Dext Zapier integrationAutomate Dext with Zapier.
The Dext Zapier integration comes with 3 triggers and 4 actions. It pulls receipt data out once Dext has processed it, sends new documents in for processing and sets up client accounts. Dext works on the free plan, no upgrade needed.
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What the Dext Zapier integration does for your bookkeeping practice
Linking Dext to Zapier puts a robot between document capture and the rest of your practice. Dext reads the receipts and invoices your clients upload. Zapier picks up the processed result, or drops new documents in, so nobody has to run the export by hand.
Start with onboarding, the first job of any new client file. Create New Client Account sets up the account and emails the client an invite to Dext Prepare. Then capture: Submit Receipts and Submit Sales Invoices send images from another app straight into processing. Finally, output: Export New Processed Receipt Data hands over the fields you picked once a receipt is processed.
What Zapier does not do here: react instantly. All three Dext triggers poll, which means Zapier checks on a timer, every 15 minutes on the free plan. There are no searches either, so a Zap cannot look up one specific receipt halfway through and reuse it. And the photo field of both submission actions asks for a jpg image, so a PDF from a client inbox is not what it expects. Plan your flows around those three limits before you promise anything to a client.
If you are comparing platforms, the same app also has a Make page: Dext Make integration.
Zapier jargon, translated
Eight terms cover everything below.
- Zap
- An automation you build on Zapier: one trigger, then one or more actions that run each time the trigger event happens.
- Trigger
- The event that starts the Zap, such as Dext finishing a receipt. Once the Zap is on, Zapier keeps an eye out for it.
- Action
- What the Zap does after it starts: the step that writes, sends or moves something for you, like submitting an invoice to Dext.
- Task
- What Zapier bills you for: one action your Zap completes successfully. Your plan allowance counts these.
- Polling trigger
- A trigger Zapier checks on a timer, asking for recent items and keeping only the new ones. All three Dext triggers work this way.
- Instant trigger
- A trigger the app reports to Zapier itself, the moment the event happens. Dext does not offer one.
- Filter
- A step that only lets the Zap continue when the incoming data meets your condition. Otherwise, the run stops there.
- Connection
- Your Dext account, linked to Zapier once and then reused by every Dext step across all your Zaps.
What it costs in tasks
Triggers are free. Only successful actions count.
- Free plan100 tasks a month, two steps per Zap
- Dext triggersPolling, free of charge
- Failed actionNot counted
- DextWorks on the free plan
Zapier never bills the trigger, nor the checks it makes to see whether a receipt is ready, however often they run. Each successful action is one task, and a failed action is not counted. The free plan includes 100 tasks a month and polls Dext every 15 minutes, but it limits each Zap to two steps. Add a filter or a second action and it becomes a multi-step Zap, which needs a paid plan before you can publish it.
Connect your Dext account
- 01
Open Apps
In Zapier, go to the Apps page of your account and click + Add connection. Every connection on your Zapier account is handled from this page, Dext included.
- 02
Choose Dext
Search for Dext by name in the dialog, select it and click Add connection. You need an active Dext account first, since Zapier only links an account that already exists.
- 03
Sign in and grant access
Log in to Dext in the tab that opens and grant Zapier access. For client files you do not own yourself, you need read or write rights before the Zap can touch them.
Your first Zap: a workload check on every processed receipt
GoalEach newly processed receipt passes through a filter you define, then the Zap asks Dext how many fresh items your clients have waiting.
- 01
Pick the trigger
In Build, choose Dext and Export New Processed Receipt Data. When you test, Zapier brings back the three most recent items on the account, so you set things up on a real receipt.
- 02
Add the filter
Click the plus icon and add Filter. Pick a field from the test data, the rule and the value, then Configure & test. A text rule on a number field never passes.
- 03
Add the Dext action
Plug in Check Number of Processed Receipts. It asks Dext about newly processed items your clients submitted. In testing, the sample data describes a demo company.
- 04
Test, then publish
In Test, run every step once and read what came back. Then click Publish. The filter makes this a three-step Zap, so you will need a paid plan.
The 3 Dext triggers
3 events start a Zap when something happens in Dext. Zapier checks for them at the interval your plan allows.
Export Receipts When Ready
Polling triggerIn Zapier“Fetch and export the receipt data when it is ready for export. You can also archive the receipts you've exported.”
This one waits until Dext marks a receipt as ready for export, then passes its data down the Zap. A setting can also archive the receipts it has just exported.
Export New Processed Receipt Data
Polling triggerIn Zapier“When a new receipt is submitted and processed, it automatically exports chosen fields to your preferred destination.”
As soon as a newly submitted receipt has been processed, this trigger sends the fields you chose to wherever the Zap points. It starts from processing being done, not from the receipt being ready for export.
New Processed Receipt Notification
Polling triggerIn Zapier“Triggers when a new receipt has been processed and allows you to create custom notifications.”
Built for alerts rather than exports, this trigger fires when a new receipt has been processed and lets you craft your own notification from what arrives.
The 4 Dext actions
Dext gives you 4 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.
Create New Client Account
ActionIn Zapier“This Zap creates a new client account and sends an invitation to join Dext Prepare to the client.”
Opens a client account in Dext and emails that client an invite to join Dext Prepare. First name, last name and email are required.
Submit Receipts
ActionIn Zapier“This Zap allows you submit an image from another app as a receipt for processing.”
Takes an image from another app and hands it to Dext to be processed as a receipt. The photo is the only required field.
Check Number of Processed Receipts
ActionIn Zapier“Check if you have newly processed items submitted by your clients. Sample data is an overview of new receipts for a demo company.”
Asks Dext whether there are newly processed items among those your clients submitted. You get an overview, not one specific receipt.
Submit Sales Invoices
ActionIn Zapier“This Zap allows you to submit an image to process as a sales invoice from another app.”
The sales-side twin of Submit Receipts: an image arrives from another app and Dext processes it as a sales invoice. The photo is required.
When it breaks
Zapier documents no limit specific to Dext. The general rules are enough to catch you out.
Four general Zapier rules apply to Dext as to any app. To work through them one by one, see the Zapier troubleshooting page.
Older receipts never show up
A Zap only sees what happens after you publish it. Receipts Dext had already processed are not picked up, and backfilling them is a separate job.The Zap feeds itself
A Zap that submits receipts to Dext while its trigger watches processed receipts can keep setting itself off. Your task count drains fast.A big upload gets held back
When a client drops a huge pile of documents at once, the trigger may return a huge batch. Zapier's flood protection can hold it back.Each receipt runs once
On a polling trigger, Zapier tracks what it has already seen. The same receipt never starts the Zap a second time.
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