How does the Octopus integration work?

Octopus is one of the accounting software packages that Robaws has a direct integration with.
Thanks to the API integration between Robaws and Octopus, these packages work together seamlessly.
You can prepare your entire bookkeeping from Robaws, so that it is taken over one to one in Octopus.

Jump straight to:

• What you can do with Octopus
• Activating the integration
• Steps before first use
• Settings
• Exporting invoices to your accountant
• Syncing the payment status back to Robaws
• Cost centres and cost units

What you can do with Octopus

The integration between Robaws and Octopus supports a great deal, which makes using it very advantageous:

• Export sales invoices and incoming invoices to Octopus
• Sync the payment status of sales invoices and incoming invoices back to Robaws
• Export cost centres to Octopus

Activating the integration

You activate the integration via settings > integrations > Octopus.
You go through the following steps:

1. Click on 'connect with Octopus'
2. Enter your Octopus credentials and click on 'connect'
3. After logging in, the option to choose a file appears

Once you have completed these steps, the integration between Robaws and Octopus is in place. You can now take the steps described below.

Steps before first use

Once you have completed the steps above, the integration between Robaws and Octopus is in place. That does not mean you can export sales invoices and incoming invoices straight away.
Before you can use the integration, there are a few crucial steps left to complete:

1. Importing GL accounts
2. Linking VAT tariffs
3. Linking journals

Importing GL accounts

As soon as you have activated the integration with Octopus, you can import the GL accounts from Octopus into Robaws. You do this via settings > general > GL account and the Import from accounting software action button at the top.
After that, Robaws keeps this list up to date automatically through a daily synchronisation. You can also synchronise the GL accounts again manually at any time, using that same action button.

Once the GL accounts have been imported, you can link them at line level in your sales invoices and incoming invoices. When you export to Octopus, these GL accounts are sent along.
Do you not link a GL account at line level in the invoice? Then Robaws falls back on the default GL account from the Octopus settings.

Linking VAT tariffs

To be able to export invoices to Octopus, it is important that the VAT tariffs in Robaws are linked to the correct VAT tariffs in Octopus.
That way Robaws knows which VAT tariff to book on.
It is also important that the VAT tariffs for sales invoices and incoming invoices are split completely. Is that not the case at the moment? Then you will have to correct this in the settings first.

You link a VAT tariff as follows:

• Go to settings > general > VAT tariffs
• Open the VAT tariff in Robaws that you want to link to a VAT tariff from Octopus
• Click on the pencil next to 'Octopus'
• Look up the correct VAT tariff from Octopus and click on 'link'

Linking journals

In the Octopus settings you can enter default journals for sales and purchase. Do you not deviate from these? Then it is enough to set them in this place.
Do you want to link the Octopus journals to specific journals in Robaws? Then enter the Octopus journal code on the journal in Robaws, via settings > general > journals. This code overrides the default code from the settings.

Settings

Updated on: 09/09/2026