Connecting Xero keeps your accounting in step with LessonLoop. Once linked, the invoices you raise flow into Xero automatically, each family gets its own Xero contact, and payments are kept in sync — so you’re not re-keying anything by hand.
Where to connect it
Xero lives under Settings → Integrations → Xero.
| What you want | Where it lives |
|---|---|
| Connect or disconnect Xero | Settings → Integrations → Xero |
| Card payments (Stripe) | Settings → Integrations → “Stripe (card payments)“ |
| Your invoices | Billing & Finance → Invoices |
Connect Xero
- Open Settings (the gear in the left sidebar), then choose Integrations.
- On the Xero accounting card, select Connect Xero.
- You’ll be taken to Xero to sign in and approve access. Xero handles this securely through its own login — LessonLoop never sees your Xero password.
- Choose the Xero organisation you want to link, then confirm.
- When you come back, the Xero status shows as connected. You’re synced.
What syncs across
- Invoices — each invoice you raise in LessonLoop is created in Xero, so your sales sit in your accounts without re-entry.
- Contacts — on the first sync, LessonLoop creates a Xero contact for each family and remembers the link, so invoices land against the right person.
- Payments — when an invoice is paid in LessonLoop, the payment is reflected in Xero, keeping both sides reconciled.
- Credit notes — write an invoice off in LessonLoop and a Xero credit note is created and allocated against the original invoice for you, so the two sides agree without a manual journal.
- Corrections — edit, void or write off an invoice that has already synced and the change is re-pushed automatically. You don’t have to remember to sync it again.
The sync runs one way: LessonLoop → Xero. Changes made in Xero are not pulled back, which is what keeps LessonLoop the single record of what a family owes.
Connected before payment sync arrived? If your Xero connection predates payment syncing, it doesn't hold the permission for it. Disconnect and reconnect once, approving the payments permission when Xero asks, and payments start flowing.
Good to know The first time a family syncs, LessonLoop creates a new Xero contact for them and records that link. Every future sync reuses the same contact rather than creating a fresh one — so you don't get duplicate contacts or duplicate invoices building up in your accounts.
Things worth knowing
- One connection per organisation. Xero is linked at the studio level — connect it once and everyone with the right permissions benefits.
- Disconnecting is safe. You can disconnect at any time from the same Settings → Integrations → Xero card. Records already synced stay in Xero; only the ongoing sync stops.
- Card payments are separate. Connecting Xero handles your bookkeeping; taking card payments from parents is a different connection under Settings → Integrations → “Stripe (card payments)”.
- Xero arrives with the integrations stage. If the Xero card isn’t in your Settings yet, your studio hasn’t reached it — see what appears as your studio grows.
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