How AskBiz Works Alongside Your Bookkeeper
AskBiz is designed to work with your accountant or bookkeeper — not replace them. Here is how to get the most from both, and what to share with your financial team.
AskBiz vs your accounting software: the distinction
Your accounting software (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage) is the system of record for your financial accounts. It produces statutory accounts, handles VAT filing, manages payroll, and records every financial transaction with double-entry bookkeeping.
AskBiz is a business intelligence layer that sits on top of your accounting data and your sales/operations data — giving you real-time performance monitoring, AI-powered insight, and trend analysis that accounting software does not provide.
The two systems are complementary. Your bookkeeper works in Xero; you work in AskBiz. The data flows from Xero into AskBiz, so both see the same underlying financial reality — just at different levels of detail and for different purposes.
Connecting Xero or QuickBooks
Connect your accounting software via Settings → Integrations → Xero or Settings → Integrations → QuickBooks.
Once connected, AskBiz imports:
- Invoice and payment data (sales invoices, purchase invoices, credit notes)
- Bank transaction data (if Xero bank feeds are active)
- Customer and supplier records
- Payroll data (if using Xero Payroll or QuickBooks Payroll)
- Chart of accounts cost categories
AskBiz does not write data back into Xero or QuickBooks — it is read-only. This means your accountant's system of record is never modified by AskBiz.
What to share with your bookkeeper from AskBiz
AskBiz can generate several reports that are useful inputs for your bookkeeper's monthly work:
- Sales summary by channel: total revenue by Shopify, Amazon, etc. for reconciliation with bank deposits
- COGS summary: total cost of goods sold for the period, by product category
- VAT summary: output VAT on sales and input VAT on purchases
- Returns and refunds log: full list of refunds issued in the period
- Marketplace fee summary: total platform fees (Amazon referral fees, eBay final value fees) for the period
Export these from Finance → Reports → Bookkeeper Export as a monthly CSV package. Many businesses share this with their bookkeeper via a shared Google Drive or Dropbox folder at month end.
Monthly financial review with your accountant
AskBiz makes monthly financial reviews with your accountant more productive. Instead of waiting for the accountant to produce management accounts before you can discuss performance, you have real-time data throughout the month.
Suggested monthly review agenda:
1. Review the month's P&L in AskBiz (you brief the accountant on what happened and why)
2. Discuss any unusual cost lines or margin movements
3. Review cash position and 13-week cash flow forecast
4. Agree any journal adjustments needed in Xero (depreciation, accruals, prepayments)
5. Set priorities for the coming month based on financial data
This approach makes your accountant's time more strategic and less clerical — reducing your accounting fees while improving the quality of financial insight.