Your garage's books, kept in Xero automatically
Connect Xero once and every invoice, payment and credit note goes straight into your Xero organisation, with labour, parts, tyres and MOT on their own nominal codes. Supplier bills go across too. No exporting, no re-keying.
Accounts that keep up with the workshop
Most garages still export invoices and type payments into their accounts at the end of the week. With Xero connected, AutoChain does it as the work happens. Issue an invoice and it is in Xero. Take a payment and Xero marks it paid. Raise a credit note and it follows.
Every invoice is split the way your accountant wants it: labour, parts, tyres, consumables and MOT each post to their own nominal code, and the car's registration goes in the Xero reference so you can find any job in Xero by the car. Xero then does your Making Tax Digital VAT return from the same figures.
Xero is part of the core plan. There is no extra charge for the integration.
Everything that goes across to Xero
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Sales invoices
Sent as soon as they are issued, with the car's registration as the Xero reference.
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Payments
Card, cash and bank payments recorded against the invoice in Xero, into the bank account you choose.
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Credit notes
Credit notes follow the invoice they correct, with the reason as the reference.
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Supplier bills
A purchase order with its supplier invoice recorded goes to Xero as a bill, so the purchase VAT is claimed too.
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Customers as contacts
Customers are created as Xero contacts, and existing Xero contacts are matched by email when you connect.
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Nominal codes
Labour, parts, tyres, consumables and MOT each to their own code, with category rules for anything special.
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VAT rates
Map AutoChain's VAT treatments to your Xero tax rates, so your VAT return adds up.
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Sync queue and links
See what has synced and what is waiting, and open any record in Xero with one click.
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CSV exports too
Prefer to import yourself? Xero-format sales and credit note CSV exports use the same nominal codes.
Connect once, then it just runs
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Connect your Xero organisation
In AutoChain, go to Accounting > Xero and choose Connect to Xero. Sign in to Xero, pick your organisation and you are connected. Existing Xero contacts are matched to your AutoChain customers by email.
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Choose where the money goes
Set a nominal code for labour, parts, tyres, consumables and MOT, and AutoChain shows you how an invoice will post. Category rules can send work such as tyres to its own account. Pick the bank account payments go to and map your VAT rates.
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Invoices and payments sync as they happen
From then on, each invoice, payment and credit note is sent to Xero automatically, and supplier bills follow when you record a supplier invoice against a purchase order. The job shows Synced to Xero with a View in Xero link, and a sync queue lists everything that has gone across.
Want to see Xero working inside AutoChain?
What it saves your garage
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No more Friday catch-up
Invoices and payments are in Xero the moment they happen, so there is no weekly export and no typing.
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Books your accountant likes
Labour, parts, tyres and MOT on their own nominal codes, with VAT mapped to your Xero rates.
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Find any job by the car
The registration is the Xero reference on every invoice, so searching Xero by the car just works.
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Purchases in the right place
Supplier bills reach your purchase ledger with their VAT, not just your sales.
Accounting > Xero
- In AutoChain, open Accounting and choose the Xero tab.
- Choose Connect to Xero, sign in to Xero and pick your organisation.
- Set your nominal codes, payments bank account and VAT rates. Syncing starts straight away.
You can disconnect at any time. Anything already sent to Xero stays in Xero.
Xero and AutoChain: common questions
Straight answers to what garages ask us about this integration.
Does the Xero integration cost extra?
No. Xero sync is part of the AutoChain core plan. You need your own Xero subscription.
What syncs to Xero?
Sales invoices, payments, credit notes and customer contacts, plus supplier bills when you record a supplier invoice against a purchase order. Each one goes across automatically as it happens.
Can I split labour and parts in Xero?
Yes. Labour, parts, tyres, consumables and MOT each post to the nominal code you choose, and category rules can send particular work to its own account.
Does it work with Making Tax Digital?
Xero does your Making Tax Digital VAT return. AutoChain sends Xero the invoices, credit notes and bills with VAT mapped to your Xero tax rates, so the figures are already there.
What about QuickBooks or Sage?
AutoChain also syncs live with QuickBooks Online and Sage Accounting, one package per garage. For Sage 50 desktop you can download sales as a CSV in its import format.
AutoChain also connects to
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Pick parts in GSF TradeHub and they land on the work line with prices.
Learn more
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Search GroupTyre stock and your own trade prices while you book a tyre.
Learn more
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Search Oak Tyres stock and your own trade prices while you book a tyre.
Learn more
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All of HaynesPro's workshop data inside AutoChain, for every user at one price.
Learn more
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Invoices, payments, credit notes and supplier bills sync to QuickBooks Online as they happen.
Learn more
- Sage Invoices, payments, credit notes and supplier bills sync to Sage Accounting as they happen. Learn more
Run your garage smarter from today
Join 100+ UK garages, from single-bay workshops to multi-site groups, already streamlining jobs, customers, MOTs and online bookings with AutoChain from £69.99/mo + VAT.
- Set up in about 10 minutes
- No long-term contract
- Cancel anytime