How much does Xero setup and migration cost? Quoted as a fixed price once we have looked at your existing file, because the work depends on the state of the data rather than the size of the business. Ongoing bookkeeping in Xero is $347 per month for Essentials or $650 per month for Professional.
How long does a migration take? One to two weeks for a clean file, from start to first reconciled month. Longer where there are years of unreconciled history, inventory, or payroll to carry across.
What matters most in a migration? Conversion balances. If the opening balances are wrong, every report Xero produces afterwards is wrong, and it is usually not discovered until the accountant does the year end.
Last updated 21 September 2026 by a registered BAS agent (TPB registration 26308439).
| Service area | Registered BAS Agent | Software | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xero setup, migration & bookkeeping | 26308439 | Xero · MYOB · QuickBooks · Hubdoc | Gold Coast onsite, Australia-wide remote |
What does a Xero setup actually involve?
A Xero setup is not creating a subscription and logging in. It is configuring the file so the numbers it produces are correct and the day-to-day work is fast. For a new Gold Coast business that means:
- A chart of accounts built around your business rather than the generic default
- GST settings and tax rates configured correctly, including GST-free items where they apply
- Bank and credit card feeds connected and mapped
- Invoice branding, payment terms and payment services so invoices get paid faster
- Receipt capture through Hubdoc so paperwork is photographed once and filed automatically
- Bank rules set up to code recurring transactions automatically
- Payroll configured with the correct award, pay calendar and super settings
- Users and permissions, so your team sees what they need and nothing else
Most of the files we take over were set up in an afternoon by someone who was not sure what they were doing. The symptoms are always the same: a chart of accounts with forty unused categories, GST coded inconsistently, and a bank account that has never reconciled to the statement.
What are conversion balances, and why do they matter so much?
Conversion balances are the opening balances at the date you switch to Xero: bank balances, outstanding customer invoices, unpaid supplier bills, your GST position, payroll year-to-date figures, loans, and fixed assets.
They matter because Xero has no knowledge of anything that happened before the conversion date. If the opening position is wrong, every balance sheet and every BAS afterwards inherits that error. The failure mode is quiet — the file looks fine, the bank reconciles, and the problem surfaces a year later when your accountant asks why the balance sheet does not agree to anything.
This is the part of a migration that most justifies paying someone. It is also the part most often skipped by a cheap migration service, because it requires reconciling the old file properly before anything is carried across.
How do you migrate from MYOB or QuickBooks to Xero?
Seven steps, in this order:
- Review the existing file — how much history, is it reconciled, is inventory or payroll in use. This sets the scope and the fixed price.
- Choose a conversion date, usually the start of a financial year or quarter so the changeover lines up with a BAS period.
- Reconcile the old file to that date. Bank accounts, debtors, creditors and GST all have to be right before anything moves.
- Set up the Xero file — chart of accounts, GST settings, branding, users.
- Enter conversion balances — the step everything else depends on.
- Connect bank feeds and apps and map them to the right accounts.
- Reconcile the first full month in Xero, compare it against the old system, then train your team.
Your old file stays yours and should be kept. Australian record-keeping rules generally require business records to be retained for five years, so the historical data does not get discarded once the move is done.
Which Xero apps suit your industry?
Xero connects to hundreds of other applications, and most businesses need two or three. The right ones depend on how you actually work, not on what is popular.
| Your business | What usually helps | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Trades and construction | Job management and quoting apps, receipt capture | Costs allocated to jobs as they happen, so job profitability is real rather than estimated |
| Cafes, restaurants and bars | POS integration, rostering | Daily takings reconcile themselves and wage cost is visible against revenue weekly |
| Retail and product businesses | Inventory management | Stock on hand carried properly so gross margin means something |
| Professional services and agencies | Time tracking, project costing | Revenue and staff cost reported by client or project |
| Every business | Hubdoc or equivalent receipt capture | Paperwork photographed once, coded automatically, and available if you are ever audited |
We connect and configure these, but only where they earn their subscription. An app that nobody uses is a monthly cost with no return.
Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks — which should you use?
There is no single right answer, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. All three handle GST, BAS and Single Touch Payroll for Australian businesses. The differences are practical.
| Consideration | What to weigh up |
|---|---|
| You already use one and it works | Stay. Migration costs money and introduces risk for no gain if the current file is clean and the software does what you need. |
| Your accountant or bookkeeper has a preference | Worth weight. Working in software your adviser knows well usually means faster support and fewer errors. |
| Number of app integrations you need | Check that the specific apps your industry relies on connect to the platform you are considering, before you commit. |
| Payroll complexity | If you have award-based staff, test the award interpretation capability rather than assuming it is handled. |
| Who else touches the file | Consider how easily staff can be given limited access to just the parts they need. |
We work in all three. If you are on MYOB or QuickBooks and it suits you, we will say so rather than move you for the sake of it.
Training, so you are not dependent on us
We train on the parts of Xero your team actually touches — raising an invoice, capturing a receipt, approving a bill, checking who owes you money — rather than running through features you will never open. Most business owners need about an hour.
The aim is that you can answer your own questions about where the business is up to, without ringing anyone.
What does ongoing bookkeeping in Xero cost?
| Service | Price | What it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials package | $347/month ($80/week) | Sole traders and small companies with straightforward volumes |
| Professional package | $650/month ($150/week) | Businesses with payroll, higher volumes and monthly reporting |
| BAS lodgement | $150 | Quarterly activity statement, prepared and lodged |
| IAS lodgement | $66 | Monthly PAYG withholding obligations |
| Superannuation lodgement | $50 | Super guarantee processing and lodgement |
| Setup and migration | Fixed price on quote | Priced once we have seen the existing file |
Related: bookkeeping Gold Coast, BAS lodgement Gold Coast, and payroll and Single Touch Payroll.
Gold Coast suburbs we service
Xero work runs remotely wherever you are. We also visit clients onsite across the Gold Coast:
- Southport
- Nerang
- Burleigh Heads
- Robina
- Bundall
- Coomera
- Surfers Paradise
- Broadbeach
- Varsity Lakes
- Molendinar
- Helensvale
- Palm Beach
- Currumbin
- Ashmore
- Arundel
- Carrara
- Labrador
- Mudgeeraba
- Oxenford
- Miami
- Mermaid Beach
Xero setup and migration FAQs
How much does Xero setup cost on the Gold Coast?
Setup and migration are quoted as a fixed price once we have seen your existing file, because the work depends entirely on the state of the data. Ongoing bookkeeping in Xero is $347 per month for Essentials or $650 per month for Professional.
How long does it take to migrate from MYOB or QuickBooks to Xero?
For a clean file, usually one to two weeks from start to first reconciled month. Files with several years of unreconciled history, or with inventory and payroll to carry across, take longer. We tell you which you are before we start.
What are conversion balances and why do they matter?
Conversion balances are the opening balances at the date you switch to Xero — bank balances, debtors, creditors, GST position, payroll year-to-date and any loans or assets. If they are wrong, every report Xero produces afterwards is wrong, and it usually is not discovered until the accountant does the year end. Getting them right is the single most important part of a migration.
Can I keep my old accounting data after moving to Xero?
Yes. Your old file remains yours and should be retained. Australian record-keeping rules generally require business records to be kept for five years, so we keep the historical file accessible rather than discarding it after the move.
Do you move payroll across as well?
Yes, including employee year-to-date figures so Single Touch Payroll reporting stays continuous and income statements are correct at 30 June. Migrating payroll mid-year without carrying year-to-date balances is one of the more expensive mistakes to unwind.
Which Xero plan do I need?
It depends on whether you need payroll, how many employees you have, and whether you handle multiple currencies or projects. Plans and prices change, so we check the current options against what your business actually does rather than defaulting you to the largest plan.
Do bank feeds set themselves up automatically?
Partly. Most Australian banks connect directly, but each feed has to be authorised by you as the account holder and then mapped to the right account in Xero. Feeds also drop out occasionally and need reconnecting, which is part of what we monitor.
Can you train my staff to use Xero?
Yes. We train on the parts of Xero your team actually touches — raising invoices, capturing receipts, approving bills — rather than running through features you will never use.
Do you work with MYOB and QuickBooks too?
Yes. We work in Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks, and we will tell you honestly if the software you are on already suits your business. Migrating for its own sake is rarely worth the disruption.
Are you a registered BAS agent?
Yes. Registration number 26308439 with the Tax Practitioners Board. Setting up GST codes, lodging activity statements and running payroll are BAS services, which can only be provided for a fee by a registered agent.
Talk to a registered BAS agent about your Xero file
Call 0488 993 679, email admin@precisionbasandbookkeeping.com.au, or book a free 20-minute chat. If you are unsure whether your current file is in good shape, we will look at it and tell you honestly.