How to Migrate from Xero to Relentify Without Losing Your Data

Switching accounting software sounds like a weekend project. It usually becomes a three-day existential crisis about data integrity, spreadsheets, and whether you should just keep Xero forever.

Migrating from Xero to Relentify doesn't have to feel that way. Done properly — and it is doable properly — most small businesses complete the move in under a day without losing a single transaction or putting their finances on ice. The trick is structure. Move at a period boundary, verify your data before you leave Xero, and follow a step-by-step checklist. Everything else is just data entry.

This guide walks through every step, from preparation to post-migration verification, so you can migrate from Xero to Relentify without the panic.

Why the switch makes sense

Before we talk mechanics, let's address why you might be looking at this. Xero is solid accounting software — but Xero Standard costs £33/month. Relentify's equivalent tier is £15/month. Same features. Less money. If you're running a small business with a standard chart of accounts, regular invoicing, and a need to file VAT returns, Relentify does that cleanly without the Xero price tag.

Compare your current stack too. If you're paying for Xero, plus a CRM, plus invoicing, plus time tracking, plus a helpdesk, you're probably looking at £150–250 a month across five tools. Relentify bundles accounting, CRM, Tasks, Time Recording, Helpdesk, and Chatbot into one login with unified data, no Zapier wrangling, and a single monthly bill. That consolidation pays for itself in time alone (and money, but time is the real scarcity for small businesses).

Still here? Good. Let's move your data.

When to migrate

Timing is the difference between a smooth afternoon and an all-nighter sorting discrepancies.

Migrate at the start of a financial period. Ideally your financial year start; at minimum your VAT quarter start. This lets you close your Xero books for the completed period, run your final reports, and then start fresh in Relentify with a clean opening balance sheet. Everything ties up. No loose ends.

If you migrate mid-period, you end up trying to reconcile in-progress transactions, partial bank feeds, and invoices issued under one system but paid under another. Possible? Yes. Worth the headache? Usually not.

Pre-migration checklist

Do these before you export anything:

Reconcile all bank accounts in Xero. Every transaction matched, categorised, or flagged. Unreconciled items create phantom discrepancies after migration that are hell to trace.

Finish outstanding invoices and bills. Send draft invoices. Receive payment if it's pending. Record outstanding bills. The cleaner your data in Xero, the smoother the handoff.

Complete any pending VAT returns. Under HMRC's Making Tax Digital rules, each VAT return comes from one set of digital records. You don't want to split a VAT period across two platforms. Submit any outstanding returns in Xero before you move.

Export and save key reports. Pull PDF copies of your profit and loss, balance sheet, trial balance, and aged receivables/payables reports. These are your verification documents after migration — and your fallback if something goes sideways during the transition.

Note your chart of accounts. Relentify starts with a standard UK chart of accounts. If you've built custom accounts in Xero, jot those down so you can replicate them.

The migration process

Here's how to move from Xero to Relentify without the white-knuckle feeling.

Export your Xero data

Xero lets you export everything as CSV. Grab:

Chart of accounts (Settings > Chart of Accounts > Export)
Customer list (Contacts > Customers > Export)
Supplier list (Contacts > Suppliers > Export)
Trial balance (Reports > Trial Balance, set to your migration date, export as CSV)
Aged receivables detail (Reports > Aged Receivables Detail) — all unpaid invoices
Aged payables detail (Reports > Aged Payables Detail) — all unpaid bills
Fixed asset register if you have fixed assets (Accounting > Fixed Assets)

All of this is click-and-download. Takes 15 minutes tops.

Set up Relentify basics

Create your Relentify account and fill in:

Company name, registration number, VAT number, registered address
Financial year start date (match your Xero setup)
VAT scheme (standard, flat rate, cash accounting — whichever you use)
Bank accounts (if you use Open Banking, connect them for automatic feeds)

Import your chart of accounts

You have two paths:

Path 1: Use Relentify's default chart. Most small businesses do this. The default UK chart covers 95% of what you need. Add a few custom accounts manually if you've got specialist categories.

Path 2: Import your Xero chart via CSV. Relentify maps account types automatically. Anything that doesn't map cleanly gets flagged for manual review.

For speed, Path 1 wins. You're not changing your accounting structure — you're just moving platforms.

Upload customers and suppliers

Paste your customer and supplier CSVs into Relentify. Standard fields map automatically: name, email, address, phone, VAT number. Review the import preview, confirm, and move on.

Enter opening balances (the critical step)

This is where most migrations either succeed cleanly or stumble. Your opening balances have to match your Xero closing balances exactly. Not approximately. Exactly.

Use the trial balance you exported from Xero. Navigate to Settings > Opening Balances in Relentify and enter each account's balance. Or use Relentify's bulk import template (format matches Xero's trial balance export).

Once entered, run a trial balance in Relentify and compare it line-by-line with your Xero trial balance. If the totals match, you're solid. If they don't, find the discrepancy and fix it before you proceed. This is the moment to catch errors, not six weeks later.

Handle outstanding invoices and bills

For unpaid invoices and bills from Xero, pick one:

Option A: Roll them into opening balances. Include total outstanding receivables and payables as opening balance entries. Simpler, but you lose the individual invoice detail in Relentify.

Option B: Recreate them in Relentify. Manually create outstanding invoices and bills with their original dates and amounts. Preserves audit trail and lets you track payment against specific invoices.

Option B takes longer but is worth it. Your accountant will thank you, and you'll have a complete record when HMRC asks.

Connect bank feeds and set up recurring items

If you use Open Banking, connect your Relentify bank accounts for automatic feeds going forward. Historical transactions live in your Xero archive.

Recurring invoices, bills, or journal entries? Recreate them in Relentify. Check your Xero recurring transactions list so you don't miss any.

Authorise HMRC for Making Tax Digital

If you filed VAT through Xero, you need to authorise Relentify with HMRC for MTD. Log into HMRC's online services and grant permission to Relentify. You can only have one MTD-authorised software at a time — authorising Relentify removes Xero's authorisation.

Verify everything

Run these reports in Relentify and compare them to your Xero PDFs:

Trial balance (totals match?)
Aged receivables (outstanding invoices match?)
Aged payables (outstanding bills match?)
Bank account balances (match your actual bank?)

If all four reconcile, migration complete.

Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

Not reconciling Xero first. Unreconciled transactions become discrepancies you'll spend days chasing. Reconcile everything.

Migrating mid-VAT period. Creates a nightmare figuring out which platform covers which period and how to report it to HMRC. Wait for a period boundary if you can.

Forgetting recurring transactions. That recurring invoice set up two years ago? Easy to miss. Review your full Xero recurring list before deactivating the account.

Cancelling Xero too soon. Keep your Xero account live (read-only if possible) for at least a month after migration. It's your reference if you need to check historical data during the transition. Once you're confident Relentify is handling everything, then cancel. Remember, HMRC requires six years of VAT records, so save PDF copies of all key reports — those are your permanent archive.

How long does migration actually take?

For a typical small business (standard chart of accounts, fewer than 500 customers, under 100 outstanding invoices): two to four hours. Larger businesses or complex setups: a full day.

Most of that time is front-loaded data prep. Once the migration is done, you immediately get the benefit: a simpler platform, lower monthly cost, and if you're consolidating from multiple tools, a unified system that doesn't require constant integration repairs. (If you're coming from other platforms too, we've got guides for migrating from QuickBooks, FreshBooks, and Sage as well.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose any data when I migrate from Xero to Relentify?

No. If you follow the checklist above — especially reconciling Xero beforehand and verifying opening balances in Relentify — you bring everything across. What you do leave behind is: historical transaction detail for invoices/bills you rolled into opening balances (as opposed to recreating individually), and access to historical Xero reports once you cancel the subscription. That's why saving PDFs beforehand matters.

Do I need to file VAT returns differently in Relentify?

Not really. Relentify's VAT return process is identical to Xero's from a workflow perspective: categorise your transactions, run your VAT report, authorise HMRC submission. The main difference is you're logged into Relentify instead of Xero. You'll need to authorise Relentify with HMRC for Making Tax Digital (one-time process).

What if my Xero chart of accounts doesn't match Relentify's default?

If you've got custom accounts or a non-standard structure, you have two options: (1) import your Xero chart via CSV and let Relentify map it, or (2) start with Relentify's default chart and add custom accounts manually as needed. Most small businesses find option 2 faster because Relentify's defaults already cover standard deductions, VAT, fixed assets, etc. You're just adding a few specialist categories on top.

Can Relentify import my historical invoices and bills?

Yes, for outstanding invoices/bills at the time of migration (see "Handle outstanding invoices and bills" above). For historical invoices from years back, those stay archived in Xero — you don't need to import them. For the current period, recreate outstanding items in Relentify so your aged receivables/payables reports are complete going forward.

Do you offer migration support?

Yes. If your migration is complex — multiple entities, custom integrations, or large data volumes — Relentify's support team can guide you through the process. Reach out via live chat for questions, or to discuss guided migration if you want a second set of eyes.

How soon after migration can I cancel my Xero subscription?

Wait at least a month. Keep it in read-only mode if possible so you have a reference point for historical data during the handoff period. Once you're confident Relentify is handling invoicing, reconciliation, and VAT correctly, cancel. Your exported data and saved reports serve as your permanent archive.

Does migrating to Relentify mean I need to change my VAT scheme?

No. Whatever VAT scheme you're using in Xero (standard, flat rate, cash accounting), Relentify handles it the same way. You just need to configure it correctly during setup. For more detail on feature differences between the two platforms, see our Relentify vs Xero comparison.

Ready to switch?

Migration from Xero to Relentify is straightforward if you approach it methodically. You're not doing anything complex — just exporting data from one system, importing it into another, and verifying the numbers match.

The real win isn't the migration itself. It's what comes after: accounting software that costs half as much, and if you're consolidating from other tools, a unified platform where invoicing, CRM, helpdesk, and time tracking all live in one place without integration breaks.

Try Relentify free for 14 days. No credit card required.