Xero and Bookkeeper360 team up so firms can offer bill pay tools

Xero, the accounting software company, has teamed up with Bookkeeper360 so accounting firms can offer bill paying and invoicing tools under their own brand. If you work with an accounting firm, you may soon pay bills and send invoices in the same place where your books live, instead of juggling separate apps.

What changed

Bookkeeper360 will build Xero and Melio's tools for accounts payable and accounts receivable into its own platform. Accounts payable means the bills a business owes. Accounts receivable means the invoices a business sends to get paid.

Accounting firms can offer these tools with their own branding. Users get single sign-on, which means one login covers everything. The tools also work with the firm's portals and internal tools, so clients do not have to move to a separate platform.

Why it matters

The main promise is less switching between programs. Jonathan Meltzer, Managing Director, US at Xero, said the setup gives Bookkeeper360's customers access to accounting, payments, payroll and analytics in environments that fit their core workflows. David Emmerman, Bookkeeper360's Chief Operating Officer, said it brings accounting and payment steps together to help clients save time and gain more control.

Pricing is also part of the pitch. It is per client, with no per-seat fees and no platform subscription fees. A per-seat fee is a charge for each person who uses the software. The announcement also says dedicated engineering teams support the integration so it can grow with a business.

What to watch

The coverage points to a few cautions for business owners:

• Companies already built around other software may hit early hurdles.
• A new system can take time and training, which may disrupt daily work for a while.
• Data privacy and financial security rules still need to be met.

What is not known yet

The material does not give a launch date, a list of firms that will offer the tools, or actual prices. It also does not say whether the per-client pricing will lower what business owners pay their accounting firm. Those are fair questions to ask your firm before any change.