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Xero Integration User Guide for Receiptor AI

Automatically sync receipts to Xero as draft bills. This guide covers setup, tax configuration, and troubleshooting.

Romeo Bellon avatar
Written by Romeo Bellon
Updated this week

Overview

The Xero integration in Receiptor AI automatically syncs your receipts and invoices with your Xero accounting system, eliminating the need for manual data entry and ensuring accurate financial records. This guide covers everything you need to know to set up and use the integration effectively.

Key Features

  • Automatic Receipt Processing: Receipts are automatically extracted, categorized, and sent to Xero as draft bills

  • Intelligent Tax Rate Mapping: AI-powered tax rate matching with your existing Xero tax codes

  • Custom Tax Rate Creation: Automatically creates new tax rates when needed

  • Intelligent Categorization: Uses AI to match expenses to your Xero chart of accounts

  • Multi-Currency Support: Handles receipts in different currencies with automatic conversion

  • Bulk Processing: Send multiple receipts to Xero at once

  • Real-time Sync: Webhooks keep data synchronized between systems

  • Attachment Handling: Original receipt images are attached to Xero bills

Getting Started

Step 1: Connect your Xero account

  1. Navigate to Integrations: Go to your Receiptor AI dashboard and click on "Integrations"

  2. Find Xero: Locate the Xero integration card

  3. Connect Account: Click "Connect," and you'll be redirected to Xero's authorization page

  4. Grant Permissions: Authorize Receiptor AI to access your Xero data

  5. Select Organization: Choose which Xero organization to connect (if you have multiple)

Step 2: Configure Settings

There are two ways to configure how receipts are sent to Xero:

Option A: Manual Processing

  1. Select Receipts: In Documents, use checkboxes to select multiple receipts

  2. Bulk Actions: Click "Send to Xero" from the bulk actions menu

  3. Choose Organization: Select which Xero organization to send to

  4. Monitor Progress: Track processing status in the Export History queue

Option B: Automatic Processing

Set up automatic forwarding from your email accounts:

  1. Go to Sources > Accounts and select your email account

  2. Enable Auto-forward to Xero

  3. Choose which Xero organization to send to

With automatic processing, documents extracted from that email account will be automatically sent to Xero after processing.

How It Works

Receipt Processing Workflow

  1. Document Upload: Upload receipts via email, WhatsApp, or bulk upload via web interface

  2. AI Extraction: Receiptor AI extracts key information (merchant, amount, tax, line items)

  3. Tax Rate Mapping: AI matches receipt tax rates to your Xero tax codes

  4. Category Assignment: Expenses are automatically categorized using your chart of accounts

  5. Contact Creation: Merchants are automatically created as contacts in Xero

  6. Bill Creation: A draft bill is created in Xero with all extracted information

  7. Attachment Upload: The original receipt image is attached to the Xero bill

What Gets Created in Xero

For each receipt, Receiptor AI creates:

  • Draft Bill: A purchase bill in draft status for your review

  • Contact: The merchant/supplier (if it doesn't already exist)

  • Line Items: Detailed breakdown of purchased items (when available)

  • Tax Codes: Appropriate tax rates are applied to each line item

  • Attachment: Original receipt image attached to the bill

  • Reference: Link back to the original document in Receiptor AI

Tax Configuration

The Xero integration includes advanced tax handling with four key settings:

1. Create Custom Tax Rates

  • Enabled (Default): Automatically creates new tax rates in Xero when no matching rate exists

  • Disabled: Uses fallback tax code for unmatched rates

Example: If your receipt shows 7.5% tax and no matching Xero rate exists:

  • Enabled: Creates "Custom 7.5%" tax rate

  • Disabled: Uses fallback tax code (e.g., "INPUT")

2. Tax Rate Matching Tolerance

  • Default: ±0.5%

  • Range: 0.1% to 2.0%

Example: With 0.5% tolerance, a 10% receipt tax rate will match Xero's "GST 10%" rate, but a 10.6% rate won't match.

3. Fallback Tax Code

  • Default: "INPUT"

  • Options: INPUT, OUTPUT, NONE, EXEMPT, ZERORATEDINPUT, ZERORATEDOUTPUT

When used: When no matching tax rate is found and custom rate creation is disabled or fails.

4. Use Zero Rate for Unmatched

  • Enabled: Applies 0% tax rate to items that can't be matched

  • Disabled: Uses fallback tax code instead

Tax Mapping Process

  1. Exact Match: The system looks for existing Xero tax rates within tolerance

  2. Custom Creation: If enabled and no match found, creates a new tax rate

  3. Fallback: If creation fails or is disabled, it uses the fallback tax code

  4. Preservation: Original receipt tax rates are preserved for calculations

Best Practices

For Optimal Results

  1. Keep Xero Updated: Ensure your chart of accounts and tax codes are current

  2. Review Draft Bills: Always review draft bills in Xero before approving

  3. Consistent Merchants: Use consistent merchant names for better contact matching

  4. Quality Receipts: Upload clear, complete receipt images

  5. Regular Monitoring: Check integration status regularly

Tax Configuration Recommendations

  • Small Businesses: Enable custom tax rate creation for flexibility

  • Large Organizations: Consider disabling custom creation for better control

  • Multi-Country: Set appropriate fallback tax codes for your jurisdiction

  • Complex Tax: Use a tighter tolerance (0.1-0.2%) for precise matching

Workflow Tips

  1. Batch Processing: Process receipts in batches for efficiency

  2. Regular Reviews: Set up a weekly review process for draft bills

  3. Category Training: The AI learns from your corrections, so fix categorization mistakes

  4. Backup Strategy: Keep original receipts as backup even after Xero sync

Advanced Features

Multi-Organization Support

If you have multiple Xero organizations:

  1. Connect Multiple: You can connect multiple Xero organizations

  2. Choose Destination: Select which organization to send receipts to

  3. Separate Settings: Each organization has its own tax configuration

API Rate Limits

The integration respects Xero's API limits:

  • Automatic Throttling: The system automatically manages request rates

  • Queue Management: Receipts are queued when limits are reached

  • Retry Logic: Failed requests are automatically retried

Support

Getting Help

  1. In-App Support: Use the chat widget in Receiptor AI

  2. Email Support: Contact [email protected]

  3. Documentation: Check our help center for updates

  4. Community: Join our user community for tips and tricks

What to Include in Support Requests

  • Error Messages: Include exact error text

  • Receipt Details: Provide the document ID or screenshot

  • Integration Status: Note your Xero connection status

  • Steps Taken: Describe what you've already tried

Xero-Specific Support

For Xero-related issues:

  • Xero Status: Check Xero's service status page

  • Permissions: Verify that Receiptor AI has the necessary permissions

  • Organization: Confirm you're using the correct Xero organization

  • Version: Ensure you're using the latest version of both systems

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