Xero integration settings and setup

Before using the Xero integration, we strongly advise that you test the integration thoroughly.

If you would prefer not to test your Xero integration in your live platform, you can deploy an alternative trial platform to run some testing or you can contact Arlo Support to request a dedicated sandbox environment (charges may apply).

While Arlo Support can do their best to help you, we are not Xero experts. You should ensure you have somebody who knows how to use Xero competently managing your orders.

The following instructions describe how to set up the Xero integration. If you already have orders in Arlo before setting up the integration, these orders will not be exported to Xero. To get prior orders into Xero, you may export the orders from Arlo to import into Xero.

• Open the Settings menu item.

• From the Integrations section, select Xero.

• Press Connect to Xero. You will be redirected to Xero's website.

• Log in to Xero (if prompted) and select your organisation.

• Press Authorise.

• Select your Xero integration settings.

• Press Save. 

Contacts in Xero are copied to Arlo during the initial integration setup.

• Contact details in Xero can be updated if the Update contact details in Xero when exporting orders and credit notes setting is ticked.

• If the Update contact details in Xero when exporting orders and credit notes setting is ticked, you will have the option to select whether Xero or Arlo will be responsible for managing the billing addresses. Our recommendation is that Xero is responsible for billing addresses.

• If you would like any new contacts that are created in Xero to be copied into Arlo, tick the Import contacts from Xero on a scheduled basis setting. New contacts in Xero will then be created in Arlo periodically (hourly).

• If the Import contacts from Xero on a scheduled basis setting is ticked, you can also select whether you want changes made in Xero to existing contacts and organisations to be synchronised with Arlo. If you would like to have updates to existing records to be synchronised, tick the Update existing organisations and contacts setting.

• Once you have ticked the Update existing organisations and contacts setting, you will need to decide how you would like the integration to deal with empty fields.
  • Select Empty fields should result in existing information being deleted if you want the existing data in the field to be removed.
  • Otherwise, select Ignore empty fields.

• The Sending settings determines which system will send invoices and credit notes for orders and credit notes created in Arlo.

• If the Export zero value orders to Xero setting is ticked, orders and credit notes with zero value (i.e. those where no payment is required) will be exported to Xero.

• The Website orders section allows you to choose which orders and credit notes are exported to Xero. You can select to Export all website orders to Xero or Export website orders to Xero only when an invoice is sent or order is approved.

• If you need to check orders or credit notes that have been raised for contacts that do not already exist in Xero, you can tick the Mark website orders as requiring attention when billed to a contact that does not exist in Xero setting.

• For orders and credit notes created from within the management platform (by administrators), you can choose to Export unapproved orders to Xero by default.

• Select whether you would like invoices and credit notes to be created in the draft or approved status.

• If you would like your orders and credit notes to be automatically approved in Arlo once they have been paid, tick the Automatically approve orders and credit notes when paid in Xero checkbox.

• If you use Xero's inventory feature, you can set up Arlo to automatically create inventory items using course template codes and match future invoice lines for reporting on your inventory. Inventory items will be created in Xero when an invoice is sent from Arlo to Xero. Read how to set up, view, and manage Xero tracking codes in Arlo.

• Choose this setting if you wish to have your course template codes pushed through to Xero as inventory items so that you can report on them in Xero.

The default accounts are the GL accounts that Arlo associates each order or credit note line to for each named entity.

You can also set unique GL codes on courses manually if required.

• Set the default accounts for order line revenue associated with each Arlo entity. These can be the same or different.

The payment accounts hold the information related to the accounts that payments should show under in Xero. The General payments and Credit card payment accounts can be the same or different.

• Select the accounts where revenue/credits processed through Arlo should be sent to in Xero. These can be different, or the same. 

• Accounts selected must have a numerical account code. If they do not have a numerical account code (usually shown as a blank space before the hyphen), you will see an error.

• In order to resolve this issue, you will need to open the account in Xero and add a numerical account code.

• Once you have added a numerical account code, Arlo will allow it to be selected and saved.

• If you use Stripe, add an expense account for Credit card fees. Arlo splits out transaction fees making reconciliation simple.

• If you use Stripe, add a contact as the Credit card fees contact. This will be the contact listed on the expense item for the Stripe Fees. We recommend creating a contact in Xero called Stripe Fees.

If you want to manage payments and credit notes against orders in Arlo instead of Xero for any reason, you can prevent certain orders from being exported. This allows you to add payments to the orders using Arlo.

• You can choose to only export website orders when either an invoice is sent, or the order is approved. If you do this, you'll need to also ensure your website orders aren't set to be approved, and automated invoices from Arlo are disabled.

• You can choose to export management platform orders only when they are approved.

• When creating management platform orders, you can deselect all options (i.e. choose not to approve the order, send an invoice from Arlo, or export to the accounting system).

• Arlo allows you to mark orders billed to a specific organisation as "Requiring attention". The order will not be exported to Xero until you dismiss the message on the order. If you do eventually export the order, Arlo payments will be synchronised to Xero. 

• You can also disconnect an order manually from Xero that has already been exported. This should only be done if you want to manage payments in Arlo, and you don't plan to reconnect the order to the Xero. If you do reconnect, Arlo will remove any payment lines on the order that do not exist in Xero.