Xero Integration - Help & FAQ

📋 How It Works

The Sniip Xero integration connects your Xero accounting software with Sniip's payment platform. It supports both accounts payable (bills you need to pay) and accounts receivable (invoices you send to customers). Bills are synced from Xero and paid through Sniip, while sales invoices are sent to your customers as mobile invoices for fast payment. All payments reconcile back into Xero automatically.

Accounts Payable (Bills to Pay)

1 Bill received in Xero — You receive a bill (ACCPAY invoice) in Xero and mark it as Authorised.

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2 Synced to Sniip — Sniip fetches the invoice details, supplier info, bank details, and PDF attachment.

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3 Pay via Sniip — You pay the bill through Sniip using your preferred payment method.

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4 Payment recorded in Xero — The payment is recorded against the original invoice and your configured bank account.

Accounts Receivable (Sales Invoices)

1 Sales invoice created in Xero — You create a sales invoice (ACCREC) for a customer and mark it as Authorised.

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2 Mobile invoice created — The invoice PDF and your configured Receive Account bank details (BSB and account number) are synced. A mobile invoice is created in Sniip for your customer.

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3 Customer pays you — Your customer receives the mobile invoice and pays you directly through Sniip.

📥 Invoice Syncing (Xero to Sniip)

When an invoice is created or updated in Xero, a webhook is sent to Sniip. Both bill types are supported:

Bills to Pay (ACCPAY)

Only Authorised invoices are synced — drafts are ignored until approved
Invoice details are fetched including amount, due date, and supplier contact information
Supplier bank details (BSB and account number) are extracted from the contact's Financial details for payment
The supplier contact must have an ABN (Tax Number) set in Xero — invoices will not sync without it
The invoice must have an Invoice Number
The invoice PDF is downloaded and attached to the Sniip bill
If you update an invoice in Xero, the changes are synced to the existing bill in Sniip

Required for ACCPAY sync: The supplier contact must have all of the following configured in Xero: BSB, Bank Account Number, Bank Account Name (under Financial details > Batch Payments), and an ABN/Tax Number. If any of these are missing, the invoice will not sync until the contact is updated. Once the contact details are added, the invoice will automatically retry.

Sales Invoices (ACCREC)

Sales invoices are synced along with your configured Receive Account bank details (BSB and account number) and ABN
The invoice PDF is downloaded and a mobile invoice is created in Sniip
Your customers can receive and pay the invoice through the Sniip app

Xero Invoice Status	Sniip Action
Draft	Ignored — not synced until authorised
Authorised	Synced to Sniip as a payable bill
Submitted	Synced to Sniip as a payable bill
Paid	Marked as paid in Sniip (if paid externally)
Voided	Ignored — not synced

Tip: If you attach a PDF document to your Xero invoice, that exact document will be used. Otherwise, Sniip will use the Xero-generated invoice PDF.

Important: Always review your bills and invoices in the Sniip app before making or sending payments. While Sniip syncs data directly from Xero, it is your responsibility to verify that amounts, bank details, and other payment information are correct. Sniip cannot be held responsible for incorrect payments resulting from inaccurate data in your Xero account.

💳 Payment Syncing (Sniip to Xero)

When you pay a bill through Sniip, the payment is automatically recorded in your Xero account:

A payment is created against the original invoice in Xero
The payment is recorded in your configured Payment Account (bank account)
A history note is added to the invoice: "Paid via Sniip. Transaction: SNIIP-XXXXX"
If the full amount is paid, the invoice is marked as Paid in Xero
Partial payments are supported — the remaining balance stays on the invoice

Surcharges: If a payment processing fee (surcharge) is charged, it is recorded as a separate expense bill in Xero. This bill is created against your configured Surcharge Expense Account and is automatically marked as paid. The supplier on the expense bill is the Sniip Supplier Contact.

⚙️ Settings Explained

These settings control how payments and fees are recorded in your Xero account. You can configure them from the Settings page.

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Payment Account (Bills You Pay)

When a bill is paid through Sniip, the payment transaction is recorded against this bank account in Xero for reconciliation. This does not affect how the payment is funded — it only determines which account the transaction appears under in your Xero ledger.

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Receive Account (Invoices You Send)

The bank account whose BSB and account number will appear on sales invoices (ACCREC) you send to customers through Sniip. Your customers will use these details to pay you. If you have multiple bank accounts in Xero, choose the one where you want to receive customer payments. This setting is required — sales invoices will not be processed until a Receive Account is configured.

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Surcharge Expense Account

The expense account used to record Sniip payment processing fees (surcharges). When you pay a bill with a surcharge, a small expense bill is created in Xero charged to this account. Common choices include "Bank Fees" or "Payment Processing Fees". This setting is optional — if not configured, surcharges won't be recorded in Xero.

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Sniip Supplier Contact

A contact record in Xero representing Sniip as a supplier. This contact is used as the supplier on surcharge expense bills. Click "Create Contact" on the settings page to automatically create a "Sniip PTY Ltd" contact in your Xero organization.

🔗 Connection Types

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In-App (Direct)

You connect your own Xero organization directly to Sniip. Invoices from your Xero account appear as bills in your Sniip account. Ideal for small businesses managing their own accounting.

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Agent Billing (On Behalf Of)

An accountant or bookkeeper connects Xero on behalf of their client. The agent manages the Xero connection, but invoices appear as bills in the client's Sniip account. Ideal for accounting firms managing multiple clients.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Why aren't my invoices syncing?

Only Authorised invoices (bills to pay) are synced. Make sure your invoice is approved and not still in Draft status. Also check that your Xero connection is still active on the Settings page.

I'm getting a 403 Forbidden error. What's wrong?

This usually means your Xero access token has expired. Xero tokens expire after 60 days of inactivity. You'll need to disconnect and reconnect your Xero organization to re-authorise. Go to Settings, disconnect the organization, then connect again from the Home page.

Can I connect multiple Xero organizations?

Yes. You can connect multiple Xero organizations to your Sniip account. Each organization has its own payment account, expense account, and contact settings. Use the "Connect Another Xero Organization" button on the Settings page.

What happens if I update an invoice in Xero after it's synced?

Sniip will detect the change via webhook and update the corresponding bill. If the invoice amount, due date, or PDF attachment changed, the bill in Sniip will be updated to reflect the new details.

Do I need to configure the surcharge settings?

The surcharge settings are optional. If you don't configure them, payments will still sync to Xero — the surcharge (processing fee) just won't be recorded as a separate expense. If you want full visibility of payment fees in your accounts, configure both the Surcharge Expense Account and the Sniip Supplier Contact.

What happens when I disconnect a Xero organization?

Disconnecting stops all future syncing between that Xero organization and Sniip. Existing bills in Sniip are not deleted, but new invoices won't sync and payments won't be recorded back to Xero. You can reconnect at any time.

What is needed for sales invoices (ACCREC) to work?

In order to send a sales invoice to your customer via Sniip, the following must be in place:

Receive Account configured — A bank account must be selected in your Xero connection settings under "Receive Account (Invoices You Send)". This provides the BSB and account number shown on the invoice for your customer to pay you.
Customer email address — The contact on your Xero invoice must have an email address. Sniip uses this to send the invoice to your customer.
Invoice status must be Authorised — Only invoices with an "Authorised" status in Xero will be synced to Sniip. Draft invoices are not processed.
Due date — The invoice should have a due date set in Xero. If not provided, Sniip will default to 30 days from the sync date.
Invoice amount — The invoice must have a total amount greater than zero.

Once all of the above are in place, Sniip will automatically sync the invoice from Xero and send it to your customer for payment via the Sniip platform. If the contact's email matches an existing Sniip customer, the invoice will be delivered directly to their Sniip app.

Where do the bank details come from on my sales invoices (ACCREC)?

Sales invoices are created in Xero and automatically synced to Sniip. Once synced, Sniip will send the invoice to your customer via the Sniip platform for payment. The bank details (BSB and account number) on the invoice come from the Receive Account you selected in your Xero connection settings — this is the bank account where your customers will pay you. A Receive Account must be configured before sales invoices can be synced — Sniip will not process invoices from Xero without one. You can configure or change this at any time on the Settings page under "Receive Account (Invoices You Send)".

Where do the bank details come from on bills I need to pay (ACCPAY)?

Bills are created in Xero and automatically synced to Sniip. The bank details (BSB and account number) are taken from the supplier's contact record in Xero. You can find these under the contact's Financial details tab, which includes the Bank account name, BSB code, and Bank account number. If a supplier updates their bank details in Xero, Sniip will detect the change and update any outstanding bills automatically.

Is my data secure?

Yes. Sniip uses OAuth 2.0 to connect to Xero, meaning we never see or store your Xero password. Access tokens are encrypted at rest and are only used to sync invoice and payment data. You can revoke access at any time by disconnecting from the Settings page or from within Xero's Connected Apps settings.

Go to Settings