Charlie Blomkvist
This guide is for those of you who have already decided to leave Fortnox, the cloud accounting program many small Swedish companies start out on, or who are close to it. Maybe the company has become several companies, with more people approving, a warehouse or more dimensions to follow up than cost center and project. Here we go through the switch itself: what you take out of Fortnox, how it gets into Visma Net, when to give notice and how to keep the archive. If you are not sure you have outgrown Fortnox, start with the comparison.
Short answer: how do you switch from Fortnox to Visma Net?
- Decide the start date and how you want to follow up in Visma Net before anything moves.
- Export the chart of accounts, customer register, supplier register and unpaid customer and supplier invoices from Fortnox.
- Import master data, opening balances and unpaid invoices into Visma Net.
- Export the archive: the accounting as SIE4, the supporting documents with File export and the reports to be kept, so they are available for seven years.
- Turn off e-invoicing and invoice scanning in Fortnox and give notice no later than 30 days before the next contract period.
Exporting from Fortnox: what you take out
Everything you need for master data and unpaid invoices is available as reports in Fortnox. The accounting and supporting documents are exported for the archive.
| What | Where in Fortnox | What it becomes in Visma Net |
|---|---|---|
| Chart of accounts | Reports, chart of accounts as a TXT file | The basis for your chart of accounts, with the subaccount for follow-up |
| Customer register | Reports → Customer register → Download file | Customer register |
| Supplier register | Reports → Supplier register → Download file | Supplier register |
| Unpaid customer invoices | Reports → Ledger list, customer invoices | Open items in accounts receivable |
| Unpaid supplier invoices | Reports → Ledger list, supplier invoices | Open items in accounts payable |
| Accounting | Export, one SIE4 file per fiscal year | The archive, and the history through SIE import |
| Supporting documents | Export → File export, one zip file | The archive |
If you have inventory, also export the item register, under Registers → Items → Export CSV.
How it gets into Visma Net
Visma Net has its own route for each part.
Chart of accounts, customers, suppliers and items are cleaned and converted with Straviont Cloud Bridge, so duplicates and broken references stay in Fortnox.
Balances are imported as of the period before the start, for example as of December 31 if you start in January.
Imported as open items, posted against a transition account so they are not posted twice. Payments are then matched against them.
We help with the SIE import (SIE is the Swedish standard file format for accounting data), so the history comes along. If you switch mid-year, we import what you have done in earlier periods in Fortnox.
You can start in Visma Net at a year-end or mid-year, since Visma Net supports both. What determines the date is that the latest period is posted and VAT-reported in Fortnox, and that unpaid invoices are exported as of the day before the start, the same day as the opening balances.
The subaccount, that is, how you follow up by cost center, project or department, is something we set up together before you start. It sits on every posted line, drives approvals and reports, and is often the very reason for the switch.
Canceling Fortnox: notice period and archive
Canceling is the easiest part to get wrong, because Fortnox keeps invoicing until the contract expires.
- Export the archive
- Turn off e-invoicing and scanning
- Give notice in time
- The contract period expires
The system administrator cancels under the company name → Manage users → More → Cancel program. Fortnox must receive the cancellation no later than 30 days before the next contract period, otherwise the subscription runs for another period.
Fortnox keeps your data for 18 months after the contract has ended. The Swedish Bookkeeping Act requires accounting records to be kept for seven years, so you export the archive yourselves before the contract expires: the accounting as SIE4 per fiscal year and the supporting documents with File export. Fortnox's own pre-cancellation checklist also includes the ledgers, the general ledger, the journal list, the balance sheet and income statement reports, the processing history, the system documentation and the registers, and advises you to check with your auditor.
Turn off e-invoicing and invoice scanning in Fortnox before you cancel, otherwise they may be billed even after cancellation. If you want to be able to read in Fortnox afterward, cancel the other programs and keep a read-only license. Then the subscription and Fortnox Access remain, and Access is charged based on journal entries over the last twelve months, so the fee does not drop right away when you stop posting there.
How the switch works with us
- Workshop
- Flows mapped
- Fixed price
- From four weeks, in parallel
- Go-live
Chart of accounts, customers, suppliers and items are converted with our own conversion tool, Straviont Cloud Bridge, and you test on your own data while we configure.
We start with how you work in Fortnox today, and map how the same flows will run in Visma Net. Then you get a fixed price, and the switch takes from four weeks to go-live, with setup, testing and training in parallel. Visma Net Core costs SEK 75,000 for the first company, or SEK 125,000 with logistics, excluding VAT.
Frequently asked questions
How do you switch from Fortnox to Visma Net?
Decide the start date and follow-up first. Then export the chart of accounts, customer register, supplier register and unpaid invoices from Fortnox, import them into Visma Net together with the opening balances, and export the archive. Cancel Fortnox no later than 30 days before the next contract period.
Can you move the accounting from Fortnox with an SIE file?
Yes. Fortnox exports the accounting as one SIE4 file per fiscal year, and we help with the SIE import into Visma Net, so the history comes along. If you switch mid-year, we import what you have done in earlier periods in Fortnox. The archive must still be kept in its original form for seven years.
How long does Fortnox keep our data after cancellation?
Fortnox keeps data for 18 months after the contract has ended. The Bookkeeping Act requires seven years, so export the archive before the contract expires: the accounting as SIE4, the supporting documents with File export and the reports in Fortnox's pre-cancellation checklist, such as the ledgers, the general ledger and the journal list.
How do you cancel Fortnox, and what is the notice period?
The system administrator cancels under the company name → Manage users → More → Cancel program, and Fortnox must receive the cancellation no later than 30 days before the next contract period. Turn off e-invoicing and invoice scanning first, so they are not billed after cancellation.
How do you export data from Fortnox?
You download the customer and supplier registers under Reports, export unpaid invoices as ledger lists, export the accounting as one SIE4 file per fiscal year and the supporting documents with File export. If you have inventory, the item register is exported as CSV under Registers → Items.
Should we switch from Fortnox to Spiris or to Visma Net?
It depends on why you are switching. Spiris Bokföring & Fakturering, formerly Visma eEkonomi, is close to Fortnox in size and suits the smaller company with simple flows. If you have outgrown Fortnox, with more people approving, more dimensions to follow up, currencies, inventory or several companies, Visma Net is what you should switch to. Read more in Visma Net vs Spiris.
Do unpaid invoices come along to Visma Net?
Yes. They are exported as ledger lists from Fortnox as of the day before the start and imported as open items, posted against a transition account so they are not posted twice. Payments are then matched against them.
When is the best time to switch from Fortnox?
Visma Net supports starting both at a year-end and mid-year. Choose a date when the latest period is posted and VAT-reported in Fortnox, and export unpaid invoices as of the day before the start, the same day as the opening balances.
What does it cost to switch from Fortnox to Visma Net?
The Visma Net license starts at SEK 2,744 per month plus transaction volume, with unlimited users, and is signed with Visma. Our implementation of Visma Net Core costs SEK 75,000, or SEK 125,000 with logistics, excluding VAT, for the first company and at a fixed price. More in What does Visma Net cost?
How long does the switch take?
From four weeks to go-live, depending on the scope and on the documents arriving in week one and the right people taking part. If that does not suit you, we plan the project around your calendar, at the same price.
Next steps
We start with your flows in Fortnox, in a free 45-minute workshop, and the walkthrough is yours whatever you choose afterward. Also read Fortnox or Visma Net: the signs you have outgrown Fortnox, what Visma Net costs and what to consider when switching ERP systems.