MYOB to Xero conversion and Xero setup, done by accountants

Moving accounting software is one of those jobs that looks like an afternoon and turns into a month. The data comes across, but the GST codes are wrong, the bank feed doubles up, a contractor shows up as an employee, leave balances are off by a week, and the first BAS out of the new system doesn't match the last one out of the old. Most of that is avoidable with a plan.

BPAG works in Xero every day: we update clients' books daily, reconcile and pay bills in it, and run payroll through it. Here's how we move a business into Xero, and when we'd tell you not to bother.

Should you move from MYOB to Xero at all?

Not always. Switching costs time and a little disruption, so it should solve a real problem.

MYOB has changed how its AccountRight files work: from 17 June 2026, PC Edition no longer supports offline company files, so many businesses are being pushed to move their file online or change software. If you're in that position, our guide to Xero vs MYOB is the place to start.

What gets moved in a MYOB to Xero conversion?

Our Xero and MYOB support agent gives step-by-step technical help for the specific products you use. Your accountant decides what moves, how it's coded and what the opening balances should be.

How does a MYOB to Xero conversion work, step by step?

1. Pick the conversion date. The first day of a financial year (1 July) is cleanest. The first day of a BAS quarter or month also works. Avoid the middle of a period, or one BAS will be split across two systems.
2. Close off MYOB properly. Reconcile every bank and credit card account to the conversion date, clear old unpresented items, review debtors and creditors for things that will never be paid, and post year-end or quarter-end adjustments. Rubbish in MYOB becomes rubbish in Xero.
3. Export the data. Trial balance at the conversion date, aged receivables and payables, contact lists, items, asset register, and payroll reports including leave balances and year-to-date figures.
4. Build the Xero file. Organisation details, financial year, GST registration and accounting basis (cash or accrual), a clean chart of accounts with correct tax codes, tracking categories for departments or jobs, invoice templates, and user access.
5. Load conversion balances. Enter the trial balance and individual open invoices and bills, then check that Xero's balance sheet and aged reports match MYOB to the cent.
6. Connect bank feeds. Set up direct feeds for each account and card. Feeds can take some time to start, so we import the gap from statement files. Our bank statement conversion agent turns PDF statements into checked import files when a bank only provides PDFs.
7. Move payroll (if applicable) and test a pay run before going live.
8. Run both, briefly. For the first period, we compare key reports from both systems before relying on Xero alone.
9. Lock and archive. Set a lock date in Xero at the conversion date, keep the MYOB file or a full set of reports accessible, and only then cancel MYOB.

How do you move payroll and Single Touch Payroll without problems?

Payroll is where a software change can hurt your staff. Get it wrong and someone is paid the wrong rate, loses leave, or receives two income statements for one year.

What we set up and check:

• Employees and their details: tax file number declarations, super fund choice, bank accounts, start dates and employment type.
• Pay items mapped to the award or agreement: ordinary hours, penalty rates, overtime, allowances and leave loading. A move is a good moment to check those rates are right; our award compliance check can run alongside.
• Leave balances: annual leave, personal leave and long service leave, agreed to MYOB at the conversion date.
• Year-to-date figures: if you move during a financial year, we agree with you how year-to-date amounts are carried across and reported through Single Touch Payroll, so each employee ends the year with one correct income statement, not two partial ones.
• Super under Payday Super: from 1 July 2026, employers must pay super with each payday and the contribution must reach the employee's fund within 7 business days. We set up super payments in Xero so they're made with each pay run, not quarterly.
• A test pay run: before the first live pay, we run a pay in parallel and compare it line by line with what MYOB would have paid.

If the move falls in the middle of the year, 1 July is often worth waiting for. If it can't wait, the start of a pay cycle that matches a BAS period is the next best choice.

What does a good Xero setup look like?

Even without a migration, a lot of Xero files we inherit were set up in a hurry. Signs of a file that needs fixing:

• Dozens of expense accounts nobody uses, and a "General Expenses" account with half the costs in it
• GST codes that don't match the account (for example, bank fees coded with GST)
• Owner drawings, loans and personal expenses mixed together
• Bank rules that code transactions incorrectly every month
• No tracking categories, so you can't see profit by location or job
• Old suspense and clearing accounts with balances no one can explain

A clean setup has a chart of accounts designed around how you want to read your numbers, tax defaults set correctly on each account, bank rules that are reviewed, and reports that show you what you need each month. Our transaction coding agent suggests account codes and GST for unreconciled bank lines; your bookkeeper or accountant approves each one. The rules learn from approved coding, not guesses.

Xero cut-over checklist

Use this whether we do the work or you do it yourself.

• Conversion date chosen and agreed with your accountant
• All MYOB bank and card accounts reconciled to the conversion date
• Last BAS from MYOB lodged and agreed to the general ledger
• Trial balance, aged receivables and payables, asset register and payroll reports exported at the conversion date
• Xero organisation, financial year, GST basis and chart of accounts set up
• Conversion balances entered and the balance sheet agreed to MYOB
• Open invoices and bills entered individually
• Bank feeds connected and the gap imported
• Employees, pay items, leave balances and year-to-date figures loaded and checked
• Payday Super payments set up and a test pay run completed
• Xero lock date set at the conversion date
• MYOB file or full reports kept for the record-keeping period
• Your team trained on the tasks they'll do daily (approving bills, raising invoices, receipts)

How does Xero setup and migration work with BPAG?

1. Free scoping call. We find out what you use now, what's working, what isn't and how many employees you pay. If staying put is the better answer, we'll say so.
2. Fixed quote and a date. You get a fixed fee and a recommended conversion date.
3. We do the conversion and setup as above, with your accountant checking balances, GST and payroll.
4. You approve it. We walk you through the new file and the agreed opening position.
5. Ongoing support. Many clients then move onto daily bookkeeping with us, so the file stays clean. See our Xero bookkeeping service.

Our agents draft the coding, imports and checklists; qualified accountants review and approve every balance and setting before you rely on it. Your data stays in Australia.

What does a Xero conversion cost?

Conversions are quoted as a fixed fee, based on how much history moves, how many bank accounts and employees are involved, and the state of the MYOB file. If you join one of our ongoing plans, which include bookkeeping, BAS and annual statements, we'll tell you upfront how the setup is handled. Compare the plans on our pricing page.

When to do it yourself: a sole trader or a small business with no payroll, one bank account and simple GST can usually set up Xero alone at the start of a financial year. Ask us to check the chart of accounts and GST settings once, and you'll avoid most of the problems we see later.

What mistakes do we see in Xero migrations?

• Converting mid-quarter, so one BAS has to be stitched together from two systems.
• Conversion balances that don't agree to the last signed financial statements, discovered at year end.
• Duplicate transactions from a bank feed that started earlier than the conversion date.
• Contractors set up as employees, or the reverse, carrying a payroll problem into the new system. Our employee vs contractor guide explains the tests.
• Leave balances re-keyed by hand and never checked against payslips.
• The old file cancelled too early, before the record-keeping period ends.

What should you send us?

• Which MYOB product and version you use, and access to the file
• The last lodged BAS and last signed financial statements
• Bank, card and loan account details (and statements to the conversion date)
• A list of employees, the award or agreement that covers them, and the latest payroll reports
• Any apps connected to MYOB (point of sale, inventory, ecommerce, job management)
• What you'd like to see in your monthly reports, so we can design the chart of accounts around it

General information only, current as at 18 October 2026. It is not personal tax, legal or financial product advice and doesn't take your circumstances into account. Talk to us before you act. Where a recommendation needs a licensed financial adviser or a solicitor, we work alongside them.