Updated Aug 28, 2023
Dubsado's Xero integration allows you to sync invoices and payments from Dubsado over to Xero. Xero is an online accounting software built for small businesses.
Why connect to Xero
Dubsado's built-in bookkeeping features are suitable for many small businesses. However, if you already use Xero, or have more extensive accounting needs, you may prefer to do your bookkeeping outside of Dubsado.
Connecting Xero to Dubsado allows you to automatically send invoices and payments over to Xero. Your clients will still pay you through the Dubsado invoices you send. After you receive a payment, you can head over to Xero to reconcile the transaction against your bank records.
Data shared between Dubsado and Xero
The connection between Dubsado and Xero is primarily a one-way street. Dubsado can sync invoices and payments over to Xero, but Xero does not send invoices or transactions back over to Dubsado.
Here's a brief overview of how data will be shared between your Dubsado brand and your Xero account:
When you set up the Xero integration in Dubsado, you'll be able to map income categories from Reporting >> Chart of Accounts to your Xero chart of accounts.
You’ll also be able to map Dubsado tax items to your Xero tax rates.
Invoice syncing
You can decide whether you'd like to automatically sync invoices and payments, automatically sync invoices only, or manually sync all invoices and payments. For detailed instructions, please see our article on connecting Xero to Dubsado.
Here are some key things to know about how Dubsado invoices sync with Xero:
Invoices are automatically synced with Xero after the client makes a payment, not immediately after the invoice is created.
Xero does not sync invoices, changes to invoices, or transactions back over to Dubsado.
Invoices and payments created before you connected Xero will not sync automatically but you can sync them manually.
Changes made to invoices in Dubsado do not automatically sync with Xero. Invoices are only updated in Xero when your client makes a payment, or when you sync the invoice manually.
Xero does not become your payment processor. Clients will still pay invoices in Dubsado using the payment processor you connected (Stripe, Square, or PayPal).
Dubsado invoices in Xero
When a Dubsado invoice is synced with Xero, the following information will remain the same:
Invoice numbers
Invoice date (called Issue date in Xero)
Line item name, quantity, and amount
Income category (called Account in Xero)
Taxes
Date and amount of each payment
However, you will notice a few key differences between the invoice in Dubsado and the invoice in Xero:
Dubsado line item descriptions will not appear on the Xero invoice.
The due date on the Xero invoice will match the Dubsado invoice date, not the payment plan due date. The payment plan due dates will only show on the Dubsado invoice. Payment reminders will still be sent by Dubsado.
If there is a discount, it will be distributed proportionately across all line items as dollar amounts. The original percentage or fixed discount line item will not be shown.
Dubsado invoices are always tax-exclusive. Even if you use tax-inclusive invoicing in Xero, you may see invoices synced from Dubsado using tax-exclusive calculations.
Dubsado clients and Xero contacts
When an invoice is synced with Xero, Dubsado will attempt to match the client with one of your existing Xero contacts, vendors, and employees using the client's email address. Dubsado will not change or add to the contact information in Xero.
If no match is found, a new contact will be created in Xero. The only information Dubsado uses to create the new contact is:
First name
Last name
Email address
The Contact in Xero will be the client's first and last name. Other information from the client profile in Dubsado, such as company name, phone number, and address, will not be added to the contact in Xero.
