Xero Global Release Update July 2018

Check out the latest updates for small businesses and partners, plus a peek at what’s coming soon. Xero changes and release updates can be found in Xero Central.

Recently released  

• Hubdoc joins Xero!
• Improved time reporting in Xero Projects
• Global launch of Xero Expenses
• GoCardless direct debit payments (AU)
• Manage payment services from the invoice screen
• XPM Payment enhancements
• Add a payment to a bill on mobile

Payroll update

• Single Touch Payroll  in AU
• Automated Employment Termination Payments
• 2SA for all AU Payroll admin and subscriber users
• Improved RTI filings in the UK

Coming soon

• Multi-page support for PDF receipts in new Expenses
• Link credit notes to projects
• Payment enhancements to Xero Practice Manager
• Snapshot of Profit & Loss on mobile
• Send file attachments with invoices from mobile
• Invoice lists load instantly on mobile
• Running balance for account transactions report
• Alternative email for 2SA users
• Payslip PDF encryption (UK)
• Improved pensions experience in payroll (UK)

Released

Hubdoc joins Xero!

In an exciting move for accountants, bookkeepers and their clients, Hubdoc has officially joined the Xero family! Hubdoc automates the collection of clients’ key financial documents, and seamlessly syncs documents and their data to Xero.

Hubdoc is currently available to Xero Partners and their clients in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia. Check out this this blog to learn more.  

Improved time reporting in Xero Projects

With the new staff time overview and detailed time report in Xero you now have much more visibility over where your project time is going. Use the staff time overview to understand time recorded at a glance, or go into much more granular detail by running the detailed time report. Take a look at this blog to learn more.  

Global launch of Xero Expenses

We’re very excited to announce the global launch of the all new Xero Expenses. Xero Expenses is integrated with Xero accounting and has all the tools and insights small businesses, employees and accounting advisors need to easily and efficiently manage expense claims together, within Xero.

• Submit with a photo: submit expenses on the move with your iOS or Android device. Snap picture of the receipt and Xero Expenses will automatically convert the amount, purchase date, supplier and account fields into text.
• Manage everything in Xero: with just one login for Xero and Xero Expenses you can be sure you’re not double-handling information. Real-time tracking helps you and your team manage expenses from anywhere.
• Eliminate hidden costs: reduce data entry and streamline the entire expenses process from submitting, through to reconciling transactions in Xero.
• Stay in control: set access levels for staff and choose who can view, submit, approve or pay expenses claims.

To celebrate the launch, most businesses subscribed to Xero before 10 July 2018 can experience it absolutely free until 28 September 2018. See your local Xero Expenses web page for full details on this offer and your local pricing. Learn more on our blog.

GoCardless direct debit payments (AU)

Businesses in Australia can now accept direct debit payments through GoCardless for Xero, to get your ad-hoc and recurring payments flowing without having to go to great lengths, and transactions automatically marked paid in Xero. Encourage your customers to set up automatic payments by direct debit through GoCardless for recurring invoices and see your payments on time; keeping your cash flow in good shape. Learn more about Xero + GoCardless on our blog.

Manage payment services from the invoice screen

It’s now easier to manage what online payments you have added to your online invoices from the invoicing screen. Manage your active payment options like Stripe or Paypal for individual invoices, and add or remove a payment option from a specific invoice. If you don’t have any set up yet, you’ll be able to create and attach new Stripe and PayPal accounts to help get paid faster and more reliably.

Add a payment to a bill on mobile

More than a quarter of the bills entered into Xero are manually marked as paid, so we wanted to make this easy on mobile too. Now on Android and iOS, you can add either a partial or full payment to a bill.

Select “Bill to pay”, then tap the “$” button or select “Add Payment”. Fill in the details and add a payment reference if you wish. When you’re ready, the “tick” action saves this payment against the bill. If it’s a full payment,  the bill moves to a “paid status and will show in the “Recent Spending” list.

Payroll update

Single Touch Payroll AU

With Single Touch Payroll (STP) in Xero, you’ll be able to comply with the new requirements in just a few simple clicks.

With the introduction of STP, the only way to submit payroll information to the Australian Tax Office (ATO) will be digitally, via software providers like Xero.

This is now a compliance requirement for employers with 20 or more employees, and it is expected be mandatory for all Australian businesses by July 1 2019. To make the transition as smooth as possible for you, we’ve chosen to do a staged roll out, and the ATO has granted Xero subscribers a grace period deferral until as late as 31st December 2018, which will make sure Xero businesses stay compliant throughout the staged roll out. Learn more on our blog.  

Automated Employment Termination Payments AU

Employment ends for many different reasons. We made it easier for employers to pay employees their entitlements and report these to the Australian Tax Office (ATO) when terminations happen.

Employee termination payments (ETP’s) are complex payroll calculations and Xero makes it easier to set up ETP pay items and calculate tax on these automatically when included in a Final Pay. Employers will also now be able to issue Payment summaries for ETP’s and report these to the ATO with our EOFY Payment summary process.

2SA for all AU Payroll admin and subscriber users

Two-Step Authentication (2SA) creates an extra layer of security by requiring you to enter a code that’s been generated by the authentication app on your smartphone when you log in.

We know how important it is to keep your business and employee information protected online so, in line with the new ATO requirements, we’ll be making 2SA compulsory for all Xero Payroll admins and subscribers in Australia by 11 September 2018.

From 14 August Payroll admins and subscribers will see a new page when they visit their Xero account, which walks through the setup of 2SA so they can opt in before the due date. Learn more.  

Improved Real Time Information filings UK

Our new Real Time Information (RTI )page should make filing a breeze. We’ve made it easier to find and track the status of your payroll submissions to HMRC.  Enhancements include an improved layout, more robust search and filtering, and better options to download the submission files.

Coming soon

Alternative email for 2SA users

From August we will be rolling out the ability for Xero businesses to set up an Alternative Email address that can be used to sign into your Xero account when you already have Two-Step Authentication (2SA) enabled but don’t have access to your authenticator app.

Multi-page support for PDF receipts in new Expenses

Sometimes receipts have extra information that falls on more than one page, and we know it’s frustrating to have to edit them to fit one page when you’re processing claims in the new Expenses.

Hold tight, we’re working hard to deliver multi-page support for a variety of scenarios and PDF receipts are the first on our list. Shortly, you’ll be able to drag multi-page PDF receipts into a claim and the extra pages will show without any trouble.

Link credit notes to projects

Service businesses, including trade and construction, who may have to issue refunds or credits for work invoiced will be able to ensure their project financials are correct by linking their credit notes to projects in Xero.

Xero Practice Manager payment types from your Xero practice org.

There are two exciting features being released in August for partners using Xero Practice Manager (XPM). Firstly, we are allowing more payment types to flow through from your Xero practice organisation to the invoices in XPM. Previously only the the “paid” status to passed through. Hearing feedback from our partners we know a number take both prepayments and overpayments. We think this back office update will save time and frustration when it comes to billing your clients.

The second update is the ability to map your invoice tasks to a specific revenue account within your practice org, and adding tracking categories based on your job category. With this new release, your invoice tasks and costs will map to your specified Xero revenue accounts and tracking categories, based on the job category of the job you’re invoicing. For more detail check out the blog post here.

Snapshot of Profit & Loss on mobile

Shortly you’ll be able to get a quick view of your profit and loss from your Android or iOS dashboard. So no matter where you are, you’ll always know if you’re breaking even or making a profit. Hold tight, this release is rolling out to users over the next few weeks so should be available very soon.

Send file attachments with invoices from your mobile

Lots of businesses need to include supporting documentation such as before/after photos or expense receipts with invoices, and often these files are stored on your mobile. Soon, you’ll be able to attach files to your invoice emails to send from your iOS or Android mobile device.

Invoice lists load instantly on mobile

We are currently making performance improvements to invoice lists on mobile so they display instantly, no more waiting.

Running balance for the account transactions report

Great news, just like a bank statement, soon you’ll be able to view a running balance on the account transactions report so you can keep tabs on the movements of your accounts and easily view the impact of your totals without any further manipulation. 

Payslip PDF encryption (UK)

As an extra measure to keep you and your employees’ information nice and safe, UK Payroll administrators will soon be able to password protect payslips when sending them through email. Employees already have to log in to view their payslips on the Xero Me mobile app and our MyPayroll web portal.  So now, after you process a pay run and want to send your employees their payslips, there will be an extra level of security for them – ensuring their privacy.

Improved pensions experience in payroll (UK)

Our more intuitive pensions tab reduces the time and errors when setting up a workplace pension in Xero. We know how complicated it can be to manage pensions and so we’ve streamlined the amount of information that you need to enter.

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Source: Xero Blog