pro · Lesson 3 · 10 min
Onboarding a client file
Conversion balances, opening invoices, bank starting position, users, and a lock. A pretty COA on a rotten open is still rotten.
Pick a go-live date
First day of a month, after a bank rec, with a trial balance from the old system. Bring across: COA, contacts, open invoices, open bills, bank/card/loan balances, and (if you must) prior-year comparatives. Historical transaction-by-transaction conversion is expensive and lossy; most small files don’t need it.
The opening rec
Xero conversion balances plus outstanding AR/AP must still satisfy Assets = Liabilities + Equity. Then the first bank rec: statement opening balance in Xero must equal the bank, and unreconciled cheques/deposits from the old system need to exist as spend/receive money dated pre-go-live so they can match when they clear.
Users, roles, bank feeds
Invite the owner as a user who cannot unlock periods if you can help it. Connect bank feeds with the owner present (2FA). Set tax rates, invoice branding, repeating items, Hubdoc publishing, and the first lock date (the day before go-live). Document the capitalization threshold and the sales-tax position in a one-page engagement note.
Check
Choices shuffle each visit. Misses send you back to the section — Look back clears the quiz so you can try again.
Choose an answer, then check.
After conversion, AR on the balance sheet should equal:
Practice: What still isn’t closed?