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Step 2: Export your prepared payments and payables

Once your payments are ready, you can export them to your accounting software. (This is not for users on a Native Integration export)

Export your prepared payments and payables

Once your payments and payables are validated, export them to your accounting software as a purchase journal, bank journal, or with receipts.

For: Account Owners and Controllers not using a Native Integration export.

Before you start

  • Available to Account Owners and Controllers only.

  • This article applies to companies using a File-based accounting export. If you use a Native Integration (Xero, DATEV, or NetSuite), your payments push automatically to your accounting software and this export step doesn't apply.

  • Complete Step 1: Prepare and validate your payments and payables before exporting.

  • Set up your accounting codes and export template in Settings > Accounting Setup > Exports.

Export your validated payables and payments

  1. Navigate to Bookkeep > Export.

  2. Select the time period to export from the dropdown menu.

  3. Toggle which content to include: purchase journal, bank journal, and/or receipts.

  4. Select the purchase journal template to use. Your last selection is saved in your browser for next time.

  5. Choose whether to include payables already exported.

  6. Click "View" to see the full list of payables for the selected period.

  7. Click "Export" to download your file.

💡 Selecting a new template on the Export page applies retroactively: any payables you export next, whether previously exported or not, use the newly selected template.

What's in your export?

Your export can include:

File

Format

Content

Purchase journal

.csv

All validated payables you choose to export, for the selected period

Bank journal

.csv

All incoming and outgoing payments, validated or not, for the selected period

Receipts

.zip

Supporting documents attached to your payables

The bank journal exports in the same format (BOM or non-BOM) as the purchase journal template you selected.

Fix a payable before exporting

You can't edit a payable directly from the Export tab.

  1. Click "View" next to the payable.

  2. Select the payable with the incorrect information.

  3. Click "Send back to Prepare."

  4. Make the necessary changes in the Prepare tab.

  5. Mark the payable as ready again.

Good to know

  • Download your export .zip file from Bookkeep > Export. It uses the custom template defined in Settings > Accounting Setup > Exports.

  • Download account statements from Settings.

  • Download reporting files for your payables from Bookkeep > All expenditures > All payables.

  • Download a recap of your payments from Bookkeep > All expenditures > All payments.

  • To export supporting documents separately: go to Expenditures > All expenses > All payments, filter by period and expense type, then use "Download CSV with receipts" to get a ZIP file of all receipts for that period.

Troubleshooting

Symptom: Exporting a payable a second time uses the default Spendesk template instead of my custom template.
​Cause: The template selection wasn't saved or was reset in your browser.
​Resolution: Go to Bookkeep > Export, select your custom template again before exporting, then re-export the period.

Symptom: A payable's information looks wrong in the export.
​Cause: Incorrect data was entered while preparing the payable.
​Resolution: Click "View," select the payable, click "Send back to Prepare," correct the data, then mark it as ready.

Symptom: Export fails with an error message.
​Cause: Missing or incorrect accounting settings, mapping, or journal selection.
​Resolution: See Main error messages and solutions with native integrations for the specific error and fix.

🔒 File-based export options (template choice, bank journal, receipts toggle) are not available if your company uses a Native Integration.

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