Send your accountant a complete set of sales reports, payout statements, expense invoices, bank records and relevant VAT documents for every selling channel. At year end, include stock records and outstanding balances where required by your accounting method.
The aim is to let your accountant trace customer payments through to the money reaching your bank, with every deduction explained. Here is what to include and how to organise it.
Start with a list of your selling channels
List every marketplace, website and other sales channel, including shops opened or closed during the period. Beside each, record the seller account name, the business that owns it, the payment processor and the bank account receiving payouts.
Include the currencies used and any overseas stock locations. Explain whether orders from one channel also appear in another system. Otherwise, the same sale could enter the accounts twice through separate imports.
Export detailed sales and refund reports
Download transaction reports covering the dates your accountant requests. Include:
- Order references and order, payment and dispatch dates where available.
- Product descriptions or stock codes, quantities and selling prices.
- Discounts, delivery charges paid by customers and VAT shown separately.
- Customer destination countries and transaction currencies.
- Refunds, cancellations, chargebacks and any associated credit notes.
Keep references linking refunds to their original orders, especially when the refund falls in a later month. Identify disputed payments that remain unresolved.
Confirm whether each report includes VAT and whether its sales total is before or after refunds. Those definitions matter when comparing reports across platforms. A dashboard screenshot may show a useful headline figure, but the underlying export lets your accountant investigate differences.
Include payout statements and money still held
Settlement or payout statements explain how customer receipts become bank deposits. They should show platform deductions, adjustments and payout references, alongside opening and closing balances and any money held in reserve.
For example, assume a platform collects £10,000 from customers, deducts £500 in refunds and £1,500 in fees, then pays £8,000 into your bank. With no other movements or retained funds, those figures reconcile. Recording only the £8,000 deposit would hide the original receipts and deductions. Any VAT within customer receipts also needs separating when calculating turnover.
Include settlements that cross the month end and identify payments still in transit. A sale and its bank payout can fall in different periods, so retain both dates and let your accountant apply the relevant accounting treatment.
Supply bank and payment account statements
Send complete statements for every business bank account, card and payment account used during the period. Include foreign currency accounts, even where balances were never converted into pounds.
Label transfers between your own accounts, owner contributions, withdrawals and loan receipts. These movements need identifying so they are not mistaken for customer sales or operating expenses.
For currency conversions, retain the original amount, the converted amount and conversion charges. If a bank feed disconnected, flag the missing dates and provide the statements needed to fill the gap.
Attach invoices for fees and operating costs
Provide supplier invoices and receipts for stock, packaging, delivery, storage, fulfilment, advertising, subscriptions and other business purchases. Include platform fee invoices even when those fees have already been deducted from payouts.
Mark costs already captured in settlement reports so they are not booked twice. Separate invoices for equipment from routine purchases, and identify business expenses paid personally, with the payment date and reimbursement status.
Explain unfamiliar transactions briefly. “Packaging for customer orders” gives your accountant something useful to work with. For VAT recovery, provide valid VAT invoices where required; a bank payment alone does not show the necessary VAT details.
Add VAT and cross-border documents where relevant
If VAT registered, provide your registration details, effective date, accounting scheme and copies of returns already submitted if your accountant does not hold them. Include sales tax reports showing the VAT treatment applied to orders.
Where a marketplace collects tax, supply its transaction breakdown. Marketplace VAT responsibilities depend on the transaction; a “tax collected” label does not settle the treatment of every sale.
For international trade, send the documents that apply:
Import declarations and freight or customs invoices.
C79 import VAT certificates or monthly postponed import VAT statements, as applicable.
Export evidence linked to the relevant orders.
Overseas VAT registration details, returns and stock movement reports.
Identify where goods were stored and dispatched, and where customers received them. Flag Northern Ireland movements separately. These details help your accountant assess the rules for each movement instead of relying only on the customer’s address.
Provide year-end stock and outstanding balances
For limited company accounts and businesses using traditional accounting, provide a stocktake at the accounting year end. Show product codes, quantities, purchase costs and storage locations, including stock owned by you but held by fulfilment providers.
Flag damaged, obsolete or missing goods, and identify stock in transit with supporting purchase and shipping documents. Your accountant can then assess ownership and valuation.
Also list unpaid supplier invoices, customer amounts outstanding, deposits and borrowing balances. Sole traders using the cash basis have different requirements, so agree the year-end schedule your accountant needs before compiling it.
Package the files for a straightforward handover
Create one folder per reporting period, with subfolders for each channel and for shared expenses, banking and tax documents. Use clear filenames such as Channel-A-Sales-April-2026.csv”.
Keep original exports unchanged. Send CSV files for transaction data and PDFs for invoices and statements, unless your accountant requests another format. Attach a short note covering new channels, unusual adjustments and missing documents.
Agree how exports enter your accounting records. Where Making Tax Digital for VAT applies, transfers between software holding the required digital records must preserve the necessary digital links. Sending files alone does not establish a compliant process.
FAQs
How often should I send my records?
A monthly handover is a useful starting point. Agree a timetable around your transaction volume, bookkeeping arrangements and filing deadlines.
Should I include a platform with no sales?
Yes, if it has fees, refunds, retained funds or an opening balance. Otherwise, confirm there was no activity so your accountant knows it was checked.
Can I give my accountant account access?
Where available, use a separate accountant or reporting user with suitable permissions. Agree who downloads which reports and avoid sharing your main password.
What if a purchase invoice is missing?
Request a replacement from the supplier and flag the transaction. Provide payment evidence and explain the purchase; your accountant can assess what further evidence is needed.
Does each platform have its own VAT registration threshold?
No. For the same business, relevant taxable turnover is considered across its selling channels. Ask your accountant which transactions count when monitoring registration requirements.