Supplier payments are often one of the most time-consuming and error-prone areas of business finance. But with Xero’s new embedded bill payments feature, that’s finally changing.

You can now pay bills directly in Xero – securely, efficiently, and without switching between systems. Everything happens in one place, giving you greater control and complete visibility over your cash flow.

At Lewis Brownlee, we’re already helping clients make the most of this powerful new feature – and the results have been transformational. It’s cutting admin time, reducing risk, and streamlining day-to-day finance tasks in a way that really works.

 

A Smarter Way to Manage Supplier Payments

 

Xero’s new bill payments functionality removes the need to juggle between platforms. There’s no logging into your bank, uploading payment files, or manually matching transactions.

Simply select the bills you want to pay, authorise the payment through your bank app or portal, and let Xero handle the rest.

This feature is powered by open banking and delivered through Crezco – a trusted, FCA-authorised payment provider. Payments are made securely from your UK business account, straight to your suppliers.

 

Why It Pays to Use Xero for Bill Payments

 

The benefits go well beyond convenience:

• Pay multiple bills at once – save time and effort
• Eliminate manual entry – reduce costly errors
• See what’s due and when – gain full visibility
• Stay in control – use user approvals and MFA
• Improve security – with Confirmation of Payee and bank-grade protection

Many businesses lose hours each month due to outdated payment processes. This feature removes that friction, letting you work faster, smarter, and with total confidence.

 

Quick to Set Up, Cost-Effective to Use

 

Most Xero plans include five free bill payments each month via direct bank transfer. Beyond that, payments cost just 20p each – a small price for the time and clarity you gain.

There are no extra subscriptions, tie-ins, or hidden charges.

Setup is quick and simple – usually under two minutes. Once connected, you’re good to go.

 

How to Get Started

 

Getting started is easier than you might think – and we’re here to help if you need a hand.

To start paying bills directly in Xero, you’ll need to:

1. Use a supported UK business bank account
2. Set up your bank feed in Xero
3. Add your suppliers’ bank details to their Xero contact records
4. Enable MFA and authorise via your banking app
5. Group payments where possible to reduce transaction counts

You can even schedule payments in advance and let Xero handle the reconciliation automatically.

 

Expert Support from Lewis Brownlee

 

As a Xero Platinum Partner, we help hundreds of businesses make their finance systems work harder – without adding complexity.

We can:

• Set up and test bill payments with your key suppliers
• Walk your team through best-practice setup
• Recommend smart approval and scheduling workflows
• Uncover automation opportunities across your purchase-to-pay process

You don’t need to figure it all out on your own – we’ll help you get it right, from day one.

 

Let’s Simplify the Way You Pay Bills

 

Xero’s new bill payment feature may be simple – but it can make a huge difference. Less admin. More control. Better cash flow.

If you’re curious about how it could support your business, or want help getting started, our Xero team would love to hear from you.

Get in touch with our team – and let’s explore how we can help you pay bills directly in Xero, with confidence and clarity.

 

Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change. With this in mind Xero have given advanced warning that they intend to retire the classic version of their sales invoicing system on the 2nd September 2024!

 

What to expect…

 

The new version of the sales invoicing system isn’t that new having been around for about four years.

I know making the transition to the new sales invoice layout may be daunting, I had used the classic version of the Xero sales invoicing system for several years. It had become like an old friend! I knew the invoice field layout, which fields could be left empty if not needed etc. But by moving to the new version a whole host of new features became available to me with more to come.

 

What you can look forward too…

 

One of the features on the new invoice system is the ability to show/hide fields on the invoice details section. Why is this any good? Well, if you don’t use the Xero inventory system you don’t need to show the item field. If you don’t offer discounts to your customers, hide the discount field. By removing the extraneous fields, you can save yourself key presses and thus time and money.

This change might seem unrequested. It might even seem unrequired! But, with this change Xero are using the latest technology and by giving forewarning of it happening they are not only future proofing their systems but providing time-saving tools for the people who use Xero. Yes that’s right – the likes of you and me!

 

How we can help…

 

If you are interested in working with Lewis Brownlee, or using Xero to move your business forward, or are already a Xero user and wish to discuss how we can help your business, then please feel free to contact us. We’re always happy to see how we can help!

If you’d like to speak to one of our experts about, please call 01243 782 423, or email from our contact page and we will be in touch!

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