Xero Review - Understanding New Zealand’s Leading Accounting Software for SMEs

Xero is New Zealand's leading cloud accounting software for SMEs. Our review covers pricing, features, Stripe payments, GST filing, the mobile app, pros, cons and alternatives and is written and updated by experts who use Xero daily.

Updated 18 February 2026

Summary

Xero is a cloud-based accounting platform founded in Wellington in 2006. What started as a New Zealand start-up has grown into a global business with over 4.6 million business subscribers across more than 100 countries.
For New Zealand SMEs, we believe Xero remains the default accounting software choice for good reason - it was built here, it understands our tax system, and it connects seamlessly to every major New Zealand bank.
This review is written for everyday business owners – tradies, freelancers, consultants, online sellers, landlords and anyone running a small or medium-sized business in New Zealand.
The core message of our review is simple - we use Xero every day for running MoneyHub, Xero makes accounting genuinely accessible, and for many SMEs, it removes the need to hire an accountant or bookkeeper for day-to-day financial management. This saves costs, gives business owners and key team members more control and familiarity with their business, and can, we believe, lead to better financial and business decisions.
However, Xero is not for everyone – many freelance and trades use HNRY, which offers a full-suite of online invoicing and tax payment services – our HNRY review explains more.

To help you understand if Xero is right for your business needs, no matter their complexity and size, our review covers:

MoneyHub Founder Christopher Walsh shares his experience with using Xero:

"I’ve used Xero for over seven years to help with MoneyHub, and it remains the single most important tool after my laptop and internet connection. I use Xero almost every day to send invoices, reconcile payments, track expenses, run P&L reports and file GST returns. It’s genuinely easy to use, and I say that as someone with a Big Four accounting background - you absolutely do not need to be an accountant to use Xero effectively.

I like the Stripe integration. When I send an invoice, MoneyHub clients can pay with a credit card in seconds. The payment is automatically matched to the invoice in Xero, and the money hits the MoneyHub bank account within a few days.
The mobile app is a genuine time-saver and lets you invoice ‘on the go’ and when you see an email asking for an invoice.

My one frustration with Xero is the ongoing price increases. The cost has crept up steadily over the past few years, and while the product has improved, the increases feel relentless. For a sole trader or very small business, these costs add up. That said, I always remind myself - every dollar spent on Xero is fully tax deductible, and if you’re GST registered, you claim back the GST component too. This means the real cost is significantly less than the monthly subscription price.

And Xero is now intertwined with MoneyHub that there is no viable alternative – the value it offers far exceeds the monthly costs. Xero has genuinely saved MoneyHub thousands of dollars over the years by being made-for-business and avoiding ad-hoc bookkeeper costs.

My view is simple - if you’re running a small or medium-sized business in New Zealand and you’re not using Xero, you’re making your life harder than it needs to be".

Christopher Walsh
MoneyHub Founder

Know This: We use Xero every day to run MoneyHub. If you're ready to try it, this is the best deal available - and every monthly Xero payment is tax deductible.

Try Xero - 90% Off Your First 6 Months

Why Xero is Popular with New Zealand Small Businesses

The biggest barrier most small business owners face with accounting is confidence. Many business owners dread their books because traditional accounting software was built for accountants, not for people running businesses. Xero changed that - its interface is clean, logical and designed for someone who has never studied accounting. You do not need to understand debits and credits to use Xero effectively.

Xero was born in Wellington, and New Zealand remains its home market. This matters because:

NZ bank feeds: Xero connects directly to ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank, Westpac, TSB, SBS, The Co-operative Bank, Heartland Bank and more. Your transactions flow in automatically, often within hours.
GST returns: Xero calculates your GST and lets you file returns directly with Inland Revenue. For GST-registered businesses, this alone can save hours every two months (or six months, depending on your filing period).
NZ payroll: Xero’s payroll module handles PAYE, KiwiSaver, student loan deductions, ACC levies and payday filing to IR. It’s compliant and updated when legislation changes.
NZ dollar default: Everything is set up in NZD by default, with multi-currency available on the Comprehensive and Ultimate plans for businesses that deal internationally.

Our View: You (Probably) Don’t Need an Accountant for Day-to-Day Books
This might be controversial, but we argue it’s true for most small businesses. If you’re a sole trader, contractor, freelancer, or running a small company, Xero gives you everything you need to manage your own financial records day-to-day. Here’s what you can do yourself:

Invoicing: Create professional invoices, set payment terms, add your logo, and send them directly from Xero. Your customers can pay online with credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay through Stripe integration.
Bank reconciliation: Xero pulls in your bank transactions automatically. You match them to invoices or categorise them (e.g. fuel, materials, insurance). Once you’ve done it a few times, Xero learns your patterns and suggests categories for you.
Expense tracking: Snap a photo of a receipt with the Xero app, and it’s captured and stored. No more shoeboxes of receipts at year-end.
GST filing: Xero prepares your GST return and lets you file it directly to IR. It takes minutes once your transactions are reconciled.
Profit and loss reporting: See exactly how your business is performing at any time. Xero’s P&L report shows your revenue, expenses and net profit, and you can filter by date range, tracking category or account.
Balance sheet: Know what your business owns, owes and is worth. This is automatically generated from your transaction data.

Know This: Where you will still need an accountant is for end-of-year tax returns, tax planning, and any complex structuring (trusts, look-through companies, etc.). But for day-to-day bookkeeping, Xero makes it genuinely manageable for a non-accountant. Many accountants will confirm this – they’d rather you keep clean books in Xero year-round and come to them for the strategic work, not data entry.

Try Xero - 90% Off Your First 6 Months

Accepting Credit Card Payments with Stripe and Xero - And Why this is Useful

One of Xero’s most powerful features for SMEs is its integration with Stripe, which lets your customers pay invoices online with credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Here’s how it works:

You send an invoice from Xero - the invoice includes a ‘Pay Now’ button.
Your customer clicks the button and pays with their preferred method – Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay.
The payment is automatically recorded in Xero and matched to the invoice. You can reconcile it with one click.
Stripe deposits the funds into your NZ bank account, typically within 2–3 business days.

Fees explained: Stripe charges 2.65% + NZ$0.30 per domestic transaction, and 3.7% + NZ$0.30 if the cardholder is overseas based. For many businesses, the faster payment times more than offset the transaction costs - Xero data shows invoices with online payment options get paid significantly faster.

You can also use Xero’s Tap to Pay feature on iPhone and Android to accept contactless payments in person, directly through the Xero app. This is ideal for tradies, market sellers and service providers who invoice on the spot.

Understand the Xero Mobile App

The Xero Accounting app (available on iOS and Android) is genuinely useful, not just a watered-down version of the desktop experience. From your phone, you can:

Create and send invoices on the spot
Capture receipts and bills by taking a photo
Reconcile bank transactions
Check your cash position and account balances
Approve bills and expenses
Accept contactless payments with Tap to Pay (via Stripe)

Our View: For business owners who are often on the road or on-site, the app means you can stay on top of your finances without sitting at a desk. Send an invoice the moment a job is done, reconcile transactions during your lunch break, and snap a receipt before you lose it.

Xero Pricing in New Zealand

All prices are in NZD and exclude GST. Xero subscriptions are monthly and can be cancelled at any time, and are charged monthly on a credit card (Visa or Mastercard) or debit card.

Know This: We use Xero every day to run MoneyHub. If you're ready to try it, this is the best deal available - and every monthly Xero payment is tax deductible.

Plan	Price (excluding GST)	Key Features	Best For
Ignite	$35/month	Quotes + 20 invoices, 5 bills, bank reconciliation, GST returns	Start-ups
Grow	$83/month	Unlimited invoices + bills, payroll for 1 person, expenses for 1 user, auto-reconcile	Growing
Comprehensive	$110/month	Everything in Grow + payroll for 5, expenses for 5, multi-currency, 90-day cash flow forecast	Established
Ultimate	$125/month	Everything in Comprehensive + payroll for 10, projects for 10, KPI analysis, 180-day forecast	Scaling

Important pricing notes:

All plans include unlimited users – you can invite your accountant, bookkeeper, business partner or staff without paying extra for user licences. This is a major advantage over competitors.
Payroll add-on costs: $4 per person per month on Ignite and Grow (above included allowances). On Ultimate, additional people are $1/month each.
Expenses add-on: $5 per additional user per month (above included allowances).
New customer discounts: Xero frequently offers promotional pricing for new subscribers (currently 80% off for the first 3 months). Check Xero’s website for the latest offers
Xero costs are 100% tax deductible as a business expense. If you are GST registered, the GST on your Xero subscription is also claimable as an input tax credit.

Important: Tax Deductibility of Xero
Every dollar you spend on Xero is a legitimate business expense and fully tax deductible. For a business on the Grow plan at $83/month ($996/year excl. GST), this means:

The $996 reduces your taxable income, saving you up to $277 in tax (at the 28% company rate)
If GST registered, you also claim back the $149.40 GST component as an input tax credit
Your effective net cost after tax and GST benefits is approximately $569/year, or around $47/month
The same applies to Stripe transaction fees – they are a deductible business expense.

What am I locked into, and what happens if I leave?

Many Xero users ask, but don’t find out the answer, to an important question - who owns your data, and what happens if you stop paying?
This is one of the most important questions to ask about any cloud-based software, and the answer with Xero is reassuring but comes with caveats worth understanding.

1. You own your data

Xero's terms of use are clear on this point: when you enter or upload data into Xero, Xero does not own that data. Title to your data and all intellectual property rights in it remain your property. You do, however, grant Xero a licence to use, copy, store and back up your data for the purposes of providing the service to you.
Xero also creates anonymised statistical data from your usage for its own purposes (such as the Xero Small Business Insights reports), but this is aggregated and cannot be traced back to your business.

2. What happens if you cancel your subscription?

There is a one-month cancellation notice period. During that month, you retain full access to your subscription and can continue to use Xero as normal - including exporting your data. After the notice period ends, your organisation's data is archived by Xero and held on their platform in accordance with their data retention policy.
While archived, the data cannot be accessed by anyone - not you, not your accountant, not Xero staff.

3. Your data is retained for up to seven years.

Xero holds your archived data for up to seven years after cancellation (unless you specifically request deletion). If you need to access your data again during that period, you can do so by reactivating the subscription - which means paying for Xero again. This is worth knowing: your data doesn't disappear, but you can't access it for free.

4. Export your data before you cancel.

This is critical - before cancelling, you should export everything you might need: your chart of accounts, general ledger, profit and loss reports, balance sheet, aged receivables, aged payables, GST reports, contact lists, invoice history and bank transaction history.
Xero allows you to export most data as CSV or PDF files. We strongly recommend doing a complete export before your notice period ends, so you have an independent copy of your records regardless of what happens with your Xero subscription.

What happens if you stop paying but don't cancel

If Xero doesn't receive timely payment, they may suspend access to your subscription until payment is made. Your data remains on the platform, but you're locked out until the overdue amount is settled.

The practical takeaway for New Zealand businesses - what you need to know:

Under New Zealand tax law, you are required to keep business records for at least seven years. Xero's seven-year data retention aligns with this, but relying solely on Xero to store your records is risky - if you cancel and don't export, you'd need to reactivate (and pay) to access them.
The smart approach is to maintain your own backup - export key reports at least annually (your accountant likely does this anyway at year-end), and do a complete data export before any cancellation. Your data is yours, but access to it through Xero is contingent on having an active, paid subscription.

Try Xero - 90% Off Your First 6 Months

Key Features Xero offers for SMEs

Xero has numerous features – we shortlist what we believe to be important for typical SMEs:

Bank Reconciliation

Bank reconciliation is the core of keeping clean books, and Xero makes it straightforward. Your bank transactions are imported automatically via bank feeds.

Xero then presents each transaction and asks you to match it to an invoice, bill, or account category. Over time, Xero learns your patterns – if you regularly buy fuel from Z Energy, Xero will suggest the correct category after the first few times.

The Grow, Comprehensive and Ultimate plans now include auto-reconcile (in beta), which automatically matches straightforward transactions without manual input. This is a significant time-saver for businesses with high transaction volumes.

Invoicing

Xero’s invoicing is professional and flexible. You can customise invoice templates with your logo, branding and payment terms. Invoices can be sent by email directly from Xero, and you can set up automatic payment reminders to chase overdue invoices without lifting a finger. Recurring invoices can be set up for regular clients (e.g. monthly retainers), and with Stripe auto-pay, these can be charged automatically.

MoneyHub Founder Christopher Walsh shares his views on the invoicing feature: Xero makes invoicing seamless – you set up a template once with your logo, GST details and contact information, load the products and services you sell, and you're done. From that point, every invoice your clients receive is consistent and clear. Xero tracks everything from issue to payment, including the GST that needs to be remitted and when it falls due. For what we do, the invoicing feature is by far the most important part of Xero, and I'd imagine it's the same for most businesses.

GST Returns

If you’re GST registered, Xero prepares your GST return based on your reconciled transactions. You can review the return, make any adjustments, and file it directly to Inland Revenue from within Xero. The system supports all GST filing frequencies (monthly, two-monthly, six-monthly) and both the invoice and payments basis. This feature alone can save you hundreds of dollars in accountant fees each year.

Reporting

Xero offers a solid suite of reports for SMEs, including profit and loss, balance sheet, aged receivables, aged payables, GST reports, budget vs. actual, and cash flow forecasts. The Comprehensive and Ultimate plans include analytics which provides visual dashboards, KPI tracking and benchmarking. For most small businesses, these reports give you everything you need to understand how your business is performing.

Xero App Store Integrations

Xero’s App Store has over 1,000 third-party integrations covering everything from point-of-sale (Lightspeed, Shopify), CRM (HubSpot), time tracking (TSheets, Harvest), inventory (DEAR, Cin7), job management (Fergus, ServiceM8, Tradify) and project management. For New Zealand-specific needs, there are integrations with MYOB migration tools, NZ Post, and various industry-specific platforms.

The App store offers specific tools for businesses that need custom reporting and features, although most SMEs will find the standard Xero features are sufficient.

Xero Pros, Cons and Alternatives

Pros

New Zealand-founded and built. Xero was born in Wellington in 2006, and New Zealand remains its home market. This isn't just a branding detail – it means Xero has deep integrations with every major New Zealand bank, native GST compliance, and a platform that understands how Kiwi businesses actually operate. You won't find yourself fighting software that was designed for a different tax system.
Genuinely intuitive for non-accountants. Xero was designed for business owners, not accountants. The interface is clean and logical, and most people can get comfortable with invoicing, bank reconciliation and expense tracking within a weekend. You don't need to understand debits and credits – Xero handles the accounting mechanics behind the scenes.
Automatic bank feeds from all major NZ banks. Xero connects directly to ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank, Westpac, TSB, SBS, The Co-operative Bank, Heartland Bank and more. Your transactions flow in automatically, often within hours, which means you're always working with current data rather than manually entering transactions from statements.
Seamless GST return filing. If you're GST registered, Xero prepares your return based on your reconciled transactions and lets you file it directly to Inland Revenue from within the platform. This alone can save you hours every filing period and potentially hundreds of dollars a year in accountant fees for what is, ultimately, a routine compliance task.
Accept credit card payments on invoices with Stripe. Connect Stripe to Xero and your invoices include a 'Pay Now' button. Your clients can pay with Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay or Google Pay in seconds. This is a genuine cash flow game-changer – invoices with online payment options get paid significantly faster than those requiring a manual bank transfer.
Excellent mobile app. The Xero Accounting app on iOS and Android isn't a watered-down afterthought – it's a genuinely useful tool. You can create and send invoices on-site, snap receipts before you lose them, reconcile bank transactions during downtime, and accept contactless payments with Tap to Pay. For business owners who are on the road or on-site, this is invaluable.
Unlimited users on every plan. Every Xero plan includes unlimited users at no extra cost. You can invite your accountant, bookkeeper, business partner and staff with tailored permission levels. This is a significant advantage over competitors that charge per user and means collaboration doesn't come with a surcharge.
Over 1,000 third-party app integrations. Xero's App Store covers point-of-sale (Vend/Lightspeed, Shopify), job management (Fergus, ServiceM8, Tradify), CRM (HubSpot), time tracking (TSheets, Harvest), inventory (DEAR, Cin7) and much more. Whatever your industry, there's likely an integration that extends Xero to fit your specific workflow.
Cloud-based access from any device. Because Xero lives in the cloud, you can access your books from any computer, tablet or phone with an internet connection. There's nothing to install, no software updates to manage, and no risk of losing your data if your laptop dies. Your books are always backed up and always current.
Strong security. Xero uses industry-standard encryption, two-factor authentication (2FA), and is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure. Your financial data is protected by enterprise-grade security measures, and automatic backups mean you never have to worry about losing your records.
NZ-compliant payroll. Xero's payroll module handles PAYE, KiwiSaver, student loan deductions, ACC levies and payday filing to IR. It's updated when legislation changes, so you're always compliant. Payroll is included on higher-tier plans or available as an affordable add-on on lower plans.
Regular feature updates. Because Xero is cloud-based, new features and improvements are rolled out automatically – you always have the latest version without downloading or installing anything. Recent additions include auto-reconcile, cash flow forecasting, analytics dashboards and AI-powered features.

Cons

Ongoing price increases. This is the most common frustration among long-term Xero users, and it's a fair complaint. Xero has increased its prices several times in the past two years. While the product has improved, the increases feel relentless for small businesses watching every dollar. That said, all Xero costs are fully tax deductible, and the GST is claimable if you're registered, which softens the blow.
Customer support is online-only. You can't pick up the phone and call Xero. Support is via Xero Central (help articles, community forums) and by raising a support case online. For straightforward questions, the help articles are usually sufficient, but if you have a complex or urgent issue, the lack of phone support can be genuinely frustrating. Response times typically range from a few hours to 48 hours.
Reporting has limitations. Xero's standard reports (P&L, balance sheet, aged receivables, GST) are solid for most SMEs, but if you need highly customised financial analysis, advanced management reporting or detailed multi-dimensional reporting, you may find Xero's native reporting falls short. The inclusion of Syft Analytics on higher-tier plans has improved this, but power users may still want to export data to Excel for deeper analysis.
Basic inventory management. If your business involves complex stock management, manufacturing, or multi-location inventory, Xero's built-in inventory features are too basic. You'll need to integrate a dedicated inventory app like Cin7, which adds cost and complexity. For businesses that simply need to track a small product list on invoices, Xero's native inventory is fine.
Ignite plan invoice limits. The entry-level Ignite plan caps you at 20 invoices per month, which is too few for most active businesses. If you're invoicing regularly, you'll almost certainly need to step up to the Grow plan at $83/month. The Ignite plan is really only suitable for very early-stage businesses or those with minimal invoicing needs.
Payroll is an add-on cost on lower plans. While payroll is included on the Comprehensive and Ultimate plans, it costs $4 per person per month on the Ignite and Grow plans. For a business with five employees on the Grow plan, that's an extra $20/month. It's not a dealbreaker, but it's worth factoring into your total cost.
Fixed asset register requires some accounting knowledge. Xero's fixed asset register is a useful feature for tracking depreciation on vehicles, equipment and property, but setting it up correctly requires an understanding of depreciation rates and methods. If you're not confident with this, it's worth getting your accountant to configure it for you at year-end.
No offline access. Xero is entirely cloud-based, which means you need an internet connection to use it. For most New Zealand businesses this is a non-issue, but if you regularly work in areas with poor connectivity (rural sites, remote locations), you won't be able to access your books until you're back online.
Some features are locked to higher-tier plans. Multi-currency support, project tracking, advanced analytics and longer cash flow forecasts are only available on the Comprehensive or Ultimate plans. If you need these features, you'll be paying $110–$125/month rather than the $83/month Grow plan. It's worth checking which features you actually need before choosing a plan.

Xero vs Alternatives in New Zealand

We compare Xero to other online tools available with similar pricing:

Xero vs MYOB

MYOB is Xero’s main competitor in New Zealand. MYOB has been around longer and has a strong presence in the accountant channel.
However, for most SMEs, Xero’s interface is more intuitive, its bank feed integrations are more reliable, and its app ecosystem is significantly larger.
MYOB has been improving its cloud offering, but Xero still leads in user experience and third-party integrations.
MYOB may be a better fit for businesses already embedded in the MYOB ecosystem or those with specific industry needs that MYOB addresses.

Xero vs QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online (QBO) is the global market leader but has a smaller presence in New Zealand.
QBO offers competitive pricing and a robust feature set, but its NZ-specific features (bank feeds, GST filing, payroll) are not as deeply integrated as Xero’s. QBO’s customer support has a mixed reputation.
For New Zealand businesses, Xero’s local focus gives it a significant advantage, and most accountants are more familiar with Xero.

Xero vs Doing It in Spreadsheets

Some small businesses still manage their books in Excel or Google Sheets.
While this can work for very simple operations, it’s risky: spreadsheets don’t reconcile to your bank, don’t file GST, don’t track receivables, and are prone to human error.
For the cost of a Xero subscription (as little as $35/month before tax deductions), the time savings and accuracy improvements are substantial.
If you’re still using spreadsheets, switching to Xero is one of the best investments you can make in your business.

Try Xero - 90% Off Your First 6 Months

Who Is Xero Suitable For?

Xero is popular with:

Sole traders, freelancers and contractors who want to manage their own books without hiring a bookkeeper
Small companies (1–20 employees) that need invoicing, expense tracking, payroll and GST compliance
Trades businesses (builders, electricians, plumbers) – especially with job management integrations like Tradify
Professional services firms (consultants, designers, lawyers) who invoice for time or projects
Online sellers and e-commerce businesses using Shopify or similar platforms
Landlords and property investors managing rental income and expenses
Not-for-profits and community organisations that need transparent financial reporting
Any New Zealand business that wants to file GST returns directly to IR without an accountant
Businesses that want to accept credit card payments on invoices through Stripe

Xero may not be suitable for:

Large businesses with complex, multi-entity or multi-division accounting needs – consider mid-market solutions like MYOB Advanced or NetSuite
Businesses with complex inventory or manufacturing requirements – Xero’s native inventory is basic (though integrations like DEAR or Cin7 can fill the gap)
Businesses processing very high transaction volumes (thousands per day) – Xero can become slow with extremely large data sets
Businesses that require offline access – Xero is entirely cloud-based and requires an internet connection
Anyone on a very tight budget who only needs basic invoicing – free or low-cost alternatives like Wave may be worth considering, though they lack NZ-specific features

Getting Started with Xero

Setting up Xero for the first time is straightforward and can be done in under an hour for most small businesses. Here’s a practical step-by-step:

Step 1: Sign up. Visit Xero and choose your plan. Start with the Grow plan if you need unlimited invoicing – most SMEs find this is the most appropriate.
Step 2: Set up your organisation. Enter your business name, IRD number, GST details (if registered), financial year end, and New Zealand as your country. Xero will configure GST rates automatically.
Step 3: Connect your bank account. Link your business bank account(s) and credit card(s). Xero will begin importing transactions – usually going back 3–12 months depending on your bank.
Step 4: Customise your invoice template. Add your logo, business details, payment terms and bank account details for direct payments. Set up Stripe if you want to accept credit card payments.
Step 5: Set up your chart of accounts. Xero provides a default chart of accounts that works for most NZ businesses. You can add, rename or remove accounts to suit your business. Keep it simple.
Step 6: Start reconciling. As bank transactions come in, categorise them and match them to invoices or bills. This is your core weekly task – most small businesses can do this in 15–30 minutes per week.
Step 7: Invite your accountant (if you have one). Give your accountant or tax agent Advisor access to your Xero organisation. This costs nothing extra and means they can access your books at year-end without you exporting anything.

Reminder: We use Xero every day to run MoneyHub. If you're ready to try it, this is the best deal available - and every monthly Xero payment is tax deductible.

Try Xero - 90% Off Your First 6 Months

Our Verdict and Concluding Comments

Xero is the standout accounting platform for New Zealand SMEs. It’s locally built, deeply integrated with NZ banks and Inland Revenue, intuitive enough for non-accountants, and powerful enough to handle the financial management needs of most small and medium-sized businesses.

The Stripe and PayPal integration for accepting credit card payments on invoices is a game-changer for cash flow, and the mobile app means you can manage your finances from anywhere.
The price increases are a legitimate issue, and customer support could be more accessible. But when you factor in the tax deductibility, the GST input credit, and the savings from not needing a bookkeeper, we believe Xero represents strong value for money. For most New Zealand business owners, it’s a strong option to go digital and save on bookkeeper costs and also get better control of cashflow.
Our View: We believe Xero is appropriate for the vast majority of New Zealand SMEs. Most SMEs start with the Grow plan ($80+/month excluding GST) for unlimited invoicing and bills, connect Stripe to accept credit card payments, and connect your bank for automatic feeds. Most business owners can be up and running within an hour and confident within a week.
Remember: your Xero subscription is 100% tax deductible, and the GST is claimable if you’re registered. The effective cost is far less than the headline price.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Xero hard to learn, and will doing so hold my business back?

No - Most business owners can get comfortable with the basics (invoicing, bank reconciliation, expense tracking) within a few days. Xero offers free online training through Xero Central, and there are hundreds of YouTube tutorials available. If you can use online banking, we believe you can use Xero.

Do I still need an accountant if I use Xero?

For day-to-day bookkeeping, we believe most SMEs do not need an accountant or bookkeeper if they use Xero. However, you may still want to work with a tax accountant for your annual tax return and any complex matters (e.g. restructuring, trust accounting etc). We believe that clean Xero records make your accountant’s job faster and cheaper.

Can I accept credit card payments on my invoices?

Yes – you have the option to connect Stripe to Xero (which is a free to set up) and a ‘Pay Now’ button is added to your invoices. Your customers can pay with Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Stripe charges 2.65% + NZ$0.30 per domestic transaction, and 3.7% + NZ$0.30 if the cardholder is overseas based.

Is my Xero subscription tax deductible?

Yes, 100%. Your Xero subscription is a legitimate business expense and is fully deductible for income tax purposes. If you are GST registered, the GST on your subscription is also claimable as an input tax credit.

Can I file my GST return through Xero?

Yes. Xero prepares your GST return based on your reconciled transactions and allows you to file it directly to Inland Revenue. This is available on all plans.

What happens if I want to switch to Xero from another system?

Xero provides conversion tools and guides for migrating from MYOB, QuickBooks, and other systems. You can import opening balances, contacts, invoices and historical data via CSV. For complex migrations, consider using an accountant or bookkeeper who is experienced with Xero conversions.

How many users can I have on Xero?

All Xero plans include unlimited users at no extra cost. You can invite your accountant, bookkeeper, business partners, and staff with different permission levels (e.g. invoicing only, read-only, full access).

Is Xero secure?

Yes - Xero uses industry-standard encryption, two-factor authentication (2FA), and is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure. Your data is backed up automatically and protected by enterprise-grade security measures.

What if I need help with Xero?

Xero’s support is online via Xero Central (help articles and community forums) and you can raise a support case for direct assistance. Response times vary, but most issues are resolved within 24–48 hours. Xero also offers free online training courses and certifications.

Reminder: We use Xero every day to run MoneyHub. If you're ready to try it, this is the best deal available - and every monthly Xero payment is tax deductible.

Try Xero - 90% Off Your First 6 Months

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