What payments and accounting integration means
Payments and accounting integration connects how customers pay, through Stripe, Square or a card terminal, to the invoices in Xero or Sage. Each payment is matched to its invoice, posted to the right account and reconciled. We build these for UK service businesses that take deposits, instalments or payment on completion.
What we connect
Each of these is built from the record your business already raises: the job, the booking or the order.
- A pay-by-link sent with the invoice, so the customer pays from the email and the invoice is marked paid.
- Card terminal payments matched to the open job, with the receipt on the customer record.
- Deposits taken at booking, with the balance invoiced on completion and the deposit already applied.
- Instalment plans that collect on their dates and show what is still owed.
- Reminder emails for overdue invoices that stop the moment the payment lands.
- Invoices, payments and fees posted to Xero or Sage with the right account and VAT codes.
Debtor chasing that knows when to stop
The awkward part of chasing is sending a reminder to someone who paid yesterday. Automated chasing only works if it reads the payment status first. Ours checks the invoice before every reminder and stops the moment it is paid, whether by card, link or bank transfer reconciled in Xero.
You set the schedule and the wording. A person can pause chasing on any customer, which matters when there is a dispute or a good reason for the delay.
Xero's own integrations are often enough
Stripe, Square and GoCardless all connect to Xero already. Start there.
When a built integration is worth it
- Payments need matching to jobs or bookings in a system Xero doesn't know about.
- Deposits and balances have to land on the same invoice in a particular way.
- Payment fees and refunds are reconciled by hand every week.
- Chasing has to check your own job status as well as the invoice.
Turn on the Stripe or Square feed in Xero
If you raise invoices in Xero and customers pay them through a link Xero sends, the built-in feed reconciles them. Xero's own reminders handle simple chasing. We'd set that up and leave it.
How the work runs
Follow the money
We trace one payment from quote to reconciled bank line, with your bookkeeper, and note every place a person types something.
Agree the accounts
Account codes, VAT treatment, fees and refunds are agreed with whoever does the books before any code is written.
Build in test mode
Stripe and Square both have test accounts, and Xero has a demo company. Every payment type is run there first, with a demo each week.
Run in parallel
For the first weeks live, the integration posts and your bookkeeper checks. Totals are compared on both sides before anyone stops checking.
Questions about payments and accounting integration
Can Stripe payments mark invoices as paid in Xero?
Yes. Xero's own Stripe feed does this for invoices raised in Xero. If invoices start in another system, such as a booking or job system, we build the link so each payment finds its invoice.
Does this work with Sage as well as Xero?
Yes. Sage Business Cloud has an API that accepts invoices and payments. Older desktop versions of Sage are harder, and we check what yours can do before quoting.
Can we take deposits and instalments?
Yes. Deposits can be taken at booking and applied to the final invoice, and instalments can collect on set dates. Each payment is posted to the accounts as it lands.
Will our bookkeeper or accountant need to change anything?
Usually very little. We agree the account codes and VAT treatment with them first, so the entries look the way they expect. They often end up with less to reconcile.
Show us how a payment reaches the books
On a free call, walk us through one job from quote to reconciled payment. If Xero's own feed would cover it, we'll tell you how to turn it on.