Xero Accounting
  • 24 Apr 2024
  • 8 Minutes to read
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Xero Accounting

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Article Summary

Marlin Tyre and Mechanical Workshop Software's Xero integration provides instantaneous, one-way synchronisation of transactions to Xero.

Marlin Tyre and Mechanical Workshop Software allows basic integration with Xero Accounting Software.

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The basic integration automatically pushes transactions from Marlin to Xero, enabling back office accounting to be managed externally.

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To enable Xero integration please contact the Megabus Support Team.

Note

More advanced Xero integration is in development and an Inform guide is in progress. Check back soon for updates.

Once Xero integration is enabled, transactions and other actions performed in marlin are automatically reflected in Xero, as outlined in the sections below.

For help using Xero itself, please see Xero's official support documentation.

Considerations

Since the Xero integration is currently one-way, any changes or transactions made in Xero are not synchronised with Marlin. Will therefore not always be representative, with the expectation that all accounting activities and records will be performed and maintained in Xero.

The Xero integration is also currently limited to a single branch per Marlin and Xero system.

Note

More advanced integration is currently in development, including two-way synchronisation and multi-branch functionality.

Subledgers

Postings made to the following balance sheet subledgers in Marlin are automatically updated in Xero:

  • Bank Accounts
  • Accounts Receivable
  • Accounts Payable
  • Inventory
Note

Edits made to account details in Xero are not updated in Marlin.

Customer Invoices

The following customer transactions made in Marlin are automatically posted to Xero:

  • Retail invoices/credits
  • Account customer invoices/credits
  • Customer deposits
  • Deposit refunds/forfeits
In MarlinIn Xero
Retail Invoice/CreditRetail Customer invoice/credit Status: Paid
Inventory adjustment and cost of goods journal
Account Invoice/CreditMatching Customer invoice/credit Status: Awaiting Payment
Inventory adjustment and cost of goods journal
Account payments to be made in Xero
In MarlinIn Xero
Cash/EFT DepositManual Journal between payment method and Customer Deposits Held account
Bank Transfer DepositReceive Money transaction from Retail Sale customer to the Customer Deposits Held account
Deposit RefundReverse Manual Journal of original deposit
Note

Subsequent account payments made in Marlin are not posted to Xero and payments made in Xero are not updated in Marlin. Marlin's accounts will therefore not always be representative, and it is expected that all accounting is to be performed in Xero.

Synchronisation of credit provider payments is also currently unsupported.

Retail Invoices

A generic Cash Customer Name is entered in Marlin's Integration Partner Settings.

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All retail invoices and credits in Marlin appear in Xero as payments by the designated Cash Customer with the status Paid (even if the customer has an account in Marlin).

The Xero payment indicates the payment method used in Marlin.

If stocked items are involved in an invoice, an additional Manual Journal entry will be automatically created in Xero to decrease the inventory and record it in the Cost of Goods Sold GL account.

In MarlinIn Xero
Cash Invoice/CreditCash Customer Payment Status: Paid
Inventory adjustment and cost of goods journal

Account Invoices

Invoices and credits applied to Customer Accounts in Marlin, appear in Xero as payments by a customer with a matching name and the status Awaiting Payment.

If a customer with a matching name does not already exist in Xero, they will automatically be created.

Subsequent account payments should be recorded in Xero and are not imported back into Marlin.

In MarlinIn Xero
Account Invoice/CreditMatching Customer Payment Status: Awaiting Payment + account payments to be made in Xero
Warning

Subsequent account payments made in Marlin are not posted to Xero and payments made in Xero are not updated in Marlin. Marlin's accounts will therefore not always be representative, with the expectation that all accounting is to be performed in Xero.

Implementation

When the Xero integration is installed, the business's current account customer list in Xero needs to be exported so that it can be imported into Malin, after necessary adjustments are made.

When new account customers are Invoiced in Marlin, the invoice will automatically be posted to Xero and the supplier added to its supplier list.

Credit Providers

To enable credit provider payment synchronisation, corresponding clearing accounts for each credit provider need to be created in both Marlin and Xero.

The accounts for each credit provider should have matching account codes:

  • In Marlin, the account should be an asset account with the Allow Sales/Purchases checkbox left unticked.
  • In Xero, the account should be a BAS-excluded asset account with the Enable Payments to this Account ticked.
Marlin AccountXero Account
Account TypeAssetAsset
Account CodeMatchingMatching
Enable Sales/PurchasesNoYes
BAS ExcludedN/AYes

Once the accounts are set up, customer invoices paid using credit providers in Marlin are sent to Xero as retail customer invoices including a payment to the relevant clearing account.

A second invoice is also created in Xero, containing a clearing account line for the outstanding amount, which relocates the outstanding balance from customer to credit provider.

Once the credit provider pays the business, it should be recorded in Xero along with any merchant fees.

Warning

Subsequent credit provider payments recorded in Marlin are not posted to Xero and those recorded in Xero are not updated in Marlin. Marlin's accounts will therefore not always be representative, with the expectation that all accounting is to be performed in Xero.

In MarlinIn Xero
Payment by Credit ProviderCustomer invoice/credit Status: Paid
Credit provider invoice shifting balance to clearing account
Account payments to be made in Xero

Deposits

Deposits paid by cash/eft are sent to Xero as Manual Journal between the relevant payment method and the Customer Deposits Held account.

Deposits paid via bank transfer are sent to Xero as Receive Money transactions in Xero between the generic cash sale customer and the Customer Deposits Held account, with a reference indicating the customer and customer order number.

Refunded deposits are sent as Manual Journal reversing the original deposit.

Deposit forfeits are sent as Manual Journals between the Customer Deposits Held and the Forfeited Deposits accounts.

In MarlinIn Xero
Cash/EFT DepositManual Journal between payment method and Customer Deposits Held account
Bank Transfer DepositReceive Money transaction from Cash Sale customer to the Customer Deposits Held account
Deposit RefundReverse Manual Journal of original deposit

Supplier Purchases

The following supplier transactions made in Marlin are automatically posted to Xero:

  • Supplier invoices/credits
  • Retail purchases
  • Account purchases
  • Consignment stock deliveries/returns

Supplier transactions will always be posted to Xero under the relevant supplier's name, regardless of whether the invoice or credit was paid immediately or placed on their account.

Subsequent account payments should be recorded in Xero and are not imported back into Marlin.

In MarlinIn Xero
Cash Invoice/CreditMatching Bill to Pay Status: Paid
Account Invoice/CreditMatching Bill to Pay Status: Awaiting Payment
Account payments to be made in Xero
Warning

Subsequent account payments made in Marlin are not posted to Xero and payments made in Xero are not updated in Marlin. Marlin's accounts will therefore not always be representative, with the expectation that all accounting is to be performed in Xero.

Note

Goods received and adjusted are not updated in Xero until an order is Invoiced.

Implementation

When the Xero integration is installed, the business's current supplier list in Xero needs to be exported so that it can be imported into Malin, after necessary adjustments are made.

When new suppliers are Invoiced in Marlin, the invoice will automatically be posted to Xero and the supplier added to its supplier list.

Inventory

The following stocktake information and inventory movements made in Marlin are automatically updated in Xero:

  • Sales and purchases of stocked items
  • Stocktake valuations and inventory adjustments

Although Marlin can contain as many items as a business requires, it is not necessary to have any items or services defined in Xero.

Instead, item movements are summarised on invoice detail lines, and postings are automatically made to the relevant accounts in order to update sales and inventory records in Xero.

Item information in Marlin can therefore be updated as required.

image.png

In MarlinIn Xero
Stocked item movement/saleInventory account posting
Non-stocked item movement/saleRelevant account posting
Note

Goods received and adjusted are not updated in Xero until the order is Invoiced.

Bank Deposits and EFT Settlements

The following [bank deposits and EFT settlements]](/workshop/docs/bank-deposits-1) made in Marlin are automatically posted to Xero:

  • Bank Deposits
  • EFT Settlements
  • Payment/Cash Adjustments

EFT settlements and cash deposits performed in Marlin will be posted to Xero as Manual Journals between the relevant terminal/register accounts and the appropriate bank accounts.

Register balance adjustments and adjustments between cash & EFT payment methods can also be performed in Malrin, and will be posted as a Manual Journals between the relevant accounts in Xero.

Note

Adjustments to and from bank transfers cannot be performed in Marlin with the Xero integration enabled.

Disabled Features

If Xero integration is enabled, the following features will be disabled within Marlin:

  • Warranty claims
  • Trade-ins
  • Promotional discounts with supplier rebates
  • Negative-value invoices/credits
  • Advanced invoicing/Bulk dispatch
  • costing methods
  • Cash out
  • Branch transfers
  • Credit providers*
  • Customer account payments*
  • Supplier account payments*
  • Journal entries*
Note

Actions with an asterisk next to them can still be performed in Marlin, if necessary, but will not be synchronised with Xero and should be avoided.

Integration Requirements

Marlin has extensive inventory management capabilities involving many accounts that are not usually present in Xero.

In order for Marlin's Xero integration to function, the following adjustments need to be made to any existing Xero systems and must be agreed to by the business before proceeding with the implementation:

  • GL accounts updated with ones that match those in Marlin
  • Supplier list exported and imported into Marlin (with adjustments)
  • Account customer list exported and imported into Marlin (with adjustments)
  • Generic retail customer set up, as defined in Marlin's integration settings

There is no need to enter item/inventory details in Xero.

Note

If any adjustments are made to supplier, account customer or account details in either system following the implementation (e.g. change of name), then they will need to be manually updated in the other one.

All of these necessary updates can be handled by Megabus's implementation team, if required.

If needing to record a Claim?
Account line?
Negative line on invoice or need to do a separate credit?
trade-in?


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