The big picture
Saasybill is a subscription billing layer that sits alongside Xero. You define your pricing in Saasybill and attach customers to it through subscriptions. Saasybill then takes care of generating invoices directly in Xero at the right time, keeping your accounting clean and centralised.Xero is the source of truth for all accounting.
The core workflow
Everything in Saasybill flows through four steps.Connect Xero
Sign up with Xero to authorise the connection. Saasybill pulls your customers and account codes directly from Xero.
Build your product catalogue
Create plans that define how you charge: flat fee, per unit, tiered, volume, or stairstep. Add add-ons for optional extras.
Create subscriptions
Attach a customer to a plan to start a subscription. Set the start date, units, and any discounts or overrides.
Core objects
These are the building blocks of how Saasybill works.Plans
Define your pricing model. A plan sets the billing period, price structure, currency, and the Xero account codes revenue posts to.
Subscriptions
Link a customer to a plan. A subscription tracks the start date, units, billing cycle, and any subscription-level overrides like discounts or due dates.
Invoices
Created automatically in Xero at each renewal. Each invoice maps to a subscription and posts revenue to the correct Xero account.
Add-ons
Optional extras that can be attached to a subscription. Add-ons are billed alongside the base plan at each renewal.
Revenue tracking
Saasybill classifies each invoice by revenue type and maps it to a Xero account code. This keeps your reporting clean without any manual categorisation.| Revenue type | When it applies |
|---|---|
| New | The first invoice on a new subscription |
| Renewal | All follow-on renewal invoices after the first |
| Expansion | When a customer increases their unit count on an existing subscription |
Billing changes
Mid-cycle changes are handled automatically. When a subscription is updated, for example, a customer adds more units, Saasybill calculates whether a prorated charge or credit is due and creates the appropriate document in Xero.Prorated charges create a new invoice in Xero. Prorated credits create a credit note.
Setup mode
When you first connect Saasybill, it starts in Setup Mode. In this mode you can create plans, customers, and subscriptions without triggering any invoices in Xero. This lets you mirror your existing billing state before going live. Once you exit Setup Mode, Saasybill switches to live operation and invoices are created automatically from that point forward.What Xero handles
Saasybill sends invoice data to Xero, but Xero owns the accounting layer. Payment collection, tax, reconciliation, and reporting all happen in Xero as normal.Saasybill manages
Plans, subscriptions, billing cycles, unit changes, proration, and invoice generation
Xero manages
Invoices, payments, credit notes, tax, account codes, and financial reporting