Tender connects relevant invoices and payments to Xero or QuickBooks. A useful accounting handover also needs a simple agreement between you and the person doing the books: where records start, who checks them and how you explain anything unusual.
The useful bits
- Agree where the original invoice is created before connecting your workflow.
- Check a real invoice and its payment together with your bookkeeper.
- Treat accounting sync as a bookkeeping handover, not automatic tax filing.
Decide where the record starts
If you create an invoice in Tender, make sure your bookkeeper knows where to expect that record. Entering the same invoice again in a separate routine can make an otherwise straightforward job difficult to reconcile. A short conversation about responsibility is more useful than assuming the connection explains itself.
You will need the relevant Xero or QuickBooks account and appropriate access to connect it. Agree who maintains the connection and who to contact if a record needs attention. Follow the integration guide for the product you actually use rather than treating both accounting systems as interchangeable.
Check one completed job together
Choose a real, straightforward job with a final invoice and a confirmed payment. Compare the customer, invoice reference, amount and payment record in the systems you use. The aim is to understand the handover before relying on it for a busy week’s work.
Do not assume every note, attachment or item of customer information travels with an accounting connection. Keep the original job paperwork available and ask about anything your bookkeeper needs that is not part of the invoice and payment record. The product guides describe the confirmed integration scope.
The question to settle early
“I create the customer invoice in Tender. You check the corresponding record in our accounting system and handle reconciliation. If I correct the invoice or a customer queries a payment, I will tell you which job and invoice it concerns.” Adapt the responsibilities to your own arrangement.
Keep a short list of exceptions
Routine records are usually the easy part of a handover. What needs explanation is the customer who paid differently, the invoice that changed after an agreed extra, or the transaction that has an unresolved question. Write down the reference and what happened while it is still fresh.
If a customer pays by bank transfer, check that the money arrived before recording it as paid. If a processor deducts fees or sends a payout, do not assume the bank entry will simply match one invoice total. Let your bookkeeper reconcile the supporting records using the applicable provider information.
- Which invoice or job needs attention?
- What happened, and on what date?
- Is the payment confirmed or still being checked?
- Who is handling the next action?
What Work. Tap. Tax. means here
Work is the job you complete. Tap is the customer paying by tapping a contactless card or phone against your phone. Tax is the accounting handover: relevant invoices and payments sync to your connected Xero or QuickBooks account.
Tender does not turn that handover into automatic tax calculation, tax-return filing or HMRC submission. Keep the responsibility for reviewing the books and meeting your obligations clear. Start with one checked invoice, then make the review a regular part of the way you and your bookkeeper work together.
