This guide explores how to configure your Xero invoice options
My Accounting Toolbox -> Configuration -> Xero Options
Xero Sync Basic Options
Invoice Import Status
Cloud Depot can import your invoices as either Draft, Approved or Approved Sent. We recommend that you use Draft for the first few invoices until you are happy how the sync invoices look.
Please note: Approved & Set Status as Sent - doesn't send the invoice to the client only sets the status as sent in Xero via the API.
Xero invoice numbers
This option changes how the invoices appear in your Xero account:
- Xero Invoice Numbers (recommended) - Xero will generate the invoice numbers for you automatically we recommend this option as it always guarantees sequential invoice numbers in Xero
- Autotask Id Numbers - Cloud Depot will generate Xero invoices using the Id numbers of the Autotask Invoice in the format INV:{AutotaskId}
- Autotask Invoice Numbers - This option will use the Autotask invoice numbers generated during your invoice cycle in Autotask. Please see the attached warning below for using this option.
Autotask Invoice Numbers - Warning:
Autotask generated invoice numbers can conflict with Xero generated invoice numbers if Autotask generates the same invoice number. If they conflict this can lead to sync errors ('invoice not of valid status for modification' notification) or Xero invoices being overridden with those generated by Autotask.
We strongly recommend that you create a different prefix for Autotask generated invoices from Xero generated invoices.
For example, in Autotask a invoice could be “AT-123” and in Xero a invoice can be “INV-123”. Those two invoices will never conflict, even if they have the same number.
Invoice Due Date
- Autotask due date - this will pull down the invoice due date from your invoice template, please make sure the due date is on your Autotask template, please see this guide.
- Autotask invoice generated date - this will use the invoice generated date as your due date
- 7, 14, 30 Days - this will generate a due date X days from the invoice generated date
- 20th of invoice Month - this will generate a due date on the 20th of the current month
- 20th of month following invoice - this will generate a due date on the 20th of the month following the invoice
We also support Xero customer card invoice dates, please see below for further information.
How many days back should invoices be synced from
Use this option to sync your historical invoices from Autotask - we don't recommend you use anything less than 7 days just in case your sync is disrupted this will give you plenty of time to resolve the issues and we won't miss any invoices. Once your sync is up and running, we recommend you set this option to 30 days.
Insert PO number into 'Reference' field on Xero invoices
This option will pull down PO numbers (if applicable) into the reference field in Xero.
Xero sync advanced options below
Don't show descriptions of Service Contracts
This option won't show descriptions from the service contract in the billing item.
Austotask to Xero Contact Matching Options
Update Xero Contacts During Sync
This option will update existing Xero contacts during the sync of a invoice with the data that matches in Autotask. Please note
- The matching is done on the exact name of the contact in Autotask to Xero as is case sensitive, if the match is not found it will create a new contact.
- The account contact used from Autotask is the first account created in Autotask - to match the correct account contact you will need to setup a UDF in Autotask please see instructions here for setting that up
- If this option is unticked, and our sync tool cannot find the customer in Xero our sync tool will lookup to see if we have sync'd to that Autotask Account previously, if we have, our sync tool will raise a sync error. This is to prevent our tool from creating new contacts when a name is changed in either Xero or Autotask.
Turn off case sensitivity between Autotask and Xero
This option will turn off the case sensitivity between Autotask and Xero contact names when matching Autotask Accounts to Xero Customers.
For example:
You have a Autotask account name: Orange County Taxi Service and in Xero that customer name is: Orange country taxi service (notice the lower case county tax service).
- If the above option is turned off, the matching between Autotask will fail as the case sensitivity rule applies.
- If the above option is turned on, it will match to the Xero contact Orange country taxi service.
Send Xero payments dates back into Autotask
This option will send payment dates back to invoices in Autotask. This functionality is not available on all plans and payments are applied per hour.
Please Note:
a) Credit Notes will also populate the payment date in Autotask
b) Invoice must be paid in full - Autotask doesn't support part payments
c) Payments will only apply to invoices that have been sync'd by Cloud Depot
Show Resource on Invoices
This option will append the user resource from tickets on the billing line-item.
Round to 4 decimal places in Xero
This option will send data via the API rounded to 4 decimal places rather than the default 2 decimal places, please update Autotask to use 4 decimal places if you wish to use this feature.
Override Xero Invoice Due Date with Xero Customer Card Invoice Due rules
This option will use the 'Invoices Due Date' in the Xero, Customer - Contact.
If this option isn't setup or left blank in the Xero Contact, the sync tool will use the default option, set under the Xero Options tab in Cloud Depot.
Further cosmetic changes to the billing line-items.
The Autotask API presents the data in a different format to how its presented in the Autotask web-console, we have worked hard to make the Xero invoices match as closely as possible. In some cases the formats might differ a little, we have some further advanced options that can only be applied by our support team to further fine-tune the look. Please contact us for further advice.