How to Set Up Your Multi Xero Instance in Yao

Link to Video Training Guide: https://youtu.be/t0M3dICd4M8?si=ecDf963duRocPjLG

This guide explains how to connect Yao to your Xero accounting software. Once connected, invoices created in Yao will automatically sync to Xero, and fee income can be attributed to individual attorneys. The integration is managed from the Configuration area of Yao.

What You Will Learn

• How to connect a Xero account to Yao
• How to configure Xero account codes for Disbursements, Fees, Write-offs and Bad Debt
• How to assign individual offices to specific Xero accounts
• How to map bank accounts in Yao to Xero bank accounts
• How to map individual attorneys to their Xero revenue accounts

Section 1: Accessing the Xero Integration Settings

To begin, navigate to the Configuration area of Yao.

1. Click on Configuration in the left-hand navigation menu.

2. Click on the Xero Integration tab in the top navigation bar within Configuration.

You will see the Xero Integration page. The Accounts sub-tab is selected by default. If a Xero account is already connected, it will appear here with its tenant details, last refresh date, assigned offices and account codes.

Note: The account marked DEFAULT is the account used by offices that have not been individually assigned to a specific Xero account. You can change the default by clicking Set As Default on another account card.

Section 2: Connecting a Xero Account

If no Xero account is connected, or if you need to add an additional Xero account, follow these steps.

1. Click the + Connect To Xero button in the top-right corner of the Xero Integration page.

2. You will be redirected to the Xero login page. Enter your Xero email address and password, then click Log in.

3. Once authenticated, you will be returned to the Xero Integration page in Yao. Your connected Xero account(s) will now appear on the page.

Each connected account card shows:

• The account name and tenant ID
• The date the account was last refreshed
• Offices using this account
• Current account codes (Disbursement, Fees, Write-off, Bad Debt)
• Action buttons: Configure Codes, Sync Categories, Disconnect

Section 3: Configuring Xero Account Codes

Account codes determine which Xero nominal accounts are used when Yao posts disbursements, fee income, write-offs and bad debt transactions. These must be configured for each connected Xero account.

1. On the Xero Integration > Accounts page, locate the Xero account you wish to configure.

2. Click the Configure Codes button on that account card.

The Configure Xero Accounts modal will open. It contains four dropdown fields:

• Disbursement — The Xero account code used for client disbursements (e.g. 612 — Client Side Expenses).
• Fees — The Xero account code used for fee income (e.g. 210 — Henrique Fees).
• Write-off — The Xero account code used when fees are written off (e.g. 445 — Light, Power, Heating).
• Bad Debt — The Xero account code used for bad debt write-offs (e.g. 461 — Printing & Stationery).

3. Click the dropdown for each field to see the available Xero account codes pulled from your connected Xero organisation.

The dropdown lists all account codes synced from Xero. The Fees dropdown, for example, will show revenue-type accounts, whilst the Write-off and Bad Debt dropdowns show expense-type accounts.

4. Select the appropriate account code from the dropdown for each of the four fields.

5. Click Save to apply the configuration.

Note: If your required account codes are not appearing in the dropdown, click Sync Categories on the account card first to refresh the list from Xero.

Section 4: Syncing Categories from Xero

The Sync Categories function refreshes the list of available Xero account codes within Yao. You should use this whenever new account codes have been added to Xero and need to be available in Yao.

1. On the Xero Integration > Accounts page, locate the account card you wish to sync.

2. Click the Sync Categories button on that account card.

A notification will appear at the top of the screen: "Xero: Tracking category has been applied to a transaction." This confirms that the sync has completed successfully.

Section 5: Assigning Offices to Xero Accounts

If your firm uses multiple Xero accounts (for example, separate accounts for different offices or regions), you can assign each office to the appropriate Xero account.

1. Within Configuration, click the Organisation tab in the top navigation bar.

2. Click the Offices sub-tab.

The Offices page lists all offices configured for your firm. Each row shows the office name, address fields and a Xero Account column.

3. Locate the office you wish to assign.

4. Click the Assign link next to an office that shows — (uses firm default), or click Change if an account is already assigned.

5. A dropdown will appear showing the available connected Xero accounts. Select the appropriate account. The dropdown will show all connected Xero accounts by name (e.g. Yao Stg 126, Yao Staging).

6. Click Save to confirm the assignment. The selected Xero account name will now appear in the Xero Account column for that office.

Note: Offices showing — (uses firm default) will use whichever Xero account is marked as DEFAULT on the Xero Integration page. You only need to assign individual offices if they should use a different account from the firm default.

Section 6: Bank Account Mapping

Bank Account Mapping links each bank account in Yao to its corresponding account in Xero. This ensures that payments posted in Yao reconcile correctly in Xero.

1. On the Xero Integration page, click the Bank Account Mapping sub-tab.

The Bank Account Mapping page displays:

• A Xero Account selector at the top, allowing you to switch between connected Xero accounts
• A table listing all bank accounts configured in Yao, with columns for Name, Account Number, Type, and Xero Integration

2. Use the Xero Account dropdown at the top of the page to select the Xero account whose bank account mapping you wish to configure.

3. In the Xero Integration column, click the dropdown for the bank account you wish to map.

The dropdown will list the available Xero bank accounts for the selected Xero account, such as Law Firm Office 1 - ASSET - BANK, Law Firm One Petty Cash - ASSET - BANK, and so on. Select None if the bank account should not be mapped.

4. Select the appropriate Xero bank account from the dropdown.

5. Repeat for each bank account that requires mapping.

6. Click the Save button in the top-right corner to save all mappings.

Section 7: Attorney Mapping

Attorney Mapping assigns each attorney in Yao to their individual revenue account in Xero. This allows fee income to be tracked and reported by fee-earner in Xero.

1. On the Xero Integration page, click the Attorney Mapping sub-tab.

The Attorney Mapping page displays:

• A Xero Account selector at the top, to switch between connected Xero accounts
• A table listing all attorneys, with columns for Name, Surname, E-Mail, Account Mapping, and a delete action

2. Use the Xero Account dropdown at the top of the page to select the Xero account you are mapping attorneys for.

3. In the Account Mapping column, click the dropdown for the attorney you wish to map. The dropdown will list all available revenue accounts in the selected Xero account (e.g. 205 — Fees - Henrique - REVENUE - REVENUE, 206 — Fees - Col - REVENUE - REVENUE, etc.).

4. Select the appropriate revenue account for each attorney. Select None if the attorney should not be mapped to a specific account.

5. Click the Save button in the top-right corner to save all attorney mappings.

Note: Attorney mappings are per Xero account. If you have multiple Xero accounts connected, you will need to configure the mapping separately for each account by switching the Xero Account selector at the top of the page.