Salon Software and Xero: How Australian Salons Handle Accounting
How booking software connects to Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks in Australia — what syncs natively, what reconciles by export, and how Bella Booking handles it today.
In this guide
Accounting is one of the first questions Australian salon and clinic owners ask when choosing booking software: "Does it talk to my accountant's Xero file?" The honest answer across the market is "it depends" — some platforms sync to Xero natively, some charge a monthly add-on for it, and some (including Bella Booking today) reconcile by exporting reports rather than a live two-way sync.
This guide is deliberately straight about where Bella Booking sits, because choosing software on a feature you assumed was there is an expensive mistake. Below is how accounting works with Bella today, an honest comparison of Xero support across the major Australian platforms, and the questions worth asking before you commit.
Does Bella Booking integrate with Xero?
Not with a native, automatic two-way sync — not yet. Bella Booking does not push invoices or payments into Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks automatically today. A native accounting integration is on the roadmap, but we would rather tell you plainly than have you discover it after switching.
What Bella does give you is the data your bookkeeper actually needs, in a form that reconciles cleanly: detailed sales and payment reports you can export, and Stripe payouts that match your bank deposits. For most single-site salons whose accountant already works from Stripe and bank statements, that is enough to keep the books accurate without a live integration.
The honest test
If your accountant reconciles from Stripe payouts and exported sales summaries today, Bella fits your workflow now. If you specifically need invoices to appear in Xero automatically the moment a client pays, a platform with native Xero sync (below) is the better fit until Bella ships it.
How Australian salons reconcile Bella with Xero today
The practical workflow most Bella businesses use with their accountant:
- 1Export the Sales Summary and Service & Product Sales reports for the period (CSV) from Reports.
- 2Reconcile Stripe payouts against your bank feed in Xero — Stripe deposits to your account on a rolling basis, and each payout maps to a batch of bookings, deposits and product sales.
- 3Record the Bella platform fee and Stripe processing fees as expenses (Bella's pricing is transparent: Stripe 1.7% + A$0.30 plus Bella's 1% = 2.7% + A$0.30 per transaction in Australia, GST inclusive).
- 4Use the per-category sales reports (gift cards, memberships, packages, tips) so deferred revenue and liabilities are coded correctly.
It is an export-and-reconcile rhythm rather than a live feed — typically a few minutes per BAS period for a single site, and something most bookkeepers already do for Stripe-based businesses.
See the data exports guide for the full list of reports and formats available.
Xero & accounting across salon platforms
Where each major platform sits on accounting integration, based on each provider's publicly documented features (Australia):
| Platform | Xero / accounting | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Bella Booking | Export-based (native sync on roadmap) | Reconcile via Sales reports + Stripe payouts; no monthly add-on |
| Timely | Native Xero integration | Two-way sync (included in plan) |
| Kitomba | Native Xero integration | Documented Xero integration |
| Phorest | Xero / QuickBooks add-on | Additional cost on top of the plan |
| Vagaro | Xero add-on (A$30/mo), QuickBooks (A$40/mo) | Paid monthly add-ons |
The takeaway: native Xero sync is genuinely a strength for Timely and Kitomba, and a paid add-on for Phorest and Vagaro. Bella's honest position today is export-based reconciliation with no add-on fee — adequate for most single sites, and a real gap if live sync is non-negotiable for you.
What to ask before you commit
- •Is Xero sync native and included, a paid add-on, or export-only? (Ask for the monthly cost if it is an add-on.)
- •Is it one-way or two-way, and does it sync invoices, payments, or just daily totals?
- •How are Stripe/processing fees and tips coded — automatically, or do you reconcile them manually?
- •Does the platform charge booking commission on top of processing? (Bella does not — 0% commission; some marketplaces take 20%+ on new clients.)
- •Are prices and reports GST-inclusive in AUD, or do you convert from USD?
Watch the all-in cost
A cheaper monthly plan with a paid Xero add-on and booking commission can cost far more than a flat plan with export-based accounting. Compare the all-in number, not the headline price.
GST, BAS and Australian tax
Bella Booking is built for Australian businesses: pricing and reports are in AUD and GST-inclusive, and Stripe processes at Australian domestic rates. If you register for GST in Settings → Tax, Bella captures the GST component on every sale and totals it up in a purpose-built Tax Collected report — the figures a BAS actually asks for — alongside your Sales Summary and payout reports for the full picture to hand to your accountant or enter in Xero.
Bella does not lodge BAS itself — like most booking platforms, it provides the underlying sales, tax and fee data and leaves lodgement to your accounting software and accountant.
Frequently asked questions
Does Bella Booking sync with Xero?
Not with a native automatic sync yet. Today you reconcile by exporting Bella's Sales Summary and Service & Product Sales reports and matching Stripe payouts to your bank feed in Xero. A native Xero integration is on the roadmap. We state this plainly so you can decide based on your actual workflow.
How do I do my BAS with Bella Booking?
Register for GST in Settings → Tax, and Bella's Tax Collected report gives you the GST-inclusive taxable sales, exempt sales, and tax collected for the period — the purpose-built BAS source. Export it alongside your Sales Summary and payout reports and provide them to your accountant or enter them in your accounting software. Bella does not lodge BAS itself.
What does Bella charge to process payments in Australia?
Payments run through Stripe on every plan. In Australia the rate is Stripe's 1.7% + A$0.30 plus Bella's 1% platform fee, for an all-in 2.7% + A$0.30 per transaction, GST inclusive. There is no booking commission — Bella charges 0% on bookings, unlike marketplace models that take a percentage of new-client revenue.
Which salon platforms have native Xero integration in Australia?
Based on each provider's documented features, Timely and Kitomba offer native Xero integration, while Phorest and Vagaro offer Xero (and QuickBooks) as paid monthly add-ons. Bella Booking currently reconciles by export with native sync on the roadmap.
Can my bookkeeper still work with Bella Booking?
Yes. Most bookkeepers already reconcile Stripe-based businesses from payouts and exported sales reports, which is exactly how Bella works today. If your bookkeeper specifically requires live invoice sync into Xero, a platform with native Xero integration is a better fit until Bella ships it.
Key takeaways
- ✓Bella Booking has no native Xero sync today — accounting is handled by exporting Sales reports and reconciling Stripe payouts; native integration is on the roadmap.
- ✓Timely and Kitomba offer native Xero integration; Phorest and Vagaro offer it as a paid monthly add-on.
- ✓Bella's pricing is transparent and GST-inclusive (Stripe 1.7% + A$0.30 + Bella 1% = 2.7% + A$0.30 in AU) with 0% booking commission.
- ✓Compare the all-in cost — a paid Xero add-on plus booking commission can outweigh a flat plan with export-based accounting.
Related features
Explore by business type
Ready to try Bella Booking?
Start your free trial today. No credit card required.
Australian-made. Multi-timezone support.
Last updated: 2026-06-26