Eternity Group

Business services — Systems

Xero Setup & Migration

Clean Xero file builds and migrations from MYOB, QuickBooks or spreadsheets — a chart of accounts mapped to BAS labels and the year-end return, bank feeds and payroll configured, conversion balances reconciled.

Book a Setup Scoping CallSee Our Process
  • Xero setup
  • MYOB migration
  • QuickBooks migration
  • Chart of accounts
  • Bank feeds
  • Conversion balances

Eternity Group Accountants provides business advisory and BAS services as a registered tax agent (TPB 25523469). Information on this page is general in nature and does not take into account your specific business circumstances. Engagement scope, fees and deliverables are confirmed in a written engagement letter before work begins.

Scope of work

A file built to lodge from, not just to look tidy.

The chart of accounts is designed by the person who will sign your BAS and your year-end return, so the file maps cleanly to the activity statement labels and the tax return from day one. The detail of the setup is scoped to your business and confirmed in writing.

New file & chart of accounts

Designed by a CA · mapped to BAS & the return

A fresh Xero file built around how your business actually trades, with a chart of accounts a chartered accountant has structured to map directly to the BAS labels and the year-end tax return. Account codes, tax rates and reporting groups are set so reconciliation feeds straight into compliance rather than needing a reclassification at year end.

Migration & conversion balances

MYOB · QuickBooks · spreadsheets

We extract the trial balance and transaction history from your existing system — MYOB, QuickBooks, Reckon or a spreadsheet — and bring across the conversion balances as the opening position. The old data is archived in full so nothing is lost, and the opening balances are reconciled before the file is treated as live.

Bank feeds & integrations

Live feeds · apps · payment connections

Direct bank and credit-card feeds are authorised and confirmed to be flowing, so transactions land in Xero automatically. Where you use connected apps — point of sale, e-invoicing, expense capture or a payment gateway — we configure the integration and check the data posts to the correct accounts.

Payroll & STP enrolment

Pay calendars · super · Single Touch Payroll

For employers, we set up Xero Payroll with pay calendars, ordinary and overtime rates, leave entitlements, superannuation funds and award settings, then enrol the file for Single Touch Payroll reporting to the ATO. Year-to-date figures are migrated so STP totals stay correct across the financial year.

Suited to

Who a setup or migration suits.

Common starting points

  • New businesses starting clean

    A brand-new entity that wants its accounting set up correctly from the first transaction — GST registration status, chart of accounts and tax rates configured properly, so the first BAS and the first tax return are straightforward rather than a reconstruction.

  • Businesses switching software

    Moving from one cloud product to Xero — for example QuickBooks Online to Xero — and wanting the change managed end to end: data extracted, conversion balances reconciled, feeds and payroll re-established, and the team shown how the new file works.

  • Messy or duplicated chart-of-accounts cleanups

    An existing Xero file that has grown unwieldy — duplicate accounts, inconsistent coding, balances in the wrong place — restructured into a clean chart of accounts that reconciles to the BAS and the return. We rebuild the structure rather than paper over it.

    Monthly bookkeeping

  • Desktop-to-cloud movers

    Businesses leaving desktop software such as MYOB AccountRight or Reckon for cloud Xero, so the file is accessible from anywhere, bank feeds run automatically and the data is backed up — with the historical position carried across and reconciled.

Process

From the old system to a live file — scoped, built and verified.

A staged build that starts with understanding your data and ends with a reconciled file your team knows how to use. The same approach underpins our wider accounting services and advisory work.

Scope & data extract

We review your current system, confirm GST and payroll status, and agree the chart-of-accounts design. The trial balance and transaction history are extracted from MYOB, QuickBooks or your spreadsheets and the old file is archived in full.

Build & migrate

The new Xero file is built — chart of accounts, tax rates and reporting groups — conversion balances are loaded, bank feeds are authorised, and payroll with STP is configured where you have employees.

Verify, reconcile & handover

Opening balances are reconciled against the closing position of the old system, feeds and payroll are confirmed to be running, and we run a handover session so your team can use the file with confidence.

Frequently asked questions

Xero setup & migration — common questions.

Common questions

How long does a Xero migration take?

Most migrations run over two to four weeks from the point we have access to your existing system. A clean new file for a simple sole trader can be ready in a few days; a desktop-to-cloud move with several years of history, payroll and multiple bank accounts takes longer. The timeline depends on how complete your source data is, how many feeds need re-authorising, and how quickly opening balances reconcile. We confirm a realistic timeframe after the scoping call.

Can you migrate from MYOB or QuickBooks?

Yes. We migrate from MYOB (AccountRight and Essentials), QuickBooks Online, Reckon, and from spreadsheets where there is no accounting software at all. The general approach is the same: extract the trial balance and transaction history, design a chart of accounts that suits the business, bring across conversion balances, then reconcile the opening position before the file goes live.

What happens to my historical data?

How much history we carry across depends on your circumstances and what the old system can export. As a general rule we bring in opening conversion balances and the current financial year in detail, and retain a full export or archive of the prior system so the historical detail is never lost. If you need several years of transaction-level history inside Xero — for example to support a future ATO review — we scope that separately because it adds time.

Do bank feeds carry across automatically?

No. Bank feeds are tied to the individual accounting file and the bank's own authorisation, so they generally have to be set up fresh in the new Xero file rather than transferred. We configure each feed during the build and confirm transactions are flowing before handover. Some banks take a few business days to activate a feed, which is one reason we start this step early.

Do you set up payroll and Single Touch Payroll?

Yes, where you have employees. We configure Xero Payroll with your pay calendars, ordinary and overtime rates, leave entitlements, superannuation funds and the relevant award settings, then enrol the file for Single Touch Payroll reporting to the ATO. Year-to-date payroll figures are brought across so STP totals remain correct for the financial year. Payroll setup is generally scoped on top of the core file build.

Who owns the Xero subscription?

You do. The Xero subscription is taken out in the business name and billed to you directly, so you own the file and the data outright and are never locked to us. We are added as the adviser on the file to do the setup and any ongoing work you engage us for, and that access can be removed at any time. This keeps you in control if you ever change accountants.

Is training included in the setup?

A handover session is part of every build — we walk you through the day-to-day tasks for your file: bank reconciliation, raising invoices, recording bills and reading the key reports. The depth of training is scoped to the people who will use the file. If you would rather we keep running the file for you afterwards, monthly bookkeeping is available as a separate engagement.

Related

Where this fits in the bigger picture

A clean Xero file is the foundation the rest of the work runs on. Once the file is built and reconciled, monthly bookkeeping, BAS, payroll and a virtual-CFO conversation all draw on the same data — explore our full accounting services to see how it connects.