Before You Start

This guide assumes you have administrator access to both Zoho Books and a new Xero subscription.

Overview

50 min
Setup Time
Intermediate
Difficulty
Weekly
Post-Migration Check

What You’ll Learn

  • How to prepare Zoho Books data for a clean export
  • Setting up your new Xero organization correctly
  • Importing chart of accounts and opening balances
  • Verifying data integrity and initial balance reconciliation

1. Preparation Steps

Before starting the migration, gather the following essential data from Zoho Books:

Required Data Exports

  • Chart of Accounts (ensure account codes are unique)
  • Customer and Supplier Contact Lists
  • Trial Balance Report (as of your migration date)
  • Bank and Credit Card Account Balances (as of migration date)

Optional (but recommended)

  • Inventory Item List with quantities and values
  • Open Invoices and Bills (for a detailed cut-over)
  • Sales Tax Rates and Historical Tax Transactions

2. Choosing Your Migration Strategy

You have two primary approaches for moving data from Zoho Books to Xero.

Method A: Manual CSV Exports & Imports

This involves exporting various reports and lists from Zoho Books as CSV files and then manually importing them into Xero.

Pros:
  • It’s free (only your time).
  • Full control over data mapping.
  • Good for very simple datasets.
Cons:
  • Time-consuming for large datasets.
  • Prone to human error (formatting, duplicates).
  • Limited historical transaction import.

Method B: Third-Party Migration Tools

These are paid services designed to automate the transfer of accounting data between platforms.

Expert Tip: For complex migrations involving significant historical data, or if you’re migrating multiple companies, we strongly recommend using a specialized third-party migration tool. They reduce errors and save considerable time, ensuring a smoother transition.

3. Step-by-Step: The Manual Migration Flow

Here is the high-level workflow for a clean manual migration.

The process typically involves extracting data from Zoho Books, cleaning and formatting it for Xero, then importing it step-by-step. This ensures a logical progression and allows for verification at each stage. Start with foundational data like your Chart of Accounts, then contacts, and finally, opening balances.

Here is a sample code block to show how an opening balance journal entry might be structured for import.

{
  "date": "2025-10-29",
  "description": "Opening Balance - Bank Account",
  "reference": "OB-BANK-001",
  "lines": [
    { "account": "1000 Bank Account", "debit": 15000.00, "credit": 0.00 },
    { "account": "3000 Opening Balances Equity", "debit": 0.00, "credit": 15000.00 }
  ]
}

4. Executing the Migration

  1. 1

    Export Chart of Accounts from Zoho Books

    Navigate to “Accountant” > “Chart of Accounts” in Zoho Books, then export to CSV. Clean up any inactive accounts or duplicates.

  2. 2

    Export Customer and Supplier Lists

    In Zoho Books, go to “Sales” > “Customers” and “Purchases” > “Vendors” to export contacts. Ensure all required fields for Xero are present (e.g., email, address).

  3. 3

    Export Trial Balance & Bank Balances

    Run a Trial Balance report in Zoho Books as of your migration start date. Also, export final bank statement balances for all relevant accounts.

  4. 4

    Import into Xero & Map Accounts

    Import your Chart of Accounts, Contacts, and then enter opening balances using the Xero conversion balances tool, matching your Zoho Books Trial Balance.

Common Error: Date Formats & Balance Discrepancies

Ensure all dates in your import files are in Xero’s required format (e.g., DD/MM/YYYY or MM/DD/YYYY). Crucially, your Xero Trial Balance after import must exactly match your final Zoho Books Trial Balance on the migration date.

5. Post-Migration Verification

Verification Checklist

  • Run a Trial Balance in Xero and compare it line-by-line with Zoho Books
  • Verify all bank account opening balances against bank statements
  • Check for duplicate contacts or incorrect contact details
  • Process a few test transactions (invoice, bill, bank reconciliation)

Need Help?

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Struggling with complex data or persistent errors during migration? Our team specializes in seamless accounting software transitions.

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