How to Set Up Dext for a Bookkeeping Practice

If you have already chosen Dext for document collection, the next question is how to configure it without creating another messy inbox. This guide takes you from an empty practice setup to a controlled workflow for collecting documents, reviewing extracted data and publishing approved items to the client ledger.

What you need before starting

Gather the following before configuring anything:

• Administrator access to your practice's Dext account.
• Authorised access to each client's accounting file.
• A current supplier list and chart of accounts for the pilot client.
• A nominated reviewer who understands that client's bookkeeping.
• Several representative purchase documents, including a clean invoice, a photographed receipt, a credit note and a possible duplicate.
• Agreement on which team members may review, approve and publish transactions.

Confirm that your Dext plan includes the required practice features and that the relevant edition of Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB or Sage is supported in the client's region. Product names, menus and integration coverage can vary, so treat the labels below as workflow guidance rather than exact button-by-button instructions.

Step 1: Design the workflow before configuring Dext

Write down the route every document should follow:

1. The client submits a receipt or invoice.
2. Dext extracts the document data.
3. Supplier rules suggest coding where appropriate.
4. A bookkeeper reviews specified fields and exceptions.
5. An authorised person publishes the approved item to the accounting ledger.
6. The practice handles rejected, duplicate or unclear documents separately.

This prevents configuration choices from being made client by client without a common standard. Decide which steps are practice-wide and which can vary for clients with unusual tax treatment, tracking categories or approval requirements.

The practical before-and-after is straightforward. Before setup, a bookkeeping practice receives paper receipts and ad hoc email forwards, then retypes the details. After setup, each client has defined submission channels, supplier rules and review thresholds, with approved documents flowing into the ledger under human control.

Step 2: Create the pilot client and assign access

Start with one client whose bookkeeping is familiar to your team. Create or confirm the client's Dext record, then check its legal name, reporting settings and any tax-related defaults displayed during setup.

Give each person only the access needed for their role. A processor may need to inspect and code documents, while publishing rights should sit with a smaller group. Avoid shared user accounts because they make mistakes harder to trace and staff departures harder to manage.

Use a consistent client naming convention. If group companies or similarly named businesses are involved, include an unambiguous identifier so staff do not publish a document to the wrong ledger.

Step 3: Connect the accounting ledger

Connect the pilot client to its accounting platform using an account authorised by the client. Dext may support connections with Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB or Sage, but availability can depend on the product edition and region.

Once connected, check that Dext is reading the expected chart of accounts, tax codes, suppliers, tracking options and payment accounts. Do not assume a successful connection means the mapping is correct.

Test the connection with a low-risk document. Review the destination account, tax treatment, supplier, date, amount and attachment before publishing it. Then open the accounting system and confirm that the resulting transaction appears as expected and has not duplicated an existing entry.

Step 4: Configure client submission channels

Choose the smallest number of submission methods the client will actually use. Depending on current product support, Dext may offer options such as a dedicated email address, mobile capture, direct upload or document forwarding.

A useful starting policy is:

• Mobile capture for till receipts and other paper documents.
• A dedicated submission email for digital supplier invoices.
• Direct upload for occasional batches or historical documents.
• One documented fallback route when the normal channel fails.

Give clients a one-page instruction sheet. Explain which documents to submit, where to send them and what not to include. Ask them to photograph the full receipt on a flat surface, check that totals are readable and submit each purchase only once.

Do not introduce every available channel at launch. More routes can mean more duplicates, inconsistent client habits and extra support work.

Step 5: Build supplier rules gradually

Supplier rules can reduce repetitive coding, but a bad rule repeats an error faster than a person would. Begin with predictable, high-volume suppliers whose treatment rarely changes.

For each suitable supplier, confirm the default expense or asset account, tax treatment, payment account, description convention and any tracking field. Leave variable suppliers for manual review. A marketplace, department store or mixed-service provider may sell items that belong in several accounts, making a broad default unreliable.

Use a small batch of past documents to test each rule. Check edge cases such as credit notes, foreign currency, split purchases and invoices with more than one tax treatment. Record who approved the rule and review it when the client's chart of accounts or business activity changes.

Step 6: Set review thresholds and exception rules

Define what a reviewer must inspect before an item can be published. The precise controls available may vary by plan, but the practice policy should cover at least:

• Supplier identity and document date.
• Subtotal, tax and total amount.
• Currency and payment method where relevant.
• Account and tax-code selection.
• Duplicate warnings or matching transactions.
• Missing pages, blurred images and incomplete invoices.
• High-value purchases, unusual suppliers and credit notes.

Set a stricter route for anything outside the client's normal pattern. For example, a large equipment purchase should not inherit the same treatment as routine office supplies simply because it came from a familiar supplier.

Keep publishing approval separate from basic data checking where staffing permits. If one person performs both tasks, use a documented checklist and periodic spot checks by another senior team member.

Step 7: Run an end-to-end pilot

Test the process with representative documents rather than a single perfect receipt. Include at least one item that should trigger manual attention.

For every test item, follow the same sequence a client and bookkeeper will use. Submit it, inspect the extracted fields, apply or reject any proposed rule, complete the review, publish it and verify the result in the accounting platform.

Record problems as either configuration issues, training issues or product limitations. Fix the workflow, reset the test where appropriate and repeat it. Roll out to other clients only when the complete path works and the reviewer can explain how exceptions are handled.

Common setup mistakes and fixes

Documents reach the wrong client. Check email aliases, client naming and forwarding rules. Remove ambiguous addresses and give the client one confirmed destination.

The same purchase appears twice. Review every submission channel and ask whether the client both photographed and emailed the document. Treat duplicate detection as a warning that still requires human judgement.

Supplier rules produce inconsistent coding. Narrow or remove the rule, then review previously published items affected by it. Rules should be specific enough that their exceptions are genuinely unusual.

Tax codes do not match the accounting file. Refresh or reconnect the integration only after confirming the correct client organisation. Have the client's qualified adviser confirm uncertain tax treatment.

Documents remain stuck in review. Check whether responsibility is clearly assigned, whether the reviewer has the required permissions and whether the practice has a routine for clearing exceptions.

Launch checklist

• [ ] Pilot client identity and ledger connection confirmed.
• [ ] User access follows job responsibilities.
• [ ] Submission channels tested with the client.
• [ ] Supplier rules tested against varied documents.
• [ ] Review fields and exception thresholds documented.
• [ ] Published transactions checked in the ledger.
• [ ] Duplicate and failed-submission procedures documented.
• [ ] Staff and client instructions issued.
• [ ] A review date set for rules and access permissions.

Data and privacy check

Dext processes documents that can contain commercially sensitive and personal financial information. Before uploading live client records, review the vendor's current privacy terms, data-processing arrangements, storage locations, retention controls and subprocessors, then compare them with client agreements and the requirements applying in each relevant jurisdiction.

Limit uploaded material to what the bookkeeping workflow needs. Use individual accounts, suitable authentication controls and a documented process for removing access when staff or clients leave.

Related reading: our AI governance by region.

Should every client use the same Dext setup?

Use one practice-wide control framework, but do not force identical coding rules on every client. Charts of accounts, tax treatment, approval routes and supplier patterns differ, so document the permitted variations.

Can Dext publish directly to Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB or Sage?

Dext offers accounting integrations, but the supported products, editions, regions and publishing behaviour can change. Confirm the exact combination in Dext's current integration documentation before promising it to a client.

How many supplier rules should we create at launch?

Start with a small set covering frequent, predictable suppliers. Add rules only after the team has reviewed real documents and confirmed that the treatment is consistent.

Should clients be allowed to publish transactions?

For most managed bookkeeping engagements, submission and publishing are better treated as different responsibilities. Set permissions according to the engagement, the client's internal controls and the practice's risk policy.

What should we do when Dext extracts a field incorrectly?

Correct the item before publishing and check whether a supplier rule contributed to the error. If the issue recurs, retain manual review for that document type and consult the vendor's current support guidance. A controlled Dext rollout is less about turning on every feature than establishing one reliable route from client submission to an accurate ledger entry. Once the pilot works, reuse the structure while keeping client-specific accounting judgements under human review.