> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.softbooq.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# BYOK Accounting Tools

> Push invoices from Softbooq Finance to lexoffice, sevDesk, Moneybird, Pennylane, Zoho Books or DATEV

If your accountant or tax advisor works in a specific accounting platform, Softbooq can push invoices and contacts to it automatically. The BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) accounting integrations support six platforms: lexoffice, sevDesk, Moneybird, Pennylane, Zoho Books, and DATEV. Each connects with an API key from that platform — no OAuth redirect required.

## What it pushes

| Entity       | Direction | Trigger                       |
| ------------ | --------- | ----------------------------- |
| Invoices     | Outbound  | On Finance invoice issued     |
| Credit notes | Outbound  | On Finance credit note issued |
| Contacts     | Outbound  | On CRM customer created       |

<Note>
  These integrations are write-only from Softbooq's side. Softbooq does not pull account balances, tax reports, or payment status from these platforms. If you want bidirectional sync, use the Xero integration instead. BYOK accounting is the right choice when your accountant owns the accounting platform and you want Softbooq to feed data into it automatically.
</Note>

***

## Supported platforms

| Platform   | Best for                          | Primary region   |
| ---------- | --------------------------------- | ---------------- |
| lexoffice  | Small German businesses           | Germany          |
| sevDesk    | SMB accounting and invoicing      | Germany, Austria |
| Moneybird  | Freelancers and Dutch SMBs        | Netherlands      |
| Pennylane  | French startups and SMBs          | France           |
| Zoho Books | Multi-country SMBs                | Global           |
| DATEV      | Tax advisors and accounting firms | Germany, DACH    |

***

## Connect an accounting tool

The setup flow is the same for all six platforms:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings → Integrations → BYOK Accounting → [Platform] → Connect">
    Each platform has its own card under the BYOK Accounting section.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate an API key in the accounting platform">
    Log into the platform and find its API or developer settings:

    * **lexoffice**: Settings → API → Create API key
    * **sevDesk**: User Profile → API token
    * **Moneybird**: Settings → Developers → API tokens → New token
    * **Pennylane**: Settings → API → Generate API token
    * **Zoho Books**: Zoho API Console → Self Client → Generate token (select Books scope)
    * **DATEV**: DATEV-issued API credentials are required — contact your DATEV advisor or tax firm to request access.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the API key in Softbooq">
    Paste the API key. It is stored encrypted in the Softbooq Vault and cannot be viewed again after saving.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Map your income account (optional)">
    Some platforms (DATEV, lexoffice, sevDesk) require a specific income account code. Enter the account number used for sales revenue in that platform. If left blank, the integration uses the platform's default income account.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## How invoice push works

When you mark a Softbooq invoice as **Issued** (or click Send Invoice):

1. Softbooq looks up the customer in the accounting platform by email. If not found, a new contact is created automatically.
2. The invoice is built with the same line items, amounts, tax, currency, and due date as the Softbooq invoice.
3. It is submitted to the accounting platform.

If the push fails (invalid account code, API key revoked, platform unreachable), the Softbooq invoice is still issued normally. The failure is logged on the invoice's activity timeline with the platform's error message. You can retry the push manually at any time.

***

## Backfilling historical invoices

To push historical invoices — for example, when onboarding a new accountant who needs a complete AR history:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings → Integrations → BYOK Accounting → [Platform] → Backfill" />

  <Step title="Choose a date range">
    Default is the start of the current financial year. Invoices outside the range are skipped.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run the backfill">
    The job runs in the background. Progress and per-invoice push status appear in the sync log. Invoices already pushed are skipped — the backfill is idempotent.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Disconnect

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings → Integrations → BYOK Accounting → [Platform] → Disconnect" />

  <Step title="Confirm">
    The API key is removed. No further pushes occur. Invoices already pushed to the platform are not deleted from it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="A push failed with InvalidAccountCode">
    The income account code in the integration mapping does not exist in the accounting platform. Open Settings → Integrations → BYOK Accounting → \[Platform] → Account mapping, correct the code, then retry the failed push from the invoice's activity timeline.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Pushes are failing with 401 Unauthorized after working previously">
    API keys can be revoked or rotated. Regenerate the key in the accounting platform and update it in Softbooq under Settings → Integrations → BYOK Accounting → \[Platform] → Update key.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="DATEV is showing as unavailable">
    DATEV API access requires specific credentials issued by DATEV, obtained through your DATEV advisor or tax firm. Contact them to request API access for your Softbooq integration — this is separate from any DATEV login you may already have.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="An invoice appears twice in the accounting platform">
    This can happen if a push succeeded in the accounting platform but the confirmation response did not reach Softbooq (a network drop between the two). Check the accounting platform for a duplicate invoice number and void the duplicate there. Future push attempts check the invoice number for an existing match before creating a new record, preventing further duplicates.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Contacts are being created as duplicates in the accounting platform">
    Contact lookup matches on the customer's email address. If the same customer was previously added to the accounting platform with a different email, no match is found and a new contact is created. Merge the contacts in the accounting platform, then ensure the email matches the customer's email in Softbooq CRM.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## See also

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Finance" icon="chart-pie" href="/erp/finance">
    Source of all invoices, credit notes and contacts pushed to accounting tools.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Xero" icon="chart-line" href="/integrations/xero">
    OAuth-based integration with bidirectional contact sync and richer account mapping.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bank Feeds" icon="building-columns" href="/integrations/bank-feeds">
    Pair with BYOK accounting to reconcile live bank transactions against your pushed invoices.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>