PayPal accounting, finally automatedExport PayPal to DATEVTransactions, fees, payouts & foreign currency – booked automatically
PayPal is everywhere – and dreaded at month-end. No booking-ready receipts, fees per transaction, constant foreign currencies and automatic transfers to the bank account. finHero reads your PayPal transactions via the Transaction Search API and turns them into an import-ready booking batch for DATEV, BMD, bexio or Abacus.
The problem
PayPal writes no invoices – and your bank account lies
PayPal is a payment processor, not an invoice issuer. You get a transaction list, but no booking-ready receipt with German VAT. At the same time PayPal deducts a fee per transaction and later transfers bundled amounts to the bank account – your statement then just reads „PayPal 500,00 €“, with no link to the individual payments.
Add foreign currencies (USD, GBP …) and it becomes truly opaque: which rate, which receipt, which fee? This is exactly where most people lose hours – and their nerves.
No VAT receipts
PayPal issues no invoices with VAT – the allocation is missing.
Bundled payouts
Transfers to the bank account bundle many payments without individual references.
Foreign currency & fees
Recording rates and transaction fees manually is error-prone.
| Amount € | Account | Contra account | Booking text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 119,00 | 1815 | 20000 | Payment · TX-8842 |
| 3,20 | 6855 | 1815 | PayPal fee · TX-8842 |
| 92,59 | 1815 | 20000 | Payment USD→EUR · TX-9001 |
| 500,00 | 1466 | 1815 | Payout to bank account |
How finHero books PayPal
Every PayPal transaction – cleanly booked
Payments, refunds & chargebacks
Sales are booked as incoming payments, refunds as reversals and chargebacks as returned debits – each with the PayPal transaction ID as reference.
Fees & payouts
Each transaction's PayPal fee is booked separately; automatic transfers to the bank account are recorded as a payout to the money transit account.
Foreign currency at the ECB rate
Payments in foreign currency are converted at the ECB reference rate of the receipt date – rate and base amount are shown in the export and the rates are stored audit-proof.
You need a PayPal app with the „Transaction Search“ feature enabled (developer.paypal.com → Apps & Credentials → Live). PayPal provides no VAT information – finHero books revenue to your freely selectable default revenue account (e.g. 4400). Without a stored account, finHero collects it on the clearing account for allocation by your firm.
Everything included
PayPal accounting without manual work
Secure OAuth connection
Connection via Client ID and Client Secret from the PayPal Developer Dashboard – read access only.
Foreign currency audit-proof
ECB rates at the receipt date, stored historized – every conversion stays traceable (GoBD).
Four accounting systems
Export to DATEV, BMD (Austria), bexio or Abacus (Switzerland).
In 3 steps
Ready to go in just a few minutes
Connect PayPal
Link PayPal in the settings via API key – with read-only permission, without access to your money.
Configure accounts
Set up the booking accounts together with your tax firm – once, then it runs automatically.
Create export
Choose your payment provider and accounting system and download the finished Buchungsstapel including receipts.
Frequently asked questions
PayPal & accounting – briefly explained
Can you export PayPal directly to DATEV, BMD, bexio or Abacus?+
No, PayPal offers no accounting export. PayPal is a payment processor and only provides a transaction list. finHero handles the account allocation, fees, payouts and foreign-currency conversion and produces the import-ready booking batch for DATEV, BMD (Austria), bexio or Abacus (Switzerland).
What do I need to connect PayPal?+
A PayPal app in the Developer Dashboard with the „Transaction Search“ feature. From there you store the Client ID and Client Secret (Live) in finHero – read access only.
How is the PayPal fee booked?+
Each transaction's fee is booked separately to your fee account, the payment itself to your PayPal balance account.
Which revenue account is used?+
Since PayPal provides no VAT data per transaction, finHero books revenue to a default revenue account you define (e.g. 4400). If you set none, finHero collects it on the clearing account, so your firm assigns the correct VAT once.
How does finHero handle foreign currencies?+
Payments in USD, GBP etc. are converted at the ECB reference rate of the receipt date into your base currency (EUR or CHF). Rate and base amount are shown, the rates used are stored historized – so the conversion stays traceable in a GoBD-compliant way.
Are PayPal payouts to the bank account recorded?+
Yes. Automatic transfers from PayPal to your bank account are booked as a payout via the money transit account, so your bank reconciliation clears.
Matching accounting systems
PayPal in your accounting – without manual work
Create your first Buchungsstapel (booking batch) for free. Set up in 15 minutes, cancel monthly.
Create your first export for freecancel monthly · no credit card required
