Accounting software for Deel: each contractor payment posted with a read-only token
Generate a Deel organization token with only the accounting:read scope and paste it in Connections. Each paid contractor payment then posts as one entry, and your bank payment to Deel clears it. The token cannot change anything in Deel, and connecting is free.
Updated · 3 min read · By the Accountable team
Deel cost $9,340, counted once
| Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Contractors | $9,040.00 | |
| Travel and Meals | $300.00 | |
| Payroll Clearing | $9,340.00 | |
| Balanced | $9,340.00 | $9,340.00 |
Assumes three contractors: $9,040 of pay and $300 of reimbursed expenses. The $9,340 bank payment to Deel then brings Payroll Clearing to $0.00.
The short version
- Deel connects directly with an organization token, and payroll is free to add on every plan, including Free.
- The token has only the
accounting:readscope, so it can read accounting data and cannot change anything in Deel. - Each paid contractor payment posts once: contractor pay and reimbursed expenses against Payroll Clearing, which the bank payment clears.
- Deel shows the token only once, and only a Deel admin can generate it.
- If the token is ever deleted in Deel, the connection shows Broken, and a new token with Reconnect restores it without changing anything already posted.
What comes over from Deel
- One entry per paid Deel contractor payment, with contractor pay and reimbursed expenses on their own lines.
- The accounting data the
accounting:readscope allows, and nothing more. - The matching payment from your bank arrives from your bank feed and clears the entry.
How a Deel contractor payment is booked
A paid Deel payment posts one entry that records what it cost you. The bank payment to Deel is a separate transaction, which lands on Payroll Clearing from the other side. Once both are in, the account is zero and the profit and loss shows the contractor cost once.
| What happens | Booked as | Account |
|---|---|---|
| Deel payment | Debit contractor pay and reimbursed expenses | Contractors, and an expense account for reimbursements |
| Deel payment | Credit the total | Payroll Clearing |
| Bank payment to Deel | Debit the payment | Payroll Clearing |
| Bank payment to Deel | Credit the payment | Bank account |
How to connect Deel in five steps
Step 1: In Accountable, open Connections (Settings › Banks, cards and payroll), press Connect an account and pick Deel. The dialog Use a Deel organization token opens.
Step 2: In Deel, go to More › Developer › Access Tokens and choose Generate new token. You need to be an admin.
Step 3: Choose Organization token and give it the
accounting:readscope only.Step 4: Press Generate and copy the token. Deel shows it only once.
Step 5: Back in Accountable, paste it into Organization token and press Connect.
The step-by-step help article is Connect Deel payroll with an organization token.
The bank payment clears Payroll Clearing in Northwind Labs
Every feed belongs to one company. If you run several companies with their own Deel organizations, generate a token in each organization and connect it to that company, so each company's contractor payments post to its own books and each stays separate.
Payroll Clearing back to $0.00
| Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll Clearing | $9,340.00 | |
| Mercury Checking | $9,340.00 | |
| Balanced | $9,340.00 | $9,340.00 |
The other half of the Deel entry at the top of this page. Both halves post in Northwind Labs, the one company that owns the Deel token, so Halcyon Holdings' and Ferry Studio's books never see them.
Give the Deel token one scope and delete unused tokens
Generate the token with accounting:read and nothing else. Deel's docs recommend giving a token only the scopes it needs and deleting tokens you no longer use. If the token is deleted, the connection shows Broken; generate a new token and press Reconnect, and nothing already posted changes.
Questions founders ask
Is connecting Deel free?
Yes. Payroll is free to add on every plan, including Free.
Can Accountable change anything in Deel?
No. The token has only the accounting:read scope, which reads accounting data.
Does the Deel entry replace the bank payment?
No. The entry records the payment's cost against Payroll Clearing, and the bank payment clears it. Both stay in the books.
Which Deel token type do I need?
An organization token. Deel's docs describe organization tokens as representing the entire organization for server-to-server work such as payroll, and personal tokens as representing a single user.
How do I disconnect Deel?
Click the Deel account in Connections and press Disconnect. Everything it already posted stays in the books, and new payments stop posting.
Connect Deel and close the month
Start free with one company. Deel connects in a minute with a read-only token, and every contractor payment posts once and clears against your bank.
Start freeSources, checked September 30, 2026: