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Xero Integration
Xero Integration

Learn everything there is to know about integrating with Xero

Chris Garbacz avatar
Written by Chris Garbacz
Updated over a year ago

In this article you will learn:

  • An Overview

  • How to integrate your account with Xero

  • Working with your Xero integration

Overview

Xero is a cloud-based accounting solution. If you use Xero then this integration will offer you the following benefits:

  • All invoices created in Studio Ninja will automatically copy to Xero.

  • All invoices edited in Studio Ninja will automatically be updated in Xero.

  • All invoices deleted in Studio Ninja will be voided in Xero.

  • Optional - All payments recorded in Studio Ninja will automatically be updated in

    Xero and vice versa. 

IMPORTANT: Xero Cashbook and Xero Ledger plan is not supported.

Integrating with Xero

To integrate Studio Ninja with Xero follow these steps:

Step 1: Go to Settings > Integrations page.

Step 2: Click the 'Integrate' button within the Xero box. You will be redirected to a Xero login screen. Log in using your Xero credentials. 

Step 3: After logging in successfully, you will be redirected back to your Studio Ninja account. A lightbox will appear asking for some remaining details to finalise the integration. 

Step 4: Choose which default revenue account you would like your Studio Ninja invoices to copy to. 

A Revenue Account is an account that records your invoices. 

Step 5: We have an additional functionality which is optional. Choose if you would like to automatically copy payments received in Studio Ninja to Xero.

If that box is ticked, it means that if you receive and record a payment in Studio Ninja it will automatically record that payment in Xero and vice versa (if you reconcile the payment in Xero, it will automatically record the payment in Studio Ninja).

Xero connects to your bank account and brings in your bank feedback so you can reconcile all your income and expenses. You can simply delete that transaction from the bank feed as it has already been recorded by Studio Ninja in Xero. Alternatively, if you have Stripe connected and is integrated with Xero, you have the option NOT to tick the sync option box. Studio Ninja will automatically record the payment but then you will need to go to Xero and manually reconcile it from the bank feed.

A Payment Account is an account that records payments received for invoices in Studio Ninja. The name of this account as it appears in the Studio Ninja dropdown menu reflects your settings in Xero.

You can view your existing accounts and create new ones on the Chart of Accounts page in your Xero dashboard. 

Cannot find an account in the "Choose payment account" dropdown? Your account in Xero may not have payments enabled. Find out how to enable payments in Xero here.


​Step 6: Click the 'Save settings' button and your integration will be complete!

IMPORTANT: From this point onward, every time you create, edit or delete an invoice in Studio Ninja, the same action will occur in Xero. All existing invoices will not be copied to Xero.
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Now that your integration with Xero is complete, your settings options will change. You will now be able to 'Edit settings' and 'Disconnect' your Xero integration at any time using the buttons within the Xero box. 

Working with your Xero integration

Now that you have successfully integrated Studio Ninja with Xero, let's explore the integration in action! 

Creating a new invoice

Every time you create a new invoice, you will see a COPIED TO XERO stamp on the invoice. This means that the invoice has been successfully copied to your Xero account.
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As you can see from the screenshot below, the invoice has automatically been created in your Xero account. The Job Name associated with the invoice will also appear on your Xero invoice for easy record keeping.

Other functionality:

  1. Edit Invoice: Feel free to make changes and edit invoices. The changes you make will automatically be applied to your Xero invoice.

  2. Delete Invoice: If you delete an invoice from Studio Ninja, the invoice will automatically be voided in your Xero account. 

  3. Recording Payments: If you ticked the 'Sync payments with Xero' checkbox during the setup process then any payments recorded in Studio Ninja will also be applied to your invoices in Xero. For example:

  • If you manually receive a payment in Studio Ninja using the Record Payment feature, the payment will automatically be applied to the invoice in Xero.

  • If you receive a payment by Stripe, the payment will automatically be recorded in Studio Ninja which syncs to the Xero invoice. Please note that you will need to remove the transaction from your bank feed to avoid duplicate payments.

  • If you receive a payment by PayPal, the payment will automatically be applied to the invoice in Xero. If your PayPal account is connected to your bank, then you'll need to remove the transaction in Xero to avoid duplicate payments.

IMPORTANT: If there is a glitch, for example, a temporary internet outage at the time of saving the invoice in Studio Ninja, the invoice may not copy to Xero successfully. 

In this instance, the COPIED TO XERO stamp will not appear. If you notice at any time that the COPIED TO XERO stamp is not visible, simply click the 'Copy to Xero' button and Studio Ninja will copy the invoice to Xero again.  

Disconnected - Xero Invoice Altered

There are a few scenarios that will disconnect your Studio Ninja invoice from Xero. Generally, this happens if an invoice is altered in any way in Xero. Specifically, the examples are:

  • If you void an invoice in Xero.

  • If you edit the total invoiced amount in Xero.

  • If you change the primary contact in Xero.

  • If you add a product/package to the invoice in Xero. 

  • If you change the tax amount in Xero. 

  • If you change the date of the invoice in Xero.

  • If you change the invoice ID in Xero.

If any of the above scenarios occur, you will see a DISCONNECTED - XERO INVOICE ALTERED stamp appear on your invoice in Studio Ninja. 

Once an invoice has been disconnected, any changes made to this invoice within Studio Ninja will no longer be copied to Xero. 

There are a couple of ways to resolve this situation. 

1. Click on the 'Copy to Xero' button in Studio Ninja. This will copy the invoice and all its data to Xero again so that it matches Studio Ninja exactly. 

2. You can go back to Xero and undo what you did that caused the disconnected stamp. For example, if you change the invoice total amount in Xero, the invoice will become disconnected. Go back to Xero, update the total amount back to what it was originally, and automatically the invoice will reconnect itself.
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Copying existing invoices to Xero

As described above, it is really easy to copy your invoices and existing invoices to Xero using the 'Copy to Xero' button. 

Xero doesn’t support the fixed discount method which Studio Ninja uses so if your existing invoices have a fixed discount applied then you'll need to do one of the following for it to copy to Xero successfully:

  1. If the math is easy to work out, change past invoices to percentage discounts so that the discounted amount is the same. Then sync/copy to Xero.

  2. If the math is not easy to work out, you can remove the discount, but change the invoiced total to the lower discounted amount. Then sync/copy to Xero.

  3. If the math is not easy to work out AND you want to keep the fixed discount as shown in the invoice, you can recreate the invoice in Xero with a negative line item.

If you have any other questions or need help with anything, please chat with us in-app, in our Facebook group, or send us an email to [email protected] 

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