This guide is for course providers who keep their accounts in Xero, an online accounting system. It explains what Cademy sends to Xero, how to connect a Xero organisation, which settings to choose, and how to check that an invoice, payment or credit note arrived.
The standard Teams plan includes the Xero integration and allows one connected Xero account. Other plans do not include Xero by default; an account-specific arrangement may differ. To compare plans, see Understand Cademy Plans, Limits and Fees.
An invoice is the bill Cademy issues for an order. A credit note is a document that reduces what a customer owes, or records money owed back to them. A Xero organisation is one company’s set of accounts in Xero. Cademy calls each organisation you connect a Xero account. An account code is different: it is the number of one account in the organisation’s chart of accounts, which is the list of accounts the organisation uses in Xero, for example a sales account or a bank account.
What Cademy sends to Xero
After you connect Xero, Cademy sends accounting records to Xero in the background whenever they change in Cademy. You do not start each sync yourself. Syncing runs separately from saving, so a record is not in Xero the instant you save. If it is still missing a few minutes later, follow the checks in “If something is missing from Xero”.
Invoices - each invoice that Cademy issues with a total above zero becomes one invoice in Xero. If an order is split into one invoice per course, each Cademy invoice becomes its own Xero invoice. A draft invoice is not sent until it is issued.
Invoice numbers - Xero gives the invoice its number. Cademy then shows that Xero number as the invoice reference: on the order, in invoice lists, in emails to your customer and on the PDF. If Cademy’s own number is different, the invoice panel also shows it as Cademy Reference.
Reference - Cademy fills the Reference field of the Xero invoice with the PO / Reference saved on the invoice, which comes from the order’s billing details. If that is empty, it uses your Default PO / Reference Value. If that is also empty, it uses the Cademy order code followed by the order ID.
Payments - payments collected or recorded in Cademy are added to the matching Xero invoice, so its status in Xero updates as it is paid. Part payments are sent at their actual amounts. Value redeemed from a Cademy gift card is not sent as a payment, so record that amount in Xero yourself.
Credit notes - when Cademy issues a credit note, for example after an order change, a cancellation or a manual credit, it creates a matching approved credit note in Xero and allocates it to the invoice it corrects, which reduces the amount owed on that invoice in Xero. Credit that stays on the customer’s account is not set against any invoice in Xero until it is applied. A cancellation credit note keeps the course name on its line and, for a course with a date, lists the attendees as zero-value lines.
Refunds - a refund recorded against a credit note in Cademy is added to the Xero credit note as a payment. Value returned to a gift card is not sent.
Voided invoices - when an unpaid invoice is voided in Cademy, for example when it is reissued after an order change, Cademy voids the Xero invoice. If the Xero invoice is still a draft or awaiting approval, Cademy deletes it instead. An invoice that has a payment in Cademy or in Xero is never voided or deleted automatically.
Applied credit - if you apply a customer’s credit to an invoice in Cademy, the same allocation is made in Xero. Removing the credit removes the allocation. This happens only when both invoices use the same Xero account.
Each Xero invoice carries the customer’s billing name, email address, VAT or tax number and billing address, a line for each course and ticket, any add-ons and discounts, and the invoice date and due date. For a course with a date, the attendees are listed as zero-value lines.
Cademy stores the Xero ID of each synced invoice and credit note. A repeated sync updates the existing Xero record instead of creating another one, and Cademy sends a payment only for an amount that Xero does not already show as paid.
Important: While a synced invoice has no payment in Cademy, Cademy sends its details again whenever the order changes. Changes typed directly into that invoice in Xero are replaced the next time the order changes. Make corrections in Cademy.
What comes back from Xero
Cademy reads two things from Xero. The first is the invoice or credit note number described above. The second is a full payment: when a synced invoice becomes fully paid in Xero while its Cademy order still has an amount to pay, Cademy records the outstanding amount on the order as a payment labelled Xero. Cademy does this once for each invoice.
A part payment entered in Xero does not change Cademy. Editing, voiding or deleting an invoice in Xero does not change Cademy either.
What Cademy does not send
Earlier invoices are not all sent when you connect. An issued invoice that has never been sent is created in Xero the next time its order changes, for example when a payment is recorded.
Invoices with a total of zero are not sent.
After an order is cancelled, Cademy stops creating or updating that order’s invoices in Xero. Its credit notes and voids are still sent.
Cademy does not send a tax rate, a tax amount or a currency. It tells Xero whether prices include tax, exclude tax or carry no tax, and Xero applies its own tax rate and currency. In Xero, check the tax rate set on the account code you chose, and compare your first synced invoices with the Cademy invoices to confirm that the tax and currency match.
Cademy does not send the date of an invoice payment. Check the payment date in Xero if the date matters for your records.
Changing a linked invoice’s due date
When you change the due date of a Cademy invoice that is linked to Xero, Cademy sends the new date to the same Xero invoice. This happens only if the Xero account is still connected and automatic syncing is not switched off for any course on the invoice. It does not replace the invoice or change its amounts, payments or credits, and it does not send the customer an email.
You change the date from the order: expand Invoices & Payments, then choose More > Change Due Date on the invoice. For a linked invoice, the window says “The invoice in Xero will be updated to match.” For the full steps and the invoice statuses that allow a change, see Set Up and Manage Invoices and Receipts.
After saving, open the invoice in Xero to check the date: select the Xero logo beside the invoice number, which shows View in Xero when you point at it. “Finding an invoice in Xero” below explains where the logo appears. If the date has not changed in Xero, check that the Xero account is still connected and that automatic syncing is on for the invoice’s courses.
Before you connect
Have these ready:
A Cademy login with the System Admin role. The Apps menu is shown only to System Admins. If you are a System Admin and cannot see Apps, it has been hidden from your menu: look under More.
A Xero login with access to the organisation you want to connect. During setup, Xero asks you to approve Cademy’s access to that organisation’s accounting settings and transactions.
Two account codes from that organisation’s chart of accounts: one for invoice lines, for example a sales account, and one that can receive payments, for example a bank account. Ask your bookkeeper or accountant if you are unsure which to use.
Important: Syncing starts as soon as the account is connected. The next new order, or the next change to an existing order, sends that order’s issued invoices to Xero with the settings in place at that moment. Until you choose settings, invoice lines use account code 200 and invoices are sent as approved. Choose your settings straight after connecting.
Connecting Xero
In Cademy, select Apps in the menu, then select Xero.
Select Install.
Xero opens. Log in, choose the organisation to connect and allow access.
Xero returns you to Cademy. If your Xero login gave access to more than one organisation, Cademy shows Select Xero Organization. Select the organisation you want. Closing this window without choosing connects nothing.
Cademy shows the message Xero connected! The Xero page now lists the organisation under Connected Xero Accounts with a DEFAULT badge, and the Install button changes to Installed.
If Install is greyed out and a plan badge appears above it, your account does not have access to the Xero integration. Select the badge to see plan options. If you see Xero install failed or Failed to connect Xero account, start again from step 2. If it fails again, contact Cademy Support with the message, the time you tried and the name of the Xero organisation.
Connected Xero account
A standard Teams account can connect one Xero account. It appears in Connected Xero Accounts on the Xero page. Select the cog icon in the ACTIONS column to Configure or Remove it.
If your account has an individual arrangement with Cademy, contact Cademy Support to confirm your Xero limit before you try to add another connection. Once you have reached your limit, selecting Connect Another Xero Account shows Failed to install Xero instead of opening Xero. If you see that message and have not reached your limit, try again, then contact Cademy Support. If Connect Another Xero Account is greyed out and a plan badge appears above it, your account does not have access to the Xero integration.
The rest of this section applies only if your arrangement allows more than one Xero account. You can then connect more than one Xero organisation, for example when different courses are invoiced by different companies. On the Xero page, select Connect Another Xero Account and follow the same Xero steps. Choose an organisation that is not already connected: Cademy does not stop the same organisation being connected twice. Each connected account appears in Connected Xero Accounts with a DEFAULT or CONNECTED badge. The cog menu also offers Set as Default.
The default account, marked DEFAULT, is used for every course that has not been given a specific Xero account. The first account you connect becomes the default. To change it, choose Set as Default on another account. Cademy shows Default Xero account updated. The option is unavailable on the account that is already the default.
Important: Cademy does not record which Xero account an invoice was sent to. If you change the default account, or change a course’s Xero account, later payments, credit notes, voids and due-date changes for invoices that were already sent go to the newly selected account, which does not hold those invoices. Check for open invoices before you change an account, and contact Cademy Support if you need to move courses between Xero accounts.
Configuring an account
These settings decide how Cademy fills in Xero records for one connected account.
Select Apps, then Xero.
In Connected Xero Accounts, select the cog icon next to the account and choose Configure. The Configure Xero Account window opens.
Complete the settings described below.
Select Save. Cademy shows Xero account updated.
The settings are:
Account Name - a name to identify this Xero account in Cademy. It starts as the name of the Xero organisation.
Account Code for Invoices - the Xero account code used on every invoice and credit note line. It is 200 unless you change it. Enter a code that exists in your Xero chart of accounts.
Default Payment Account - the Xero account code that receives the payments Cademy sends when no Card Payments Account is entered. It also receives refunds other than Stripe and PayPal refunds. If you leave it blank, Cademy uses the Account Code for Invoices. Xero accepts payments only into a bank account or an account with Enable payments to this account switched on, so enter an account of that kind.
Card Payments Account - Cademy describes this as the account for Stripe, PayPal or Klarna payments. When it is filled in, Cademy uses it for every invoice payment it sends to Xero, including payments you record yourself. For refunds, Cademy uses it only for Stripe and PayPal refunds. Leave it blank if all payments should use the Default Payment Account.
Default PO / Reference Value - text sent as the Reference of the Xero invoice when the order has no PO / Reference. If you leave it blank, Cademy sends the order code and order ID.
Invoice Status - the status Cademy gives each invoice in Xero. With Xero Default Invoice Status or Authorised, the invoice is approved and awaiting payment in Xero. Draft and Submitted create the invoice in Xero without approving it, and Cademy sends the chosen status again each time it updates an unpaid invoice. Xero accepts payments only on approved invoices. Before you choose Draft or Submitted, contact Cademy Support to confirm how payments will be recorded for your account. Credit notes are always sent as approved.
Invoice Template - the Xero branding theme, which is Xero’s name for an invoice layout, applied to the invoices and credit notes Cademy creates. Default Theme leaves the choice to Xero.
The Invoice Template list is loaded from Xero each time the window opens. If you see Unable to load branding themes instead, Cademy could not reach that Xero organisation. See “If something is missing from Xero” below.
Using Xero settings for one course
Each course uses the default Xero account and its settings unless you choose otherwise in the course. You need access to edit the course.
Open the course and go to Edit Course > Settings > Payments.
Find the Xero Integration section. It appears only when at least one Xero account is connected.
In Xero Account, choose your connected account by name, or leave Use Default Xero Account & Settings. If your arrangement allows more than one connection, the list shows every connected account.
If you chose a specific account, set the options described below.
Select Save at the top of the course editor.
When a specific account is chosen, these options appear:
Sync invoices and payments automatically to this Xero account - on unless you switch it off. When it is off, Cademy sends nothing to Xero for any invoice that includes this course: no invoice, payment, credit note, refund, applied credit, void or due-date change.
With the sync option on, you can enter a different Account Code for Invoices, Default PO / Reference Value, Invoice Status and Invoice Template for this course. Each box starts with the account’s value. If you clear a box, it returns to the account’s value.
Payment accounts cannot be set for one course. The Default Payment Account and Card Payments Account boxes shown in this section stay empty and cannot be filled in here. Set payment accounts on the Xero account, under Apps, then Xero.
To stop one course syncing while it uses your default Xero account, choose that account by name in Xero Account, then switch the sync option off.
When one invoice covers more than one course, Cademy uses the Xero settings of the first course on the invoice for the whole invoice. If any course on the invoice has syncing switched off, the invoice is not sent. If the courses use different Xero accounts, the invoice cannot be sent. Keep courses that customers can book together on the same Xero account and settings.
Finding an invoice in Xero
Cademy does not show a sync status. You can tell that an invoice reached Xero by its Xero number and by the Xero logo beside it. The logo is a link, and it shows View in Xero when you point at it.
In Cademy, select Orders and open the order.
If the order has one invoice, its Xero number and the Xero logo appear at the top of the order once it has synced. If the order has more than one invoice, the top of the order shows no invoice number, so check each invoice in the next step.
To check a particular invoice, expand Invoices & Payments in the order. On the invoice, select More > View Invoice. The invoice panel opens, and the Xero logo appears beside the invoice number at the top once the invoice has synced.
Select the logo. The invoice opens in Xero in a new browser tab. You need to be logged in to Xero with access to that organisation. If Xero opens a different organisation from the one that holds the invoice, switch organisation in Xero and select the logo again.
You can also reach the invoice panel from the Invoices tab at the top of the Orders page: search for the invoice number and select the invoice. In the invoice panel, the number shown is the Xero number. If Cademy’s own number is different, it is shown as Cademy Reference. A synced credit note shows its Xero number in a Xero row in the credit note panel.
If something is missing from Xero
Cademy does not display an error when a sync does not complete, and there is no button to send a record again. Work through these checks:
The invoice is still a draft, is void, or has a total of zero. These invoices are not sent.
The order is cancelled. Cademy does not create or update invoices in Xero for a cancelled order.
The course has its sync option switched off, or another course on the same invoice does.
The course was set to a Xero account that has since been removed. It does not switch to the default account. Follow “After removing an account, reset its courses” below.
The invoice covers courses that use different Xero accounts, or courses whose tax settings differ, for example different tax rates or a mix of tax-inclusive and tax-exclusive prices.
Xero did not accept the record. In Xero, check that the account codes you entered exist, that the payment account can receive payments, and that the invoice is approved.
The connection to Xero has stopped working. Open Configure for the account. If Unable to load branding themes appears, Cademy cannot reach the Xero organisation.
After you correct the cause, Cademy tries again the next time the order changes, for example when a payment is recorded. If the record is still missing, contact Cademy Support with the order code, the invoice number, the name of the Xero account and when the change was made.
Contact Cademy Support before you remove and reconnect an account to fix a connection, because courses set to that account stop syncing when it is removed. You can connect again only while your account has access to the Xero integration: without it, Install is greyed out.
Refunding payments that were made outside Cademy
Cademy sends money back automatically only for Stripe and PayPal payments. For a payment shown on the order as Xero or Manual, Cademy records the refund, creates the matching credit note in Xero and adds the refund to that credit note, but you move the money yourself. The refund window makes this clear: these payments, which it labels Xero and Recorded manually, are shown with “you move this money yourself” next to the amount.
Removing a Xero account
Select Apps, then Xero.
In Connected Xero Accounts, select the cog icon next to the account and choose Remove.
In the Remove Xero Account window, select Remove. Cademy shows Xero account deleted.
This cannot be undone. On a standard Teams account, this removes its only Xero connection. After you remove an account:
Cademy stops sending records to that Xero organisation. Nothing already in Xero is deleted or changed.
Xero numbers and View in Xero links already saved in Cademy stay in place.
If you removed your default account while others remain connected, the oldest remaining account becomes the new default.
Courses set to the removed account stop syncing. They do not switch to the default account, and Cademy has no list of the courses that used a removed account. Note those courses before you remove it, then reset each one as described below.
Cademy’s access inside Xero is not withdrawn. To withdraw it, also disconnect Cademy in Xero’s connected apps settings.
After removing an account, reset its courses
Do this for each course that was set to the removed account. It applies even if the course’s Xero Account box already appears to show the default option.
Open the course and go to Edit Course > Settings > Payments.
In the Xero Integration section, choose a connected account by name in Xero Account. If the course had its own Invoice Template, choose the template again, because the earlier choice belonged to the removed account.
Select Save at the top of the course editor.
If the course should use your default account, choose Use Default Xero Account & Settings in Xero Account and select Save again.
If no Xero account is connected, the Xero Integration section is not shown. Connect an account first, then follow the steps above for each course.
Frequently asked questions
Does connecting Xero send my existing invoices?
No, not all at once. Connecting does not import earlier invoices. An issued invoice that has never been sent is created in Xero the next time its order changes, for example when a payment is recorded.
Are draft invoices sent to Xero?
No. Cademy sends an invoice only after it is issued. On an order split into one invoice per course, each later invoice is sent when it is issued.
Can I send an invoice to Xero again myself?
No. There is no resend button. Cademy sends the invoice again the next time its order changes. If it is still missing after that, follow the checks in “If something is missing from Xero”.
If I record a payment in Xero, does Cademy update?
Only when the Xero invoice becomes fully paid. Cademy then records the outstanding amount as a payment labelled Xero. A part payment entered in Xero does not change Cademy, so record part payments in Cademy.
Can I stop one course from syncing to Xero?
Yes. In the course’s Xero Integration section, choose a specific Xero account, switch off Sync invoices and payments automatically to this Xero account and select Save. Any invoice that includes that course is then not sent.
Which invoice number do my customers see?
Both can appear. An email or PDF produced before the invoice has synced shows Cademy’s own number. Once the invoice has synced, emails, PDFs and the customer’s order page show the Xero number, so a customer can see two numbers for the same invoice.
Does Cademy choose or change contacts in Xero?
No. Cademy does not look up or pick a Xero contact. It sends the customer’s billing name, email address, tax number and address with each invoice. Xero decides whether to match an existing contact or create one, and whether to update that contact’s details. Check your contacts in Xero after the first synced invoices.