Automate your Shopify VAT return: start with books that are right
A VAT return is only as good as the books beneath it. For a webshop that means every order with the right rate, shipping separately, refunds as credit notes and foreign sales identifiable. Here is how to have that booked so the return is only a check.
No credit card. After the trial you drop back to the free plan.
What the Belastingdienst asks of you
The Belastingdienst treats the VAT return as a quarterly return by default: "Btw-aangifte doet u meestal per kwartaal" (you usually file per quarter). Monthly or yearly returns are possible in certain situations, and the Belastingdienst can require monthly returns in some cases. You file through Mijn Belastingdienst Zakelijk; the due dates for your period are there and in your annual filing letter.
In the return you report, among other things, revenue per rate. For a webshop that is everything you sold at 21%, 9% or 0% in the quarter. Sales to consumers in other EU countries fall under the OSS scheme above the threshold, see OSS and VAT on EU sales. If the books are not right per order, you have to piece those figures together afterwards.
Where a Shopify webshop goes wrong
Shopify works out the right rate on the order itself. In the books it usually goes wrong at these points:
- Several rates in one order: a book at 9% and a candle at 21% belong on one invoice with two rates.
- Shipping: it has its own VAT rate and should not disappear into the order total.
- Partial refunds: you credit only the refunded part, including the VAT that went over it.
- Foreign customers: the rate and the revenue per country must still be traceable afterwards. See OSS and VAT on EU sales.
- Payments: Shopify payouts arrive bundled, with transaction fees taken off.
What Schakel books from Shopify to Moneybird
For Shopify to Moneybird every order becomes a sales invoice, line by line, with shipping on its own line and ledger account and the VAT rate per line. The payment is already on it. On a refund you get a credit note for the refunded amount, including the VAT at the rate that line carried.
You map the rates from your shop onto the rates in your Moneybird administration, or let Schakel follow the VAT the shop already put on the order. Selling across the border is booked at the right rate, so your return does not have to be corrected line by line afterwards.
Worked example: two rates on one order
Example, no customer data: an order of two mugs at 14.95 (21%), one kilo of coffee at 24.50 (9%) and 4.95 shipping (21%), all including VAT. In total 59.35 including VAT. The invoice shows two VAT amounts: 6.05 at 21% and 2.02 at 9%. Those are exactly the amounts you see per rate in your return.
More on these bookings in Shopify and Moneybird: VAT and in the quarterly checklist for Shopify.
| Line | Amount incl. VAT | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Ceramic mug, 2 x 14.95 | 29.90 | 21% |
| Coffee beans, 1 kg | 24.50 | 9% |
| Shipping | 4.95 | 21% |
| Total | 59.35 | VAT 6.05 + 2.02 |
How to set it up
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Connect Shopify
You create your own app once in your Shopify Dev Dashboard and hand over the Client ID and Secret. No coding, about five minutes: see the guide.
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Connect Moneybird
With an API token (guide). With more than one administration you choose which one gets the invoices.
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Set your defaults
Ledger accounts, VAT rates, invoice reference, workflow and how many months of history to bring in.
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Check and let it run
Look at the preview. After that every order becomes an invoice and every refund a credit note.
What Schakel does not do
Schakel does not file your VAT return with the Belastingdienst and is not an accountant; it makes sure the bookings under your return are complete. You file the return yourself in Mijn Belastingdienst Zakelijk or through your accountant. Check beforehand that your rates and ledger accounts are set correctly.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have my Shopify VAT return filed automatically?
Schakel does not file the return. It books every order and refund at the right rate in Moneybird, so you or your accountant can file on books that are already right.
How often do I have to file a VAT return?
According to the Belastingdienst you usually file per quarter. In certain situations it can be monthly or yearly. The due dates for your period are in Mijn Belastingdienst Zakelijk.
What does Schakel do with shipping costs?
Shipping gets its own line on its own ledger account, at its own VAT rate. It does not disappear into the order total.
How does a partial refund work?
A partial refund credits only the refunded part, including the VAT that went over it.
What about Shopify orders to other EU countries?
They are booked at the right rate. What you need to know about the OSS scheme afterwards is on the page OSS and VAT on EU sales.
What does it cost and how do I start?
You start with 30 days unlimited, no credit card. After that you pick a plan or drop back to free automatically. See pricing.
Sources
Official pages of the Belastingdienst (in Dutch), read on 20 October 2026.
General information, not tax advice. Rules and rates change and your situation may differ: check the official sources or ask your accountant. Based on the rules as of October 2026.
Try it on your own administration
30 days unlimited, no credit card. You see a preview before anything is booked for real.