How to Import Your Xero, QuickBooks & FreeAgent Data into WeFile

Filing your CT600 corporation tax return and annual accounts means entering detailed Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet figures. If you already keep your books in Xero, QuickBooks Online or FreeAgent, there is no reason to re-type every number. WeFile's integrations let you pull in your trial balance in seconds, automatically map each account to the correct iXBRL taxonomy line, and get straight to reviewing — not data entry.

Importing also reduces the risk of errors. Manual transcription is one of the most common sources of mistakes in company filings. By connecting directly to your accounting platform, the numbers flow straight from your ledger into the right fields.

WeFile currently supports three of the UK's most popular cloud accounting platforms:

• Xero — the market leader for small businesses and accountants in the UK, with a full double-entry ledger and robust API.
• QuickBooks Online — Intuit's cloud accounting product, widely used by sole traders and small limited companies.
• FreeAgent — designed specifically for micro-businesses, freelancers and contractors, with a streamlined interface and strong UK tax features.

All three integrations use OAuth 2.0, which means you log in to your accounting platform directly and grant WeFile read-only access to your financial data. WeFile never sees or stores your accounting platform password.

To use the import feature you need:

1. An active WeFile account — sign up at wefile.co.uk if you haven't already.
2. A company added to WeFile — use the Companies page to add your limited company by name or company number.
3. A filing in progress — create a new filing for the accounting period you want to submit. You must reach the Profit & Loss step in the filing wizard before the Import button appears.
4. An active subscription on your accounting platform — the integration reads your chart of accounts and trial balance, so your books need to be up to date for the period you are filing.

Navigate to Filings and open (or create) the filing you want to work on. Proceed through the wizard until you reach the Profit & Loss step.

Above the period header you will see a small hint that reads "Import from your accounting software" alongside an Import button on the right. Click the button to open the Import dialog.

The Import dialog shows three cards — one for each supported platform. Each card displays the platform logo and a Connect button.

• Click Connect Xero to import from Xero.
• Click Connect QuickBooks to import from QuickBooks Online.
• Click Connect FreeAgent to import from FreeAgent.

A secure pop-up window will open asking you to log in to the selected platform and authorise WeFile to access your data. Once you approve, the pop-up closes automatically and the dialog updates to show your connected organisations or companies.

If your accounting platform contains multiple organisations (common with Xero and QuickBooks), you will be asked to choose which one to import from.

WeFile automatically reads the accounting period start and end dates from your current filing and requests the trial balance for that exact date range. You don't need to select dates manually — the integration handles it for you.

Once the trial balance is fetched, WeFile's mapping engine categorises every account into the appropriate CT600 and iXBRL taxonomy lines. The data is split into:

• Profit & Loss items — turnover/revenue, cost of sales, administrative expenses, other operating income, interest receivable, interest payable, and tax.
• Balance Sheet items — tangible and intangible fixed assets, debtors, cash at bank, creditors due within and after one year, share capital, and reserves.

All amounts are populated into the wizard fields automatically. Corporation tax is calculated for you based on the profit figures and the applicable rate for your accounting period.

At this point you should review every figure to make sure it matches your expectations. The mapping covers the vast majority of standard chart-of-accounts layouts, but unusual or custom account names may occasionally land in the wrong category. You can edit any field directly in the wizard.

After the import, the rest of the filing process is identical to a manual filing:

1. Balance Sheet — review the imported figures. The balance sheet must balance (total assets = total liabilities + equity). WeFile highlights any discrepancy.
2. Review — check the full summary of your Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and CT600 computation.
3. Submit — enter your HMRC Government Gateway credentials and Companies House presenter details, then submit to both HMRC and Companies House in one go.

You can return to any step and make changes before submitting.

When you connect Xero, WeFile uses the Xero API to:

1. List your connected organisations so you can pick the right one.
2. Fetch the trial balance for the filing period using Xero's Reports endpoint.
3. Map each Xero account to the corresponding iXBRL line using Xero's account type and class metadata (REVENUE, EXPENSE, ASSET, LIABILITY, EQUITY).

The authorisation token is short-lived and is only used during the import session. WeFile does not store long-term Xero credentials.

The QuickBooks integration follows a similar flow:

1. OAuth 2.0 authorisation via Intuit's identity platform.
2. Company selection — QuickBooks connections are scoped to a single company (realm), which is automatically detected.
3. Trial balance retrieval — WeFile calls QuickBooks' TrialBalance report endpoint for your filing dates.
4. Account mapping — each account's classification (Income, Cost of Goods Sold, Expense, Fixed Asset, Bank, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Equity, etc.) is mapped to the correct CT600 field.

As with Xero, tokens are used only for the current session.

FreeAgent's API provides a trial balance summary endpoint that returns balances grouped by category:

1. OAuth 2.0 authorisation through FreeAgent's own login screen.
2. Automatic company detection — FreeAgent accounts are tied to a single company, so there is no organisation picker.
3. Trial balance fetch — WeFile requests the trial balance for your filing period.
4. Mapping — FreeAgent's nominal account categories (e.g. Turnover, Administrative Expenses, Fixed Assets, Current Assets, Creditors) are mapped directly to CT600 lines.

FreeAgent is particularly well-suited for micro-entity and small company filings because its chart of accounts closely mirrors the iXBRL taxonomy used by Companies House.

Can I import data for a dormant company?

Dormant companies typically have no trading activity, so there is little to import. You can still use the import if your accounting platform holds the balance sheet figures (e.g. share capital, cash at bank). For most dormant filings, manual entry is quicker.

Will importing overwrite data I have already entered?

Yes — the import replaces all Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet fields with the values from your accounting platform. If you have already entered figures manually, make sure you are happy to replace them before importing.

What if an account is mapped incorrectly?

You can edit any field after import. If you notice a pattern (e.g. a custom account always landing in the wrong place), please contact us at support so we can improve the mapping.

Is my accounting data stored by WeFile?

The imported figures are saved as part of your filing draft, just like manually entered numbers. WeFile does not store a copy of your full chart of accounts or transaction history.

Do I need to reconnect every time?

Yes — for security, WeFile uses short-lived tokens and does not maintain a persistent connection to your accounting platform. Each import requires a fresh authorisation, which takes only a few seconds.

Can I import mid-way through a filing?

Absolutely. You can start filling in figures manually and then decide to import. Just be aware that the import will overwrite all fields, not merge with existing data.

• Reconcile your accounts first. Make sure bank reconciliations are complete and all transactions for the period are posted before importing.
• Check your accounting period dates. The filing period in WeFile must match the period your books cover. If they don't match, the trial balance figures will be incorrect.
• Review the corporation tax calculation. WeFile computes corporation tax automatically, but if you have losses brought forward, R&D relief, or other adjustments, you may need to tweak the figures manually.
• Use the Balance Sheet check. If the balance sheet does not balance after import, it usually means an account was not mapped or your books are not fully reconciled.

Ready to save time on your next filing? Create a filing now and use the Import button on the Profit & Loss step to pull in your data from Xero, QuickBooks or FreeAgent.

If you have questions or run into any issues, our support team is available via the live chat in the bottom-right corner of the screen, or you can open a support ticket from your dashboard.

Happy filing!