This is a decision guide, not a universal tax-rate table. Products such as food and baby goods do not all receive the same UK VAT treatment. Exports also have conditions, including evidence that the goods left the UK. Check the relevant HMRC export guidance and confirm unusual cases with a qualified accountant.
The £55 VAT mistake, explained
Imagine £330 of sales that genuinely qualify for 0% VAT. If someone mistakenly records that £330 as VAT-inclusive standard-rated sales, the VAT portion at 20% would be £55: £330 divided by six. That illustrates the loss discussed in the video. It is a hypothetical calculation, not an automatic £55 saving on every settlement or a substitute for correcting a VAT return.
Getting the tax treatment right is about reporting the correct liability, not trying to make a lower rate fit every order. An incorrect zero-rate assignment can be just as costly as incorrectly charging VAT where none is due.
How Link My Books identifies zero-rated and reduced-rated products
One of the most useful questions in the conversation is whether Link My Books recognises a zero-rated product by its barcode or UPC. The answer depends on your sales channel. It does not simply identify a product's tax rate from the UPC: it uses tax information supplied by supported channels or a product group you set yourself.
Amazon and Shopify
Automatic grouping can use Amazon Product Tax Codes or Shopify product tax settings. That can separate standard, reduced, and zero-rated items, provided the original product settings and your accounting mappings are correct.
eBay, Etsy, TikTok Shop and others
For other channels, you may need to assign products to the correct group inside Link My Books. Once configured, the groups help direct later settlements to the appropriate tax mappings.
For Amazon, the default product tax code is often A_GEN_STANDARD. Selling a qualifying reduced-rated or zero-rated item does not mean this default automatically changes. Review the correct code in Seller Central before assuming Link My Books will receive the correct category. On Shopify, verify the taxable or non-taxable treatment and any relevant tax configuration for each product.
The official Product Groups guide explains both approaches. Automatic grouping is normally enabled for Amazon and Shopify accounts configured through the wizard after May 2, 2023. Older accounts may need their settings reviewed.
Manual grouping workflow: open Inventory > Product Groups, select the relevant SKU, and choose its group. For a large catalogue, export the CSV, update the Product Group column, and import the saved CSV. Keep the SKU identifiers and original column headings unchanged so the upload can be matched to your products.
Review before posting. Unassigned new SKUs may inherit a default product group. If a settlement has already been posted using the wrong grouping, changing the product group alone will not necessarily repair the accounting entry. Follow the correction and reposting workflow, ideally with your bookkeeper.
Try the workflow yourself
Link My Books trial and VOVA20 offer
14-day free trial
Explore Link My Books with your own account. Free bookable onboarding is offered, and the published trial does not require a credit card.
Coupon VOVA20
The advertised Vova offer is 50% off for your first three months. Confirm code eligibility, the discounted total, and the renewal price before paying.
See current Link My Books pricing for the plan that fits your order volume.
Sending settlements to Xero or QuickBooks: manual versus automatic
Once you are satisfied with the mapped settlement, you can send its summary to your connected accounting platform. The important distinction is that Link My Books does not need to create thousands of separate accounting entries for thousands of marketplace orders. It assembles a settlement summary with the right sales, fees, refunds, and tax lines.
For Xero, the summary is generally posted as an invoice; for QuickBooks Online, it is posted as a sales journal. The settlement report supplies supporting detail. You can then match the corresponding payout against the bank transaction. That final reconciliation is where a neat-looking summary needs to agree with real money.
Manual posting
Open the Settlements dashboard, review an entry, then use the Action menu to select Send to Xero or Send to QuickBooks. This is useful while you are confirming your first tax mappings.
Automatic posting
Open Settings > Settlement Settings > Automation and enable Auto Post. New ready settlements can then be queued for posting without your clicking Send each time.
If you need to process earlier settlements, review the available posting date settings before switching automation on. The system queues entries rather than guaranteeing immediate delivery, and failed entries still need attention. The auto-posting guide explains these controls.
My suggestion is to start with one completed settlement, verify that it reaches the correct accounts in Xero or QuickBooks, and reconcile it. Once the results are repeatable, automation becomes a sensible next step. Turning on Auto Post before checking the setup simply allows errors to move faster.
Using Link My Books financial analytics beyond bookkeeping
The video briefly points to Financial Analytics, which is worth exploring after your settlements are flowing correctly. Accounting answers what happened; analytics can help you ask why. Link My Books provides financial reporting and channel-level views so you can assess ecommerce performance without relying only on the marketplace's headline revenue figure.
For example, you might discover that two channels generate similar sales but one has higher selling fees. Or you might see strong monthly revenue while refunds and product costs leave less margin than expected. Those comparisons can inform decisions about pricing, inventory, and where to focus your attention.
Look at revenue, fees, refunds, tax, and product costs as separate inputs. Profit analysis is only as reliable as the costs you provide, and a settlement report is not the same as a complete year-end set of accounts. Keep payroll, overhead, and any other costs not included in the tool in view before calling a channel profitable.
A simple monthly review
- Check that all expected payouts for the period have arrived and are posted.
- Compare the payout totals with corresponding bank deposits.
- Investigate unusual changes in refunds, fees, and tax categories.
- Review product costs and compare performance by sales channel.
- Record any accounting adjustment and the reason for it.
The goal is not simply to automate data entry. It is to make dependable figures available when you need to decide whether a product, marketplace, or campaign deserves more investment.
How much does Link My Books cost in 2026?
The video refers to pricing from as little as £13 per month. That was the figure discussed in the recording, not the current entry price. The official UK pricing schedule reviewed in November 2026 lists a Starter 15 Lite plan at £15 per month, covering up to 15 orders and one connected sales channel. Prices rise with order volume and the number of channels.
| UK plan example | Monthly price | Included orders and channels |
|---|---|---|
| Starter 15 Lite | £15 | 15 orders; 1 channel |
| Starter 500 Lite | £26 | 500 orders; 1 channel |
| 5K Plus | £58 | 5,000 orders; 2 channels |
| 10K Pro | £103 | 10,000 orders; 5 channels |
These are examples from the 2026 UK price list, not a quote for every business. US and Australian prices differ, and the selected accounting package is a separate subscription. Use the live price calculator for the amount relevant to your store.
Link My Books bases plan allowances on order volume and connected channels, not only your revenue. Its pricing calculator explains how rolling-average orders are measured and which channels count as separate connections. The 14-day trial currently includes access to 90 days of historical data; additional history may require a separate purchase.
Budgeting tip: Match your plan to the stores you actually connect, not the number of countries your customers live in. An Amazon region can contain several marketplaces, while an additional separate merchant account or another sales channel may affect the tier you need.
Frequently asked questions about the Link My Books demo
Do I need an Amazon or Shopify account to try the demo?
No. The demonstration account uses example data, so you can explore the interface before authorizing an actual sales channel. A real store connection is needed when you want to process your own settlements.
Does Link My Books calculate the correct UK VAT automatically?
It can automate classifications and settlement mappings using configured product groups, tax settings, and marketplace data. You remain responsible for correct source tax codes, VAT status, and accounting mappings. Review the results with your accountant when needed.
Can I use Link My Books with both Xero and QuickBooks?
Link My Books supports Xero and QuickBooks Online as bookkeeping integrations. Choose the platform used for the connected business and verify the account and tax mappings. QuickBooks Desktop is not supported for this integration.
Will it fix an incorrect Amazon Product Tax Code?
Not automatically. The Amazon grouping workflow depends on the PTC supplied by Amazon. If the product code is incorrect, correct it in Seller Central and review any affected historical bookkeeping rather than assuming all previous entries change themselves.
Is the 14-day free trial the same as a demo account?
No. The demo provides sample business data for exploration, while the free trial lets you test the service using your own authorized accounts and settlement data. The current published trial does not require a credit card.
Your next step
Try Link My Books with a real settlement
Start with the demo if you want to learn the screens. When you are ready, use the 14-day trial to connect one channel, review one payout, confirm the VAT mappings, and test the Xero or QuickBooks posting workflow. Use VOVA20 for the advertised 50% discount on the first three months if it is accepted for your chosen plan.
Try Link My Books free for 14 days
Compare plans on the Link My Books pricing page. Check the full subscription amount and renewal terms before subscribing.
The point of this walkthrough is simple: ecommerce bookkeeping becomes easier to trust when a marketplace payout is separated into understandable categories, those categories receive the correct tax treatment, and the resulting entry matches the bank. The demo lets you see that process before applying it to your own store.