Ecommerce bookkeeping

    Switching your Shopify or Amazon bookkeeper

    Changing bookkeepers is mostly a handoff of access and records. Here are the steps, what to request from your current bookkeeper, and how we take over from a month you choose.

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    • Last reviewed October 7, 2026
    • Sources linked below

    How do I switch bookkeepers for my Shopify or Amazon store?

    You can switch at any point in the year. Your Virtual CPA, a licensed CPA firm, takes over bookkeeping for Shopify and Amazon sellers. You give us access to QuickBooks or Xero, your sales channel and payment processor reports, and bank feeds. We review the books and the last close, then start from a month you choose. Book a free 30-minute call to plan the switch.

    Best for

    Best for Shopify and Amazon sellers who already have a bookkeeper and want a CPA firm to take over the books, with CPA review and tax work in the same place.

    People switch for many reasons. The business grew, it added a sales channel, it carries more inventory, or the owner wants tax and bookkeeping handled together. Any of these is a normal reason to make a change.

    How it works with us

    1. Free 30-minute call. We learn your sales channels, payment processors, inventory setup and where the books stand today.
    2. Access. You add us as a user in QuickBooks or Xero. You give report access in Shopify, Amazon Seller Central and your payment processors, and connect bank and credit card feeds.
    3. Review. We review the books and the prior bookkeeper’s last close: reconciliations, payout entries, inventory and cost of goods sold, and sales tax accounts.
    4. Start month. You choose the first month we own. Earlier closed months stay as they are unless the review shows they need fixing.
    5. Cleanup if needed. If months are missing or off, we do cleanup first and quote it separately.
    6. Monthly bookkeeping. We reconcile accounts, record payouts at the gross level, and send you monthly financial statements. Fees are transparent, fair and quoted upfront, in writing.

    What to request from your current bookkeeper

    • Chart of accounts, with notes on any custom accounts for channels, fees or inventory.
    • Reconciliations for every bank, credit card, loan and clearing account through the last closed month.
    • Inventory and cost of goods sold method: how inventory is counted, how landed costs are handled and when cost of goods sold is recorded.
    • Sales tax: the states where you are registered, filing frequency and the last returns filed.
    • Recurring entries and open items, such as accruals, loan entries and anything left unresolved.
    • Any connector or app settings used to bring Shopify or Amazon data into the books.

    A clear handoff list helps everyone. Most bookkeepers expect this request and handle it routinely.

    Switching mid-year

    You do not need to wait for January. A mid-year switch works as long as the prior months are closed and reconciled. If you are close to year end, switching before the year closes lets one team prepare the year-end books that support your tax return. See ecommerce accounting and catch-up bookkeeping.

    Switch checklist

    StepWho does it
    Add us as a user in QuickBooks or XeroYou
    Give report access in Shopify, Amazon and payment processorsYou
    Connect bank and credit card feedsYou, with our help
    Send chart of accounts, reconciliations, inventory method, sales tax filingsCurrent bookkeeper
    Review the books and the last closeUs
    Agree on the start month and any cleanupYou and us

    Expert CPAs. Personal attention.

    Ready to change bookkeepers? On a free 30-minute call we'll look at your setup and map out the handoff, starting from a month you choose.

    Book a free 30-min call Send a message

    Frequently asked questions

    Yes. Mid-year is fine. The new bookkeeper starts from the first open month you choose and relies on the prior bookkeeper’s closed months, after reviewing them. If those months need fixes, they are handled as cleanup before or alongside the monthly work.

    Ask for the chart of accounts, the last bank and credit card reconciliations, the inventory and cost of goods sold method, any sales tax filings and registrations, a list of recurring journal entries, and notes on open items. Keep access to your QuickBooks or Xero file in your own name.

    Usually not. If the file is in your name, you add the new bookkeeper as a user and keep your history in one place. A new file is only worth it when the existing books are too far off to repair, which we would tell you after reviewing them.

    User access to QuickBooks or Xero, report access in Shopify and Amazon Seller Central, access to payment processor reports such as Shopify Payments or PayPal, and bank and credit card feeds. Reports are enough for most of the work. No one needs your passwords.

    Payouts arrive in your bank as one net deposit. A good process records gross sales, refunds, platform fees and other adjustments behind each payout, then ties the total to the bank deposit. That keeps revenue and fees accurate for financial statements and tax returns.

    Then we start with cleanup or catch-up bookkeeping for the months that are missing or off, and move into monthly bookkeeping once those months are reconciled. We quote the cleanup and the monthly work separately, upfront and in writing.

    Sources

    General information as of October 7, 2026. Tax rules change; talk to a CPA about your situation.