Getting paid, 29 October 2026
How do I give my accountant access to Xero safely?
Invite your accountant to Xero as a user with their own email address and give them the role they need for the work they do. Never share your own login: Xero tells users never to share passwords, even with an accountant or bookkeeper, and every user has to set up multi-factor authentication.
Why shouldn't you share your Xero login?
Because you lose track of who did what, and you hand over your own security. Xero's multi-factor authentication FAQ is clear: never share your password with anyone, even your accountant or bookkeeper, and invite each person as their own user so there's a record of their access and changes. It also warns that a shared login can mean more verification prompts and restricted features, because the activity looks suspicious.
Multi-factor authentication is required for every user invited into a Xero organisation. A shared login means sharing the second factor too, usually your phone, which is how a login ends up written on a sticky note in the office.
How do you invite your accountant?
It takes a few minutes. You need to be logged in as a user who's allowed to manage users. Xero Central's article on adding a new user has the current screens.
- Open the users list.
Find the users area in your Xero organisation's settings.
- Invite a user.
Enter your accountant's work email address and name. Use their own address, not a shared practice inbox, so the audit trail names a person.
- Choose their access.
Pick the role that fits the work they do: full access to the books for your accountant, narrower access for anyone else. Xero lets you set individual permissions for each person.
- Send the invite.
They accept, set their password and set up multi-factor authentication.
- Check it worked.
Ask them to confirm they can see what they need, such as bank reconciliation, reports and VAT returns.
If your accountant's practice is a Xero partner, they may ask you to add them in a particular way, or to connect the organisation to their practice. Follow what they ask, but make sure each person who works on your books has their own login.
Who should get what access?
Give each person the least access that lets them do their job. In a small trade firm, that usually looks like this.
| Person | What they need to do | Access to give |
|---|---|---|
| You, the owner | Everything | Full access, including managing users |
| Your accountant | Year-end accounts, VAT returns, adjustments | Full access to the books; ask them what role they need |
| Your bookkeeper | Bills, bank reconciliation, payroll if they run it | Access to the books, without managing users |
| Office or admin staff | Raise invoices, enter bills | Limited to the tasks they do |
| Engineers or site managers | Nothing in Xero, usually | No login; let them send receipts by photo instead |
Xero's help centre explains each user role, including the adviser, standard, read only and invoice only roles, and what each can see. Read the role description before you choose, because roles change the settings, reports and payroll a person can reach.
Many small firms don't need anyone else in Xero at all. The owner of a seven-person groundworks business we spoke to was "doing it all on pen and paper", and his first step wasn't more users; it was getting supplier bills into Xero in the first place.
The email to send your accountant
Send this before you invite them, so you both agree what access they need and how changes are handled.
Subject: Xero access for Company name Hi Accountant name, I'd like to set you up with your own login to our Xero organisation, rather than sharing mine. Could you confirm: 1. The email address to invite (yours, not a shared inbox) 2. Which user role or permissions you need for year-end accounts, VAT returns and payroll 3. Whether anyone else at Practice name will work on our books and needs their own login When you make adjustments, please add a note to each journal so I can see what changed and why, and let me know before you lock any period. If anyone at your practice stops working on our account, please tell me so I can remove their access. Thanks, Your name Company name, phone
How do you take access away?
Remove a user the day they leave or the relationship ends, from the same users list where you invited them. Don't wait for year end. If you're changing accountant, give the new firm their own logins and remove the old firm's once handover is done.
What happens to your data if you leave Xero?
You can export your data at any time. If you cancel, Xero says you need to give one month's notice, and your data is archived: nobody can access it while it's archived, but you can reactivate for up to seven years unless you ask for it to be deleted. If you cancel during a free trial you can't reactivate, so export first.
Sole traders must keep business records for at least five years after the 31 January filing deadline, so don't let an archived subscription be your only copy.
Where Nexley fits
Nexley is the AI back office for UK trade firms: five AI assistants run your tenders, quotes, buying, scheduling and invoicing. It connects to the tools you already work in, you run it all from WhatsApp, and you approve everything. £799 a month.
Nexley keeps the books in Xero up to date: bills and receipts posted and matched to jobs, invoices raised and chased. Your accountant keeps their own login and sees the same records. Nothing goes to a customer until you approve it on WhatsApp, and your data stays in your Xero organisation.
Common questions
Does adding my accountant cost extra?
Xero's getting started page says you can add users at no extra charge. Some features, such as Projects and expense claims, are limited by the number of active users on each plan, so check your plan if you add staff who use those.
Can my accountant see my bank account?
They see the bank transactions that come into Xero through the bank feed, which they need to reconcile and prepare accounts. A Xero login is separate from your online banking login, which you should never share.
What if my accountant asks for my password?
Say no and invite them as a user instead. Xero tells users never to share passwords, even with an accountant or bookkeeper, and a separate login keeps a record of their changes.
Should my bookkeeper and accountant have the same access?
Not necessarily. A bookkeeper who reconciles and enters bills may not need to manage users or lock periods. Ask each what they need, and give the narrower option if in doubt.
Sources
- Xero UK: Multi-factor authentication FAQs
- Xero UK: Getting started with Xero
- Xero UK: Frequently asked questions
- Xero UK: Pricing plans
- Xero Central: Add a new user to your organisation
- GOV.UK: How long to keep your records
Every rule, rate and date above was checked against these sources on the date shown at the top.
Topic: Getting paid
Keep reading
Getting paid
How to know if a job made money: job costing for trades
Most trade owners find out a job lost money months later, if ever. This guide shows the four costs to track per job, with a quoted-versus-actual worked example on a garage conversion and a calculator for your last job.
Getting paid
Getting your team's receipts into Xero from WhatsApp, photos and email
Receipts get lost in vans, pockets and WhatsApp chats. This guide compares the four routes into Xero, works out what lost receipts cost a three-engineer firm, and gives you a message to send your team today.
Getting paid
Matching supplier invoices to jobs in Xero
Supplier bills only tell you about a job if they're coded to it. This guide sets up job tracking in Xero, works through splitting one merchant invoice across three jobs, and gives you a weekly checklist.
