Customers ask how to connect Petboost to Xero or QuickBooks. There is no direct integration. Connect your accounting software to Stripe instead, and download a statement from Petboost when your accountant needs one.

You want your Petboost payment data to flow into your accounting software automatically, for:

Before you look at other tools, this is what Petboost already does:

A pre-authorisation hold, which you can switch on under Pricing & Payments, reserves what is still owed on the booking against the customer's saved card before the visit. It is a hold, not a separate way to pay.

Reporting & Intelligence is a look at the year's sales. The statement from Billing is the document for your accountant. See Payments Settings.

Do this at the end of the financial year, or whenever your accountant asks for figures.

The statement is a PDF of your Petboost charges for the period, with your card sales and the Stripe and Petboost fees taken from them. Petboost is not accounting software: the statement covers card payments taken through Petboost, so cash, bank transfers and payments on another machine are not in it. See How do I get a sales report or statement for the financial year?.

Pricing & Payments has a card that links straight to Xero's guide to setting up a Stripe feed.

Petboost does not include:

Xero and QuickBooks are built for accounting: chart of accounts management, tax calculations, BAS reporting, profit and loss statements, GST compliance, payroll and multi-entity reporting. Petboost does not rebuild them. Stripe already connects to both, through a bank feed in Xero and a Stripe app in QuickBooks, and you manage that connection yourself.

Connect your accounting software to Stripe. Every option below starts from the card payments Petboost takes through Stripe.

This suits most Australian businesses. Stripe sends its transactions to Xero through a bank feed each day, and in Xero you reconcile them, track GST, categorise transactions and match deposits. Xero's Australian plans are Ignite, Grow, Comprehensive and Ultimate, and their prices are on Xero's pricing page.

To set it up, in Xero:

From then on, card payments taken in Petboost go to Stripe, Stripe sends the transactions to Xero each day, you match deposits to invoices in Xero, and Xero handles GST, BAS and tax reporting. See Xero: Set up Stripe direct feeds or xero.com.

Trap: A Stripe feed only includes card payments processed through Stripe. Cash and bank transfer payments recorded in Petboost are not pushed to Xero, and you reconcile them by hand.

For example, a dog daycare that takes all its bookings and card payments through Petboost would see the previous day's Stripe transactions in Xero each morning. Its bookkeeper matches the Stripe deposits to its revenue accounts in Xero, and the quarterly BAS report comes out of Xero.

QuickBooks Online brings in your Stripe transactions through a Stripe app from the QuickBooks App Store, and QuickBooks gives you bank reconciliation, GST and tax tracking and financial reporting. Its Australian plans are Simple Start, Essentials, Plus and Advanced, and their prices are on QuickBooks' pricing page. It suits businesses already familiar with QuickBooks, or that prefer its interface to Xero's.

To set it up, in QuickBooks:

The QuickBooks help centre has the current steps for Australia. Each day, reconcile the transactions in QuickBooks, categorise them into revenue accounts and run reports as you need them. See quickbooks.intuit.com.

Trap: As with Xero, only Stripe card transactions are included. Cash and bank transfer payments must be reconciled by hand.

This is the alternative if you do not want an accounting software subscription. It suits very small businesses, with under 50 transactions a month, and takes longer as your volume grows.

The limits: it is manual and takes time, data entry errors are more likely, you have no real-time view of your finances, and BAS and tax reporting are harder.

If you have bookkeeping support, give your accountant or bookkeeper access to your Stripe account. They set up the Stripe connection to Xero or QuickBooks, handle the monthly reconciliation, and prepare your BAS, financial reports and tax returns, so it takes none of your time. Bookkeepers set their own fees, so ask for a quote. This suits businesses with complex finances, or owners who prefer to outsource accounting.

For example, a grooming business could give its bookkeeper access to Stripe and Xero. The bookkeeper reconciles everything each month and prepares the BAS each quarter, and the owner stays with the grooming.

These set-ups illustrate how a business might combine Petboost, Stripe and accounting software. They are illustrations, not real businesses.

A solo mobile groomer wants simple accounting for BAS reporting and tax time. They use Petboost for bookings and payments, Stripe for payment processing, and Xero with a Stripe feed.

A daycare wants professional financial reporting, payroll integration and multi-entity management. It uses Petboost for operations, Stripe for payments, QuickBooks Online, and a bookkeeper.

A small training business with under 30 transactions a month wants minimal accounting for tax. It uses Petboost for bookings, Stripe for payments, and a spreadsheet.

A direct integration is not in the product, and there is no confirmed date for one. Stripe already connects to Xero through a bank feed and to QuickBooks through a Stripe app, and you manage that connection yourself.

Yes, if you can bring your Stripe transactions into MYOB. MYOB brings accounts in through bank feeds, so check with MYOB how to connect your Stripe account before you rely on it. Once the transactions come in, you reconcile them in MYOB as you would in Xero.

It depends on how many transactions you have, and how many of them are not card payments. Card payments arrive from Stripe ready to match, while cash and bank transfer payments are entered by hand. If reconciliation takes more time than you want to give it, a bookkeeper can take it on: see Option 4.

Petboost does not push cash or bank transfer payments to Xero, QuickBooks or any other accounting software. A Stripe feed only includes card transactions processed through Stripe, so record cash and bank transfer payments as journal entries in your accounting software.

Tip: Include cash and bank transfer payments in your weekly reconciliation, so nothing is missed.

Not for day-to-day work, but an accountant is strongly recommended for:

Most pet business owners use Xero or QuickBooks themselves each day and see an accountant each quarter or year.

To go ahead with Xero and a Stripe bank feed (Option 1):

To go ahead with QuickBooks Online (Option 2):

To use an accountant or bookkeeper (Option 4):

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