How to record a Stripe payout in QuickBooks as a journal entry
Stripe deposits the net after fees and refunds. Here is the journal entry that makes the deposit match your sales, a worked example, and how to generate one for every payout.
Why the deposit never matches your sales
Stripe bundles many charges into one payout and subtracts its fees, refunds and disputes before paying out. If you record the deposit as income, you understate sales and never record the fees. The fix is one journal entry per payout that "grosses it up".
Worked example (illustrative numbers)
A payout of $931.30 covers $1,000.00 of charges, a $40.00 refund and $28.70 of Stripe fees.
| Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Checking (the bank deposit) | 931.30 | |
| Stripe fees (expense) | 28.70 | |
| Refunds (contra-income) | 40.00 | |
| Sales income | 1,000.00 | |
| Total | 1,000.00 | 1,000.00 |
The checking line equals the actual deposit, so it matches the bank feed transaction in QuickBooks instead of being added as a second one.
Getting it for every payout automatically
- In Stripe: Reports › Payout reconciliation, choose the period and download Itemized.
- Drop the file above. PayoutSplit groups the rows by payout ID, checks each total against Stripe's payout amount, and builds the entry.
- Set your account names (Sales, Stripe fees, Refunds, Checking) once under “Your account names”.
- Download Journal CSV for QuickBooks Online (Settings › Import data › Journal entries) or IIF for QuickBooks Desktop.
- In the bank feed, match each Stripe deposit to its journal entry.
Already recording sales elsewhere?
If your invoices or POS already book the sale, point “Sales income” at Undeposited Funds or a Stripe clearing account instead, so the journal only moves the net to the bank and records the fees. See using a clearing account.
FAQ
Should I record Stripe fees as an expense?
Yes. Record the gross sale as income and Stripe's fees as an expense (often “Merchant fees” or “Bank charges”), rather than recording only the net deposit.
Does QuickBooks Online import journal entries from CSV?
Yes. QuickBooks Online can import journal entries from a CSV file; PayoutSplit writes the columns it expects, one balanced entry per payout.
Is it really private?
Yes. Your files are read and processed by JavaScript running in your browser tab; their contents are never sent over the network. You don't connect PayoutSplit to Stripe, PayPal, Square, Shopify or your accounting software, so there's no access to revoke later.
Which processors are supported?
Stripe (payout reconciliation itemized and balance change from activity reports), PayPal (activity download, English headers), Square (Transactions CSV and Transfers CSV) and Shopify Payments (transactions export). Bank files from any bank can be added for deposit matching.
What does a payout journal entry look like?
Debit your bank for the deposit, debit processing fees, refunds and chargebacks, and credit gross sales (plus sales tax and tips payable when the export has them). The entry always balances, and the bank line equals the deposit to the cent.
I already record sales another way. Will this double count?
Only if you leave Sales income pointed at your real income account. If your POS or store already books each sale, set Sales income to the clearing or Undeposited Funds account under Your account names — the journal then just moves the net to the bank and records the fees.
What if a payout doesn't add up?
When the export includes the payout row (Stripe balance report, Shopify, PayPal withdrawals), PayoutSplit compares it with the sum of the transactions. A difference is flagged and booked to the clearing account so you can investigate instead of importing a wrong number.
What's free?
Every export format for up to 10 payouts per download, one processor file plus one bank file at a time. No account needed. Pro removes the limit and lets you combine several exports and processors in one go.