Invoices/Bills - Separate field for posting date and invoice date
Ability to have separate fields for posting date and invoice date.
Purpose: To make users can ensure the expense is recorded in the appropriate month (posting date), and the due date is properly calculated (invoice date).

Hi community, we appreciate this idea has collected a fair amount of interest which has all been shared with and reviewed by the product team.
While this isn't currently being worked on there are other ideas this team are working on right now, including a bulk void feature and highlighting rows when selected. Although these features are still under development process and we don't have confirmed release dates yet.
With regards to having a separate field for the posting date and invoice date, our team is interested in better understanding this idea as it may be something they look to develop down the track. They really appreciate and encourage you to continue to share your experiences, pain points and insights. This will help them understand how this feature can benefit you and other customers, as well as gauge demand for it.
As always, if there's any change we will let you know via this idea.
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Laurie Boucher commented
Posting date and Invoice Date is critical for month-end and year-end close. Basic function a finance system NEEDS.
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Jamie Loeb commented
This is one feature in QB that I miss. When setting up a repeating invoice, there are three dates needed. 1) Invoice date, 2) days past invoice date due, and 3) days before invoice to post. Then when number 3 day hits, the repeating invoice(s) will automatically post to my receivables. For people who have repeating invoices, this would be a nice feature.
When a customer pays early, we can only reconcile the payment received to the posted invoice. Either have the feature to set up pre-posting of invoices or allow us to reconcile payments to a repeating invoice yet to be posted.
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Deirdre Foley commented
I am shocked that a system that purports to be financial does not have this feature. It is a requirement of accounting and to be compliant with audit. I agree with others its not a nice to have but essential for the accurate running of any accounts. My predecessor moved us to Xero before I joined the company. However, this clearly something that is a critical requirement. With no known date to resolve, the lack of updates and the statement it is not currently being worked on, I have no alternative but to change systems.
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Marcel Drozdik commented
As mentioned by others below, this is absolutely one of critical features. Not only would this allow for efficient accruals process, it also avoids having to manually manipulate invoice dates to account for locked periods etc. Please provide an update with an estimated timeline.
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Andrea Mattaliano commented
This isn't just a "nice-to-have"—it's a critical feature that all accrual accounting systems should support. By not offering this functionality, Xero risks losing startups and other businesses that require it to operate effectively.
It’s been about a year since Xero last communicated on this topic. Has there been any progress or updates? This feature is essential, and it’s frustrating to see no movement on such a basic yet vital need.
Looking forward to hearing where things stand.
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Sumit Khapli commented
From my point of view, we need a placeholder for date so that we can add-subtract and provide a range in the invoice for the servicing period.
Example : Weekly invoices need a placeholder in the description saying for which week this is being invoiced for. Giving a week number is fruitless as no one in the payment team will understand this. They need a range like 04 Nov 2024 to 08 Nov 2024 or 04/11/2024 - 8/11/2024 or 4-8 Nov 2024 -
John Fallon commented
Critical feature - I will be moving 40+ Xero subscriptions to another accounting system if Xero doesn't improve on basic features like this. Xero - listen to your customers. Adapt of be left behind.
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Andrew Pisani commented
This is very critical to be able to handle accrual accounting concepts.
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Ingrid Crozier commented
This is a requirement when it comes to accrual-basis accounting and prevents the ability to do any sort of month-end or quarter-end close process, as using the invoice date would backdate transactions into "closed" periods. If the posting date is entered into the invoice date field, then you have incorrect invoice details in Xero that do not match the invoice itself. This is absolutely a critical requirement and I am very surprised this feature does not already or exist, or is even being worked on at the moment.
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Glenda De Marinis commented
This is a business critical feature for basic month end closing if you are running a business with accrual accounting as your basis.
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Glenda De Marinis commented
This field is critical when running accrual accounting in order to have an effective close off
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Peace Ng commented
Features to allow user to enter both "Documents Date" and "Posting Date" when we record for any single transaction instead only one column of "Date".
For example, the invoice date could be 30 of Jun 2024 but as we receive this invoice later, on 10 of Jul. With this, I cannot book this invoice in Jun ledgers, because the month had closed. So, I have to book (post) the invoice in Jul ledgers, on 10th.
Any updates would be appreciate. -
Kayleigh Collins commented
This is absolutely vital for business's which have a hard close at the end of every month. Without this feature we have to enter the posting date as the invoice date which means aged payable reports are inaccurate.
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Stephen Cockshott commented
As an SME with no bookkeeper, this has recently caused me a few (!) problems.
The current date field has no legend associated with it. I, wrongly, assumed that this must be provided for the invoice date. Well, surely the system knows when the bill was paid and imported to Xero, so why would there be a changeable date field if it wasn't for the invoice date - the 'unknown' missing bit of vital information associated with an invoice!!
I was stunned to discover that it was for the posting date. This has to be fixed, but I see that it was first raised over 2 years ago!
I'm not an accountant, but recording the invoice date is surely accounting 101. Yes, there are lengthy workarounds for this - but this isn't what I would call beautiful business.
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Adriana Salazar commented
@Hannah G and Xero Admin Team,
The why we need this separate field is related with the ability to close each month and don't need to open again when invoices come on a later date. Currently you need to either open again and post with the document date or post it in the current month with the current date and ignore the real date on the invoice/receipt.
The first option is not ideal as all the month reporting will change after posting an invoice. The second option creates confusion as the date used to post is not the real date on the invoice/receipt, it isn't ideal for audit trail.
I have seen the two fields in many other accounting softwares, so I am not 100% sure why Xero does not have it. I will be vary valuable if an Accountant is part of the admin team, because the Accountant will know why this is important and will be able to help the rest of the team understand.Thanks in advance
Adriana -
Delta Cavanaugh commented
This would make month end go smoother. It should be a standard feature.
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Julia Kember commented
This would be an incredibly good resource to have. It should be standard!
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Victoria Ellis commented
Please feel free to get in touch with our team and we will assist in any way we can
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Hannah Cooke commented
The number of comments below show how important this feature is for any accounting function. This is standard across all other accounting software. The lack of this feature is creating additional work arounds for the team and duplication of costs. Please add this functionality as a matter of urgency or we will have to consider looking at alternative providers.
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Michelle Wennen commented
This should be a standard feature...as it is in practically every other accounting system!
The inability to include both the legal invoice date and a separate posting / transaction / accounting date is my biggest frustration with Xero.