Before You Start

This guide assumes you have administrator access to HubSpot (Sales Hub) and QuickBooks Online. You’ll also need a clearly defined commission structure in place.

Overview

45 min
Setup Time
Advanced
Difficulty
Monthly
Maintenance

What You’ll Learn

  • How to prepare HubSpot for commission data extraction
  • Connecting HubSpot to a commission calculation tool
  • Automating commission payouts in QuickBooks Online
  • Reconciling commission expenses and payments

1. Preparation Steps

Before automating, ensure these accounts and custom fields are ready:

Required Accounts (QuickBooks Online)

  • Sales Commissions (Expense)
  • Commissions Payable (Liability)
  • Commissions Paid (Bank/Asset)
  • Commission Adjustments (Expense)

Optional (but recommended) Custom Fields (HubSpot Deal Properties)

  • Commissionable Amount (Number)
  • Commission Rate (Number)
  • Commission Due Date (Date Picker)

2. Choosing Your Automation Method

You have two main options, each with serious pros and cons.

Method A: Manual Calculation & Entry

This involves exporting data from HubSpot and manually entering commissions into QuickBooks.

Pros:
  • No additional software cost.
  • Simple for very few sales reps.
  • Direct control over each entry.
Cons:
  • Highly error-prone.
  • Extremely time-consuming.
  • Does not scale with growth.

Method B: Third-Party Automation Tools (Zapier, Workato, Dedicated Commission Software)

These are paid apps that offer advanced automation capabilities.

Expert Tip: We strongly recommend using an automation tool like Zapier or a dedicated commission platform. This ensures real-time accuracy and significantly reduces manual effort, allowing for scalable growth and complex commission structures.

3. Step-by-Step: Automating with Zapier (Example Workflow)

Here is the high-level workflow for a clean setup using a tool like Zapier.

Here is a sample code block to show how commission data might look.

{
  "deal_id": "d-78901",
  "sales_rep_id": "sr-007",
  "deal_amount": 10000.00,
  "commissionable_amount": 8000.00,
  "commission_rate": 0.10,
  "commission_earned": 800.00,
  "commission_status": "Calculated"
}

4. Setting Up Your Automation

  1. 1

    Define Commission Rules in Your Automation Tool

    Configure the logic for calculating commissions based on HubSpot deal properties (e.g., deal stage, amount, product line).

  2. 2

    Connect HubSpot to Your Automation Tool

    Authorize the automation tool to access your HubSpot account. Set up triggers for “Deal Stage Changed” to ‘Closed Won’.

  3. 3

    Connect QuickBooks Online and Map Data

    Link your QBO account. Map calculated commission amounts to create Journal Entries or Vendor Bills, posting to your Sales Commissions Expense and Commissions Payable Liability accounts.

Common Error: Incorrect Account Type for Commissions Payable

Ensure your ‘Commissions Payable’ account in QuickBooks is a ‘Current Liability’ type, not an expense. This ensures it tracks what you owe before payment.

5. Testing Your Setup

Test Automation Checklist

  • Process a test deal to ‘Closed Won’ in HubSpot
  • Verify commission calculation in automation tool
  • Check if commission entry appears in QBO (e.g., Journal Entry or Vendor Bill)
  • Confirm payment processing matches expectations (e.g., from Commissions Payable)

Need Help?

Get Support

Having trouble with your setup? Our team can help troubleshoot your specific workflow.

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