The Xero integration sends your KennelBooker bookings to Xero as invoices, and (if you choose) the payments recorded against them as Xero payments, so you don't type them in twice. You switch it on in Settings > Xero, connect your Xero organisation from the Xero page in the main menu, map a few codes, and then send bookings by hand or automatically.
Before you start, it helps to have a little housekeeping done in Xero: the products and services (item codes) you want income posted to, and a code on each bank account that payments go into.
Where to find the Xero integration
Settings > Xero: the switch that turns the integration on, the invoice and payment options, a Setup status checklist and your Account codes.
Xero in the main menu: connect to Xero, sync your Xero codes, and send bookings and payments. This menu item only appears once Send invoices to Xero is switched on.
Staff need the Settings permission to change Settings > Xero. You give it in Settings > Staff Accounts, under What they can access.
Step 1: switch on the Xero integration
Go to Settings > Xero.
In the Connection section, switch on Send invoices to Xero. This switch controls whether anything is sent at all.
Choose the other options in the same section (see "Xero settings" below): Skip zero-value bookings, Send payments as well as invoices and Date to use on the invoice.
Click Save. The page shows Saved.
The Xero item now appears in the main menu. If you don't see it, refresh the page.
Step 2: connect KennelBooker to your Xero organisation
Click Xero in the main menu. Until you connect, the page says Connect KennelBooker to your Xero account.
Click the Xero button under that message. You're taken to the Xero sign-in page in the same browser tab.
Sign in to Xero, choose your organisation and click Allow access.
Xero sends you back to KennelBooker. The Xero page now says Your application is connected to Xero and lists your bookings.
Step 3: sync your Xero codes into KennelBooker
On the Xero page, click Sync Products & Services. KennelBooker copies your Xero Products and services (item codes) and your Chart of accounts into KennelBooker, so you can pick them from drop-down lists in the next steps. The button changes to Synced.
If you add or change products, services or accounts in Xero later, click Sync Products & Services again. If a code you expect isn't in a KennelBooker drop-down list, a sync is almost always the fix.
Step 4: map your Xero item codes
In Xero you can create products and services, each with a code, and map them to your bookings, additional services, packages and products in KennelBooker. If you don't, invoices still go across, but the Item on each invoice line is left blank in Xero. Some businesses create a separate Xero code for each booking type, additional service and product; others use a few catch-all codes. Both work.
Once your codes exist in Xero and you've synced (step 3), set them in KennelBooker:
Settings > Xero, section Account codes: pick a code for each service you offer (the boxes use your own service names if you've renamed them, and only services you've switched on are shown), plus Other bookings and Product sales. Click Save. Anything left unset falls back to the default on your Xero account.
Settings > Additional Services: open each service and choose its code in Accounting code.
Settings > Products / POS: open each product and choose its code in Accounting code.
Settings > Packages & Credits: open each package and choose its code in Accounting code.
The Accounting code box only appears on these screens while Xero (or QuickBooks) is switched on.
Step 5: map your bank accounts to payment types
This step isn't optional if you send payments to Xero. Xero needs a bank account code with every payment, so each payment type you use in KennelBooker (cash, card, bank transfer and so on) needs the code of the Xero bank account that money goes into.
In Xero, open your Chart of accounts and find each bank account. If a bank account has no code, open it and give it one. If you need a new bank account, add it in Xero first.
Back in KennelBooker, click Sync Products & Services on the Xero page so the new codes come across.
Go to Settings > Customize Text (the page is headed Wording) and scroll to Payment types.
Click a payment type to open Payment Type Details, choose the account in Xero - Accounting Code and click Save. Repeat for each payment type.
If you take online card payments through KennelBooker with Stripe, Settings > Xero > Account codes also shows Card payments (the bank account card takings are paid into) and Card processing fees (where the processor's fee is expensed, so your income figure is the gross amount). These two only appear while Stripe is switched on.
Check your Xero setup: Setup status
Settings > Xero has a Setup status section that shows what still needs a code before your Xero figures break down properly, for example "3 of 12 have no code". It checks your products, additional services, packages, payment types and booking types. Click Set codes on a row to go to the screen that fixes it. When everything is coded it says Every account code is set. Nothing needs your attention. Anything without a code still invoices: it lands on the default account in Xero, so your totals are right but the breakdown isn't.
Xero settings
Send invoices to Xero: on or off for the whole integration.
Skip zero-value bookings: no Xero invoice is raised for a booking that costs nothing. This is the same switch as the one on Settings > QuickBooks.
Send payments as well as invoices: when on, payments recorded in KennelBooker are sent to Xero and marked against the invoice, so you don't reconcile them by hand. When off, only invoices are sent, and the Un-Synched Payments view isn't shown on the Xero page.
Date to use on the invoice: Booking (Checkin) Date or Booking (Created) Date. It decides which accounting period the income lands in.
How to send bookings to Xero
The Xero page in the main menu lists the bookings that haven't been sent yet.
Booking Type filters by service: All Bookings, each service you offer, Other and Sales (product sales).
View filters by status: All, New, Checked In, Checked Out (the default), Fully Paid, Partially Paid, Cancelled (Fee Adjusted), Cancelled Bookings and Un-Synched Payments. You can also search by name or booking reference.
To send one booking, click Send on its row. The customer, the booking and (if Send payments as well as invoices is on) its payments are sent to Xero. The invoice goes to Xero as an approved sales invoice.
To send several, tick their boxes in the Batch Send column and click Batch Send.
Un-Synched Payments lists payments that haven't reached Xero yet, for example a payment added after the booking was sent, so you can send them on their own.
Once a booking has been sent, it drops off the list.
Sending to Xero automatically (Enable Auto-Send)
When you're happy that your bookings and payments are being categorised correctly, switch on Enable Auto-Send on the Xero page. KennelBooker then finds newly checked-out, fully paid bookings and posts them to Xero for you. Xero limits how many invoices can be posted per hour, so this runs in the background to stay within those limits. If a booking can't be sent automatically, it stays on the list and you need to send it by hand.
Bookings you don't want to send to Xero
If you've used KennelBooker for a while before connecting Xero, you may not want your old bookings sent across. Open the booking, go to its Admin tab and, under Xero, click Mark as Sent. The booking drops off the Xero list. Reset Booking on the same tab puts it back on the list so you can send it again.
The Xero connection and the access token
Xero gives KennelBooker a short-lived access token. When you open the Xero page, KennelBooker renews it automatically, and the page shows Access Token expires in: N minutes. You don't need to reconnect every 30 minutes. You only need to reconnect (click Disconnect from Xero, then connect again) if the page says Access Token cannot be renewed, or if sending keeps failing with the token message below.
What the Xero integration doesn't do
It doesn't bring anything back from Xero into KennelBooker. Changes you make to an invoice in Xero don't change the booking.
It doesn't update an invoice that's already in Xero when you change the booking afterwards. To send a booking again, use Reset Booking on the booking's Admin tab. Sending again creates a second invoice, so void the old one in Xero yourself.
It doesn't create item codes or bank accounts in Xero for you. Set them up in Xero, then sync.
Xero: frequently asked questions
Where do I turn on Xero in KennelBooker?
The Xero integration is switched on in Settings > Xero, with the Send invoices to Xero switch in the Connection section. It's no longer on the Features & Settings page. Click Save, and the Xero item appears in the main menu.
Do I have to send payments to Xero?
No. Xero payments are only sent when Send payments as well as invoices is on in Settings > Xero. If it's on, every payment type you use needs a Xero bank account code (Settings > Customize Text > Payment types > Xero - Accounting Code).
Which bookings does Enable Auto-Send send to Xero?
With Enable Auto-Send on, the Xero integration posts newly checked-out, fully paid bookings in the background. Anything else is left on the Xero page for you to send by hand.
What date does the Xero invoice use?
The Xero invoice is dated with the booking's check-in date or the date the booking was created, depending on Date to use on the invoice in Settings > Xero.
Are Xero invoices sent as drafts?
No. The Xero integration sends invoices as approved sales invoices, so payments can be applied to them straight away.
A code I created in Xero isn't in the KennelBooker drop-down list
The Xero drop-down lists in KennelBooker only show what was there the last time you synced. Click Sync Products & Services on the Xero page and reopen the screen.
Can I send product sales to Xero?
Yes. Product sales show on the Xero page under the Sales booking type. Set the Product sales code in Settings > Xero and an Accounting code on each product.
Do my customers see anything when I send a booking to Xero?
No. Sending a booking to Xero doesn't email or notify the pet parent from KennelBooker, and nothing changes in their portal. Whether Xero itself emails the invoice depends on your Xero settings.
Can I use Xero and QuickBooks at the same time?
KennelBooker has separate switches for Xero and QuickBooks. Sending the same bookings to two accounting packages would record the income twice, so use only the one your accountant uses.
How do I disconnect Xero?
On the Xero page click Disconnect from Xero. To stop sending without disconnecting, switch off Send invoices to Xero in Settings > Xero. Invoices already in Xero stay there.
Xero: common problems
I can't find the Xero setting on the Features & Settings page
The Xero switch has moved. Go to Settings > Xero and switch on Send invoices to Xero, then click Save.
There's no Xero item in my main menu
The Xero menu item only shows while Send invoices to Xero is on in Settings > Xero. Switch it on, click Save and refresh the page.
"Attempting to renew access token with Xero - Please retry sending the booking"
Xero's access token had expired while sending. The button changes to Fail - Retry?. Click it to send the booking again. If the same message keeps coming back, click Disconnect from Xero and connect again.
"Account code or ID must be specified"
Xero needs a bank account for the payment. Give the payment type a Xero - Accounting Code in Settings > Customize Text > Payment types (and, for card payments taken online, set Card payments in Settings > Xero), then send again.
"Could not find matching Invoice on Xero"
KennelBooker tried to send a payment, but couldn't find the invoice it belongs to in Xero. If the invoice was deleted in Xero, use Reset Booking on the booking's Admin tab and send the booking again. If the invoice is still in Xero, contact support with the booking reference and a screenshot of the message.
"An Error Occurred" followed by a message from Xero
The text after "An Error Occurred" comes from Xero and says what it rejected, for example an archived contact or an invalid email address. Fix that in Xero or on the customer record, then send again. The related articles below cover the most common Xero messages. If it still fails, contact support with the booking reference, the customer name and a screenshot of the message.
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