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Agree that this is a basic accounting feature and should be considered as an enhancement by Xero. The inefficiencies/ extra work created by lack of this functionality should not exist and doesn't align with best accounting practice.

Also see 'Lock Dates - Allow old bills/invoices to fall into current accounting period' which has a number of recent votes and comments for the same issue.

Would like to see a development/ enhancement by Xero to rectify this issue as it is difficult to see how this functionality works with a scaling business.

I'm a new user to Xero and I'm quite shocked this isn't a feature. This is basic accounting for the common situation that an invoice is received later than it's date or can't be processed until the following month. If we have closed the January period, we should have the ability to post a January dated invoice in February and be able to keep the "invoice date" as the correct invoice date, and have a subsequent additional "posting date" of within February. This invoice would be posted through Xero in February with the reports being able to note both the posting date and invoice date.
Please sort this as a huge priority!!

This feature to me is critical, otherwise I don't understand how the month end process can be properly run. When doing month end reports we effectively need to "lock" in the current period (e.g. July) and avoid making amendments to July in the future, because the numbers have already been shared with management.

But for example if we receive an invoice late (e.g. September) that relates to July, the only option now is put one date in Xero (which would be the invoice date) but that also means the invoice will be posted back in July and therefore changing the numbers previously reported.

All the systems I have worked with allowed an "invoice date" and a "posted date" to be separate fields.

I know that periods can be locked, but that September invoice will then need to be posted with a 1/9/25 date rather than its correct July date, which will skew other reporting.

No update after 2022. Most of the accounting system will have posting and invoice date as different field. Invoice date is important for transaction searching and audit purpose to identify transaction in particular period. Because of the current restriction and we have strict period cut off and lock the previous financial month, we end up need to change invoice date to current period for posting in Xero. Xero support please update the status of this request. Is there any other premium module that we can have this feature available?

This is a critical management and audit tool. It would allow late invoices to be easily identified during audit. Management accounts produced at say, 31st March, may well differ from Xero reports run at audit dates, which may be several months after year end.

Hi, with regards to having a separate field for the posting date and invoice date, it is primarily to recognise a cost/expense in the month it is posted whilst still being able to post it with the correct supplier invoice date as this affects payment in line with due dates. This is because we sometimes receive late invoices from suppliers, for example, we may receive a cleaning invoice on the 14/07/25 but the invoice is dated 30/06/25 and is for cleaning services in June. Currently Xero only allows us to process this under a July date if we have locked the dates down, but we need to be able to process this with a correct invoice date of 30/06/25 but a posting date of 14/07/25, so the cost is recognised in July rather than June. This may be different for some businesses but for this one, we have already reported on the June management accounts and cannot make any changes/adjustments to them, hence why we have to recognise the cost in July. Hope this all makes sense!

Create the functionality to post supplier (overhead) invoices with an effective date within the current month, regardless of the actual date of the invoice itself. I.e. I want/need to be able to process supplier invoices that are received late as the date they have been generated, but to still recognise the expense in the current month's P&: rather than change a previous/historical one that has already been closed off/finalised.

I am in agreement with most of the previous commenters. Being able to post invoices in the appropriate period with the actual date listed on invoice is necessary to have accurate info for GAAP reporting and when being audited. Once a period is closed (12/2024 for example), an invoice with a date from December 2024 should not be able to post to the December period but should be posted in January 2025 but with the December invoice date, the actual invoice date needs to be listed to matching requirements for internal controls and audits. All other accounting systems I have used have a "post period" separate from the entry/invoice date; please reference other accounting systems or speak with partners at a reputable audit firm.

This is an essential need for a finance system that supports accruals accounting and all other finance systems I have worked with all have this functionality. It enables a proper month end close process, as otherwise figures can be forever moving (even if you lock down the reports or date - what do you do if you get an invoice through late? Either you back post it or you post it with the wrong date currently).

For audit and tax purposes you have to post invoices at their tax point but that means you can't lock down a period fully to accurately report in Xero at the moment. Having an additional field for posting date or period (which can be input similarly to invoice date) would fix this.

Posting date and Invoice Date is critical for month-end and year-end close. Basic function a finance system NEEDS.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

This is very critical to be able to handle accrual accounting concepts.

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.

This is a business critical feature for basic month end closing if you are running a business with accrual accounting as your basis. Not only is it critical when running accrual accounting in order to have an effective close off, but it is a basic accounting feature that needs to be included.

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.