Connect Smokeball to your Xero account to sync payment information to Xero automatically.
About the Xero integration
When you create a finalised invoice in Smokeball, the invoice details will flow through to Xero.
- An invoice will be automatically created in Xero.
- The invoice will be saved as ‘Awaiting Payment’ under the invoice listing.
When you receive a payment or credit or you waive your invoice in Smokeball, this will automatically apply against the corresponding invoice in Xero.
- The invoice will be displayed in the ‘Paid’ listing.
- If you need to reverse the payment against the invoice in Smokeball, this will automatically reverse the payment against the invoice in Xero and it will return to ‘Awaiting Payment’ status.
- If you waive an invoice or partially waive an invoice, this will create a credit note. The credit note will map to the code you have set for Bad Debts in your Smokeball Firm Settings.
You can also download an invoice report from the Reports section in Smokeball to assist your accountant/bookkeeper with their record-keeping in Xero.
Please discuss with your accountant before applying any changes to your Xero setup within Smokeball. Once the integration is activated it cannot be turned off.
Connect to Xero
- In Smokeball, select the cog wheel on the top-right of the screen, then select Firm Settings.
- Select the Xero tab from the left menu, then select Connect to Xero.
- A new tab will open in the browser that redirects you to Xero. Log in to Xero with your account credentials.
-  Select Allow access and wait for the window to load and confirm that your connection has been successful.
- Navigate back to Xero in the Firm Settings menu. There will now be a message notifying you that the connection is successfully established.
- Toggle on Integrate General Ledger Transactions
- We will now display your Xero accounts for you to select the appropriate accounts to map transactions to. Â
Please note that only accounts that are are the correct type will show in the dropdown menus. The required account types are:
| Account | Used for | Required Type |
| Office Bank Account | Posting of any Invoice payment. Posting of cost recovery supplier payments. | Asset |
| Legal Fees Income | Posting of any Fee income received upon payment of an invoice | Income |
| Client Cost Recovery Income | Posting of any Cost Recoveries received upon payment of an invoice | Income |
| Office Payments | Posting of any Cost Recoveries payments entered in Smokeball | Expenses |
| Bad Debts | Waive of any invoice | Expenses |
| Interest Payments | Posting of any interest received upon payment of an invoice | Income |
| Surcharges | Posting of any surcharges received upon payment of an invoice | Income |
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- When mapping the codes in Xero, ensure that the VAT configuration for those accounts matches the VAT settings in Smokeball.
- For example, if VAT is included in a Smokeball item but the account in Xero that it is mapped to is VAT-free, this may cause discrepancies.
- When an invoice is waived, a credit note is created that is attributed to the account set in Bad Debts. If you do not select a Bad Debts account, it will default to your Fee Income account.
Many firms already have these accounts setup that they can simply map to Smokeball. If you are creating new accounts in Xero, we recommend seeking advice from your accountant/bookkeeper* if you are not confident with what is required.
Important limitations with reversal of credit notes:
When an invoice in Smokeball is waived, paid, or part paid using a credit in Smokeball, a corresponding credit note is applied to the invoice in Xero.
If you need to reverse or waive the credit payment, it will not be processed in Xero.
A warning message will appear when you attempt to reverse or waive the credit:
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To ensure that Smokeball and Xero balances are equal:
- Log into Xero and find the credit note allocated against the invoice. Delete the credit allocation to bring it back into the Awaiting Payment status in Xero.
- Go to Smokeball and reverse or waive the credit payment against the invoice. This will mark the invoice as Unpaid in Smokeball.
- The invoice is now in the same status on both Xero and Smokeball. You can now continue to make changes or add payments to the invoice.
- If you no longer need the credit payment, make sure you delete the credit note in Xero.
If the credit is not manually removed from the invoice in Xero, any changes you make to the invoice in Smokeball will not pass through accurately to Xero. Consider reaching out to your accountant/bookkeeper to ensure the steps above are followed correctly.Â
Troubleshooting issues with the Xero integration
The first step is to make sure that the accounts are mapped correctly. If you still have issues with syncing payments, select Disconnect Xero from the bottom-right-hand corner and reconnect to Xero.Â
Contact the support team if you still experience issues with syncing payments to Xero after reconnecting.