Xero Gold partners, Albury Wodonga
Xero setup, migration and training
We set Xero up properly, move you across without losing your history, show you the four things you will actually use, and then keep an eye on it so the quarter does not turn into a surprise.
Xero Gold partners, since 2010
Gold is Xero’s second highest partner tier and it is earned on the number of clients actually running on Xero, not on a course. We have been Xero partners since 2010, which is roughly as long as Xero has been worth using in Australia.
Alongside the tier, Xero lists us as a Migration specialist, with L1 certified associate and L2 certified professional certifications current. We run payroll in Xero for clients and sort it out when it breaks. We are not licensed to advise on employment terms or award rates, and for that we will point you at someone who is.
You do not have to take our word for any of it. Our listing in Xero’s own advisor directory shows the tier and the specialisations.
- Gold partner tier
- Xero partner since 2010
- Migration specialist
- L1 certified associate, L2 certified professional
Xero on its own does not fix anything
Plenty of people buy the subscription, connect the bank feed, and are worse off than they were with the shoebox. Now there are eighteen months of transactions coded to “Uncategorised Expense” and a BAS nobody can reconcile.
The software is good. It is what happens around it that decides whether it earns its keep: whether the chart of accounts matches how you actually make money, whether the bank rules are doing the coding or you are, and whether anyone looks at the numbers between one BAS and the next.
That is the part we do.
What we do with Xero
Set it up
A chart of accounts built around your jobs, your trades and your margins, so the profit and loss tells you something. Bank feeds, rules, and the invoice template with your logo on it.
Move you across
From MYOB, QuickBooks, a spreadsheet or a shoebox. Balances, history and payroll come with you. We do the conversion at a sensible point in the year so you are not reconciling two systems at once.
Show you the bits you need
Not the whole manual. Raising an invoice, reconciling the bank, chasing what you are owed, and getting a receipt off your phone into the file. Around your kitchen table or over a screen share.
Keep an eye on it
We have advisor access, so we see the file as it fills up rather than in October. If the coding drifts or the GST looks wrong, you hear about it while it is still a small job.
Where people usually get stuck
| What it looks like | What is actually wrong |
|---|---|
| The bank feed is hundreds of transactions behind | No bank rules, so every line needs a human. An hour of setup removes most of them for good. |
| The BAS never matches the reports | GST codes applied by guesswork, usually on insurance, government charges and bank fees, which are not all what people assume. |
| The profit and loss says nothing useful | A default chart of accounts. Every dollar of income in one line called “Sales” cannot tell you which work is worth doing. |
| Payroll works but STP is red | Finalisation was never lodged, or the employee details do not match what the ATO holds. |
| You are paying for Xero and still doing it in a spreadsheet | Nobody ever showed you the four screens you need. This is the most common one, and the cheapest to fix. |
When we will tell you not to bother
If you are a sole trader with one bank account, twenty invoices a year and no staff, Xero is probably more software than you need and we will say so. A spreadsheet and a decent filing habit will do, and you can put the subscription money somewhere it earns more.
The point at which it starts paying for itself is usually staff, GST registration, or more jobs than you can hold in your head. If you are not there yet, we would rather tell you that than sell you a licence.
Clayton has been wonderful in helping me with my small business over the years. Takes his time to get to know your business, in order to understand what’s the best paths to take.
Watch it before you decide
We run Xero sessions for clients and anyone else who wants to come. This one covers whether Xero is right for you and what it actually does, without the sales pitch.
More on our YouTube channel, including quarterly reporting, TPAR lodgement and end of year payroll.
Xero guides we have written
The questions we get asked most, written up so you can do it yourself if you would rather. If you get stuck halfway, ring us.
Lodging your TPAR in Xero
The taxable payments report, start to finish, for builders and anyone paying subbies.
STP finalisation at end of year
Closing off payroll properly so your staff can lodge their returns on time.
Giving your accountant access
How to invite us into your file, with the right permissions, in about a minute.
Fixing your chart of accounts
How to make the profit and loss report on the work you actually do.
Payroll in Xero
Paying staff, payslips and the reports you are obliged to keep.
Getting paid faster
Online invoices, payment buttons and automatic reminders that chase for you.
Questions we get asked
Do I have to use Xero if you are my accountant?
No. We work in QuickBooks Online and MYOB as well, and plenty of our clients are on paper. Xero is what we know best and what we recommend most often, which is not the same as a requirement.
Can you move me across without losing my history?
Yes. Balances, contacts, invoice history and payroll all come across. The main decision is timing, and the easiest point is the start of a quarter or a financial year so you are not running two systems side by side.
Who pays for the subscription?
You do, direct to Xero, and the file stays yours. We do not resell it or mark it up. If you ever leave us, the file goes with you and there is nothing to unpick.
Does the first call cost anything?
No. We will walk you through Xero over a screen share or here at the office, using a demo company or your own file, and tell you honestly whether it is worth the change. There is no obligation attached to it.
Do you train the person who does our books?
Often that is the most useful thing we do. If your partner, your office person or your bookkeeper is the one in the file every week, we would rather train them properly than field the same question every quarter.
Talk it through before you commit to anything
A short call, no obligation, and you will know whether Xero is worth it for your business or whether you are better off leaving things as they are. We are at Level 1, 561 Olive Street in Albury, and we are happy to come to you.