Settings and activity
21 results found
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20 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment An error occurred while saving the comment 
Campbell Green
commented
Dear Lois,
Thank you for bringing up your concerns regarding data backups and compliance with the Tax Practitioners Board's (TPB) new rules and regulations. We understand your desire for a simple, built-in backup feature within Xero.
The concept of a "single-click" restore or backup in Xero is a myth and far more complex than it initially seems. It's not a straightforward process like restoring a file on your computer. Furthermore, in today's increasingly regulated environment, more and more businesses are seeking to meet compliance frameworks such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, and others. For these organizations, the need for a comprehensive Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is paramount, far exceeding the value of a simple, incomplete restore.
Why Relying on Xero for Backups is Not Practical
While it might seem logical for Xero to provide a built-in backup feature, relying solely on your accounting platform for backups is generally impractical and risky. Here's why:
Proprietary Formats Limit Flexibility:
- Xero, if it were to offer backups, would likely store them in proprietary formats. These formats are designed to be compatible only with Xero. This poses a significant risk. In a disaster recovery (DR) scenario, you might find yourself unable to access your data if you need to switch to a different platform.
Enhanced Disaster Recovery:
- Disaster recovery is about more than just having a backup; it's about having a plan to restore your business operations swiftly. If Xero's backup is in a proprietary format, you could face delays and complications during a DR event.
Redundancy and Security:
- Relying on a single backup solution is risky. If Xero experiences a failure or cyber-attack, your data could be compromised. Using a third-party backup service adds an extra layer of security.
Counterparty Risk:
- Relying on one vendor for both your accounting platform and backup solution introduces counterparty risk. Diversifying your backup solutions by using third-party providers mitigates this risk.A Real-Life Example: QuickBooks Online Backups
Many Xero users point to QuickBooks Online, which allows users to back up their data to a local drive, as an example of why Xero should offer a similar feature. However, this seemingly convenient feature presents its own challenges. QuickBooks Online backups are typically saved in a proprietary format, which is not directly usable for recovery into another accounting platform.
Therefore, even with a built-in backup feature, the lack of data portability due to proprietary formats can severely hinder your ability to recover your financial data effectively.
The Importance of Business Continuity Planning (BCP)
Lois, your requirement to "keep a backup copy of the data file" is crucial for compliance. However, it's not just about having a backup; it's about having a comprehensive Business Continuity Plan (BCP).
Why Control-C is a Sound Solution
This is where a third-party application like Control-C becomes invaluable. Control-C provides:
- Open Format Backups: Control-C offers backups of your Xero data in open formats, ensuring your data remains accessible and portable.
- Comprehensive BCP Assistance: We offer professional consulting services to help you formulate a robust BCP. This includes developing a tailored strategy for recovering your financial records in your required format and platform.
- Compliance Framework Support: We understand the importance of compliance with frameworks like ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and others. Our services help you meet these requirements.
- Auditable Record Keeping: Control-C provides auditable record-keeping, which is essential for compliance and maintaining accurate financial records.
- Operational Continuity: Control-C is designed to help you recover your data and maintain business operations, not just store a static backup.Addressing Your Concerns
You mentioned, "We do not want to start a new Xero file from a backup - that is not logical." We completely agree. A proper BCP ensures you can recover your data and continue operations with minimal disruption.
While a built-in Xero backup button might seem convenient, it wouldn't address the broader compliance and recovery needs you face. Control-C, on the other hand, provides a comprehensive solution that meets the TPB's requirements and ensures your business's financial data is secure and recoverable.
We'd be happy to schedule a call to discuss your specific needs and demonstrate how Control-C can help you achieve compliance and ensure business continuity.
Sincerely,
Campbell Green
Control-C.com -
6 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Hello @Rachel.
Control-C, a Xero App Store partner offers this functionality as one of their many features, including daily backups of your Xero data. I have attached some screen shots for you of the Contacts data showing if they are a Customer, Supplier or both in XLSX file format (CSV also available)...
🌟 Special Offer for Xero Community Members 🌟
Find us in the Xero App Store...
Simply enter the Promo Code "Immutable" (case sensitive) when prompted during registration
➡️ **A free backup of your Xero data**
➡️ **3 months free subscription, no obligation to continue**Let us know if you’d like help setting it up or seeing how it works with your organisation.
— The Control-C Team
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647 votes
Thanks for your expressions and feedback in a bulk download or print facility for Files (either from the Files library or at an individual transaction level)
We know that bulk operations can be handy, however at this time we have no plans to develop this functionality. We know it might seem like a small feat, however often even small change is more tightly woven and intricate to solve beneath the surface.
While we understand this must be frustrating to hear, we’re currently focused on making improvements in other areas of Xero and are unable to prioritise a bulk download or print feature right now.
However, in situations like these there are often connected apps through the Xero App Store that may be able to assist. We appreciate and will revise solutions that could fulfil needs in this space, but want to be honest this isn’t something we have plans for…An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
📂 **New Feature Just Released:
🚀 **BULK Export All Invoices as PDF + Attachments**
You can now export your entire invoice history — organised by Contact Name → Invoice Number → Invoice PDF + all attachments. No more digging, no more manual sorting. Just clean, complete records at your fingertips.
ALSO — Coming Soon from Control-C!
🚀 **Unlimited Addresses for Xero Contacts**
Still stuck with just one address per contact in Xero? That’s about to change!
Control-C is launching a game-changing update that gives you the freedom to use as many addresses as you need — no workarounds, no frustration, and most importantly, no compromise to your historical invoice integrity.
🧠 **Why This Matters**
Xero’s current design means that if you update a contact’s name or address, every past invoice linked to that contact is retroactively changed. That’s not just inconvenient — it’s a serious audit risk. You lose the original invoice details, making it impossible to reissue a true copy or prove compliance.
Control-C solves this.
Our upcoming multiple-address support doesn’t just let you pick any address for any invoice — it also preserves the original invoice exactly as it was issued. Every change is versioned, every invoice is backed up, and your audit trail stays intact.
🛡️ **Total Peace of Mind**
- Immutable invoice history — even if you update a contact, the original invoice remains untouched.
- Automated backups with full version control.
- Audit-compliant record keeping, built into every invoice.🚨 **Early Access: Sign Up Now!**
Be among the first to experience true address freedom in Xero.
- Secure your spot for early access
- Get your historical invoices safely backed up before launch
- Receive a free backup for 3 months to try out our new and upcoming features.👉 Join the Early Access List Now
📧 Email us at **earlybird@control-c.com** to register your interest. -
12 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
📂 **New Feature Just Released:
🚀 **BULK Export All Invoices as PDF + Attachments**
You can now export your entire invoice history — organised by Contact Name → Invoice Number → Invoice PDF + all attachments. No more digging, no more manual sorting. Just clean, complete records at your fingertips.
ALSO — Coming Soon from Control-C!
🚀 **Unlimited Addresses for Xero Contacts**
Still stuck with just one address per contact in Xero? That’s about to change!
Control-C is launching a game-changing update that gives you the freedom to use as many addresses as you need — no workarounds, no frustration, and most importantly, no compromise to your historical invoice integrity.
🧠 **Why This Matters**
Xero’s current design means that if you update a contact’s name or address, every past invoice linked to that contact is retroactively changed. That’s not just inconvenient — it’s a serious audit risk. You lose the original invoice details, making it impossible to reissue a true copy or prove compliance.
Control-C solves this.
Our upcoming multiple-address support doesn’t just let you pick any address for any invoice — it also preserves the original invoice exactly as it was issued. Every change is versioned, every invoice is backed up, and your audit trail stays intact.
🛡️ **Total Peace of Mind**
- Immutable invoice history — even if you update a contact, the original invoice remains untouched.
- Automated backups with full version control.
- Audit-compliant record keeping, built into every invoice.🚨 **Early Access: Sign Up Now!**
Be among the first to experience true address freedom in Xero.
- Secure your spot for early access
- Get your historical invoices safely backed up before launch
- Receive a free backup for 3 months to try out our new and upcoming features.👉 Join the Early Access List Now
📧 Email us at **earlybird@control-c.com** to register your interest. -
1,316 votes
Thanks for your continued engagement and valuable feedback on this long-standing idea, everyone. We've been carefully reviewing your comments and want to acknowledge the clear sentiment of frustration regarding the current limitations around managing multiple addresses for contacts, particularly for invoicing and delivery purposes, and that this is a critical feature to many of you.
We want to share an update on our progress here - We're pleased to confirm that the foundational work for handling multiple addresses has been completed within the Contacts area of Xero. This was a crucial first step. Building on this, now that all customers are on the new invoicing experience our product team has moved into the discovery phase for adding multiple addresses directly within invoicing. This means they are actively exploring the best way to implement this functionality to meet your needs effectively.
We appreciate your patience as we work through the complexities…
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
🚀 **Unlimited Addresses for Xero Contacts — Coming Soon from Control-C!**
Still stuck with just one address per contact in Xero? That’s about to change!
Control-C is launching a game-changing update that gives you the freedom to use as many addresses as you need — no workarounds, no frustration, and most importantly, no compromise to your historical invoice integrity.
🧠 **Why This Matters**
Xero’s current design means that if you update a contact’s name or address, every past invoice linked to that contact is retroactively changed. That’s not just inconvenient — it’s a serious audit risk. You lose the original invoice details, making it impossible to reissue a true copy or prove compliance.
Control-C solves this.
Our upcoming multiple-address support doesn’t just let you pick any address for any invoice — it also preserves the original invoice exactly as it was issued. Every change is versioned, every invoice is backed up, and your audit trail stays intact.
🛡️ **Total Peace of Mind**
- Immutable invoice history — even if you update a contact, the original invoice remains untouched.
- Automated backups with full version control.
- Audit-compliant record keeping, built into every invoice.📂 **New Feature Just Released: BULK Export All Invoices as PDF + Attachments**
You can now export your entire invoice history — organised by Contact Name → Invoice Number → Invoice PDF + all attachments. No more digging, no more manual sorting. Just clean, complete records at your fingertips.
🚨 **Early Access: Sign Up Now!**
Be among the first to experience true address freedom in Xero.
- Secure your spot for early access
- Get your historical invoices safely backed up before launch
- Receive a free backup until our multiple-address release goes live👉 Join the Early Access List Now
📧 Email us at **earlybird@control-c.com** to register your interest. -
14 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
We can probably help you out here....
Granular Access Control – Secure, Zero Trust Permissions
Control-C’s new security model introduces a level of granularity never seen before in managing access to your Xero financial data. Traditionally, giving an employee access to run an Aged Payables or Aged Receivables report meant exposing your entire financial landscape – including sensitive areas like your Profit & Loss, balance sheet, bank transactions, and even other employees’ bonus information. Xero’s native user roles are fairly broad (e.g. standard user or advisor roles grant wide access). Not anymore.With Control-C’s Zero Trust-based security framework, you can now restrict access to just the specific data or reports your team members need – and nothing more. Want a staff member to run only the Aged Receivables report? You can grant that exact permission, without also giving away the rest of your accounting info. No more over-exposure or “all-or-nothing” access. For example, an accounts clerk can be set up to view and export customer invoices and aging reports, but cannot see the general ledger or payroll details. A junior bookkeeper could be limited to inputting bills and viewing the payables report, without any visibility of bank balances or management reports. You define roles at a fine-grained level – a stark contrast to Xero, where even a read-only user can see almost everything.
This precision access control is built from the ground up, aligning with modern Zero Trust security principles that assume no implicit trust – every access is explicitly granted and minimal. For accountants and compliance officers, this means better internal controls and cleaner audit trails. You can demonstrate that even within your organisation, sensitive financial data is only accessible on a strict need-to-know basis. For instance, an auditor or external accountant could be given a special “Auditor” role on Control-C: read-only access to relevant reports and the audit log, but nothing else. Meanwhile, your sales manager might have access to customer contact list backups (for business continuity) but not to any financials. These tailored permissions greatly reduce the risk of internal data leaks or unnecessary snooping.
For business owners, the benefit is peace of mind and professionalism. You no longer have to say, “I’ll give my assistant access to Xero, but I hope they don’t poke around the salaries or bank accounts.” Instead, you define their role on Control-C to exactly what they require (perhaps invoice creation and nothing else). It shows a commitment to confidentiality: employees see only what’s relevant to their job, which also reduces temptation and errors. And because the platform logs every access and download, you have a full audit trail of who viewed or exported data.
This Zero Trust security model is a unique selling point of Control-C’s platform. It effectively adds a new permission layer on top of Xero’s data, one that many businesses have long wished Xero itself had. By deploying it, you protect sensitive information by default while still empowering your team with the tools they need. The result is a more secure, compliant operation, where data access is precisely aligned with role and purpose – no more, no less.
If you would like to learn more visit Control-C.com or find us in the Xero App Store.
-
33 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Granular Access Control – Secure, Zero Trust Permissions
Control-C’s new security model introduces a level of granularity never seen before in managing access to your Xero financial data. Traditionally, giving an employee access to run an Aged Payables or Aged Receivables report meant exposing your entire financial landscape – including sensitive areas like your Profit & Loss, balance sheet, bank transactions, and even other employees’ bonus information. Xero’s native user roles are fairly broad (e.g. standard user or advisor roles grant wide access). Not anymore.With Control-C’s Zero Trust-based security framework, you can now restrict access to just the specific data or reports your team members need – and nothing more. Want a staff member to run only the Aged Receivables report? You can grant that exact permission, without also giving away the rest of your accounting info. No more over-exposure or “all-or-nothing” access. For example, an accounts clerk can be set up to view and export customer invoices and aging reports, but cannot see the general ledger or payroll details. A junior bookkeeper could be limited to inputting bills and viewing the payables report, without any visibility of bank balances or management reports. You define roles at a fine-grained level – a stark contrast to Xero, where even a read-only user can see almost everything.
This precision access control is built from the ground up, aligning with modern Zero Trust security principles that assume no implicit trust – every access is explicitly granted and minimal. For accountants and compliance officers, this means better internal controls and cleaner audit trails. You can demonstrate that even within your organisation, sensitive financial data is only accessible on a strict need-to-know basis. For instance, an auditor or external accountant could be given a special “Auditor” role on Control-C: read-only access to relevant reports and the audit log, but nothing else. Meanwhile, your sales manager might have access to customer contact list backups (for business continuity) but not to any financials. These tailored permissions greatly reduce the risk of internal data leaks or unnecessary snooping.
For business owners, the benefit is peace of mind and professionalism. You no longer have to say, “I’ll give my assistant access to Xero, but I hope they don’t poke around the salaries or bank accounts.” Instead, you define their role on Control-C to exactly what they require (perhaps invoice creation and nothing else). It shows a commitment to confidentiality: employees see only what’s relevant to their job, which also reduces temptation and errors. And because the platform logs every access and download, you have a full audit trail of who viewed or exported data.
This Zero Trust security model is a unique selling point of Control-C’s platform. It effectively adds a new permission layer on top of Xero’s data, one that many businesses have long wished Xero itself had. By deploying it, you protect sensitive information by default while still empowering your team with the tools they need. The result is a more secure, compliant operation, where data access is precisely aligned with role and purpose – no more, no less.
If you would like to learn more visit Control-C.com or find us in the Xero App Store.
-
46 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Granular Access Control – Secure, Zero Trust Permissions
Control-C’s new security model introduces a level of granularity never seen before in managing access to your Xero financial data. Traditionally, giving an employee access to run an Aged Payables or Aged Receivables report meant exposing your entire financial landscape – including sensitive areas like your Profit & Loss, balance sheet, bank transactions, and even other employees’ bonus information. Xero’s native user roles are fairly broad (e.g. standard user or advisor roles grant wide access). Not anymore.With Control-C’s Zero Trust-based security framework, you can now restrict access to just the specific data or reports your team members need – and nothing more. Want a staff member to run only the Aged Receivables report? You can grant that exact permission, without also giving away the rest of your accounting info. No more over-exposure or “all-or-nothing” access. For example, an accounts clerk can be set up to view and export customer invoices and aging reports, but cannot see the general ledger or payroll details. A junior bookkeeper could be limited to inputting bills and viewing the payables report, without any visibility of bank balances or management reports. You define roles at a fine-grained level – a stark contrast to Xero, where even a read-only user can see almost everything.
This precision access control is built from the ground up, aligning with modern Zero Trust security principles that assume no implicit trust – every access is explicitly granted and minimal. For accountants and compliance officers, this means better internal controls and cleaner audit trails. You can demonstrate that even within your organisation, sensitive financial data is only accessible on a strict need-to-know basis. For instance, an auditor or external accountant could be given a special “Auditor” role on Control-C: read-only access to relevant reports and the audit log, but nothing else. Meanwhile, your sales manager might have access to customer contact list backups (for business continuity) but not to any financials. These tailored permissions greatly reduce the risk of internal data leaks or unnecessary snooping.
For business owners, the benefit is peace of mind and professionalism. You no longer have to say, “I’ll give my assistant access to Xero, but I hope they don’t poke around the salaries or bank accounts.” Instead, you define their role on Control-C to exactly what they require (perhaps invoice creation and nothing else). It shows a commitment to confidentiality: employees see only what’s relevant to their job, which also reduces temptation and errors. And because the platform logs every access and download, you have a full audit trail of who viewed or exported data.
This Zero Trust security model is a unique selling point of Control-C’s platform. It effectively adds a new permission layer on top of Xero’s data, one that many businesses have long wished Xero itself had. By deploying it, you protect sensitive information by default while still empowering your team with the tools they need. The result is a more secure, compliant operation, where data access is precisely aligned with role and purpose – no more, no less.
If you would like to learn more visit Control-C.com or find us in the Xero App Store.
-
56 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Granular Access Control – Secure, Zero Trust Permissions
Control-C’s new security model introduces a level of granularity never seen before in managing access to your Xero financial data. Traditionally, giving an employee access to run an Aged Payables or Aged Receivables report meant exposing your entire financial landscape – including sensitive areas like your Profit & Loss, balance sheet, bank transactions, and even other employees’ bonus information. Xero’s native user roles are fairly broad (e.g. standard user or advisor roles grant wide access). Not anymore.With Control-C’s Zero Trust-based security framework, you can now restrict access to just the specific data or reports your team members need – and nothing more. Want a staff member to run only the Aged Receivables report? You can grant that exact permission, without also giving away the rest of your accounting info. No more over-exposure or “all-or-nothing” access. For example, an accounts clerk can be set up to view and export customer invoices and aging reports, but cannot see the general ledger or payroll details. A junior bookkeeper could be limited to inputting bills and viewing the payables report, without any visibility of bank balances or management reports. You define roles at a fine-grained level – a stark contrast to Xero, where even a read-only user can see almost everything.
This precision access control is built from the ground up, aligning with modern Zero Trust security principles that assume no implicit trust – every access is explicitly granted and minimal. For accountants and compliance officers, this means better internal controls and cleaner audit trails. You can demonstrate that even within your organisation, sensitive financial data is only accessible on a strict need-to-know basis. For instance, an auditor or external accountant could be given a special “Auditor” role on Control-C: read-only access to relevant reports and the audit log, but nothing else. Meanwhile, your sales manager might have access to customer contact list backups (for business continuity) but not to any financials. These tailored permissions greatly reduce the risk of internal data leaks or unnecessary snooping.
For business owners, the benefit is peace of mind and professionalism. You no longer have to say, “I’ll give my assistant access to Xero, but I hope they don’t poke around the salaries or bank accounts.” Instead, you define their role on Control-C to exactly what they require (perhaps invoice creation and nothing else). It shows a commitment to confidentiality: employees see only what’s relevant to their job, which also reduces temptation and errors. And because the platform logs every access and download, you have a full audit trail of who viewed or exported data.
This Zero Trust security model is a unique selling point of Control-C’s platform. It effectively adds a new permission layer on top of Xero’s data, one that many businesses have long wished Xero itself had. By deploying it, you protect sensitive information by default while still empowering your team with the tools they need. The result is a more secure, compliant operation, where data access is precisely aligned with role and purpose – no more, no less.
If you would like to learn more visit Control-C.com or find us in the Xero App Store.
-
61 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Granular Access Control – Secure, Zero Trust Permissions
Control-C’s new security model introduces a level of granularity never seen before in managing access to your Xero financial data. Traditionally, giving an employee access to run an Aged Payables or Aged Receivables report meant exposing your entire financial landscape – including sensitive areas like your Profit & Loss, balance sheet, bank transactions, and even other employees’ bonus information. Xero’s native user roles are fairly broad (e.g. standard user or advisor roles grant wide access). Not anymore.With Control-C’s Zero Trust-based security framework, you can now restrict access to just the specific data or reports your team members need – and nothing more. Want a staff member to run only the Aged Receivables report? You can grant that exact permission, without also giving away the rest of your accounting info. No more over-exposure or “all-or-nothing” access. For example, an accounts clerk can be set up to view and export customer invoices and aging reports, but cannot see the general ledger or payroll details. A junior bookkeeper could be limited to inputting bills and viewing the payables report, without any visibility of bank balances or management reports. You define roles at a fine-grained level – a stark contrast to Xero, where even a read-only user can see almost everything.
This precision access control is built from the ground up, aligning with modern Zero Trust security principles that assume no implicit trust – every access is explicitly granted and minimal. For accountants and compliance officers, this means better internal controls and cleaner audit trails. You can demonstrate that even within your organisation, sensitive financial data is only accessible on a strict need-to-know basis. For instance, an auditor or external accountant could be given a special “Auditor” role on Control-C: read-only access to relevant reports and the audit log, but nothing else. Meanwhile, your sales manager might have access to customer contact list backups (for business continuity) but not to any financials. These tailored permissions greatly reduce the risk of internal data leaks or unnecessary snooping.
For business owners, the benefit is peace of mind and professionalism. You no longer have to say, “I’ll give my assistant access to Xero, but I hope they don’t poke around the salaries or bank accounts.” Instead, you define their role on Control-C to exactly what they require (perhaps invoice creation and nothing else). It shows a commitment to confidentiality: employees see only what’s relevant to their job, which also reduces temptation and errors. And because the platform logs every access and download, you have a full audit trail of who viewed or exported data.
This Zero Trust security model is a unique selling point of Control-C’s platform. It effectively adds a new permission layer on top of Xero’s data, one that many businesses have long wished Xero itself had. By deploying it, you protect sensitive information by default while still empowering your team with the tools they need. The result is a more secure, compliant operation, where data access is precisely aligned with role and purpose – no more, no less.
If you would like to learn more visit Control-C.com or find us in the Xero App Store.
-
154 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Granular Access Control – Secure, Zero Trust Permissions
Control-C’s new security model introduces a level of granularity never seen before in managing access to your Xero financial data. Traditionally, giving an employee access to run an Aged Payables or Aged Receivables report meant exposing your entire financial landscape – including sensitive areas like your Profit & Loss, balance sheet, bank transactions, and even other employees’ bonus information. Xero’s native user roles are fairly broad (e.g. standard user or advisor roles grant wide access). Not anymore.With Control-C’s Zero Trust-based security framework, you can now restrict access to just the specific data or reports your team members need – and nothing more. Want a staff member to run only the Aged Receivables report? You can grant that exact permission, without also giving away the rest of your accounting info. No more over-exposure or “all-or-nothing” access. For example, an accounts clerk can be set up to view and export customer invoices and aging reports, but cannot see the general ledger or payroll details. A junior bookkeeper could be limited to inputting bills and viewing the payables report, without any visibility of bank balances or management reports. You define roles at a fine-grained level – a stark contrast to Xero, where even a read-only user can see almost everything.
This precision access control is built from the ground up, aligning with modern Zero Trust security principles that assume no implicit trust – every access is explicitly granted and minimal. For accountants and compliance officers, this means better internal controls and cleaner audit trails. You can demonstrate that even within your organisation, sensitive financial data is only accessible on a strict need-to-know basis. For instance, an auditor or external accountant could be given a special “Auditor” role on Control-C: read-only access to relevant reports and the audit log, but nothing else. Meanwhile, your sales manager might have access to customer contact list backups (for business continuity) but not to any financials. These tailored permissions greatly reduce the risk of internal data leaks or unnecessary snooping.
For business owners, the benefit is peace of mind and professionalism. You no longer have to say, “I’ll give my assistant access to Xero, but I hope they don’t poke around the salaries or bank accounts.” Instead, you define their role on Control-C to exactly what they require (perhaps invoice creation and nothing else). It shows a commitment to confidentiality: employees see only what’s relevant to their job, which also reduces temptation and errors. And because the platform logs every access and download, you have a full audit trail of who viewed or exported data.
This Zero Trust security model is a unique selling point of Control-C’s platform. It effectively adds a new permission layer on top of Xero’s data, one that many businesses have long wished Xero itself had. By deploying it, you protect sensitive information by default while still empowering your team with the tools they need. The result is a more secure, compliant operation, where data access is precisely aligned with role and purpose – no more, no less.
If you would like to learn more visit Control-C.com or find us in the Xero App Store.
-
167 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Granular Access Control – Secure, Zero Trust Permissions
Control-C’s new security model introduces a level of granularity never seen before in managing access to your Xero financial data. Traditionally, giving an employee access to run an Aged Payables or Aged Receivables report meant exposing your entire financial landscape – including sensitive areas like your Profit & Loss, balance sheet, bank transactions, and even other employees’ bonus information. Xero’s native user roles are fairly broad (e.g. standard user or advisor roles grant wide access). Not anymore.With Control-C’s Zero Trust-based security framework, you can now restrict access to just the specific data or reports your team members need – and nothing more. Want a staff member to run only the Aged Receivables report? You can grant that exact permission, without also giving away the rest of your accounting info. No more over-exposure or “all-or-nothing” access. For example, an accounts clerk can be set up to view and export customer invoices and aging reports, but cannot see the general ledger or payroll details. A junior bookkeeper could be limited to inputting bills and viewing the payables report, without any visibility of bank balances or management reports. You define roles at a fine-grained level – a stark contrast to Xero, where even a read-only user can see almost everything.
This precision access control is built from the ground up, aligning with modern Zero Trust security principles that assume no implicit trust – every access is explicitly granted and minimal. For accountants and compliance officers, this means better internal controls and cleaner audit trails. You can demonstrate that even within your organisation, sensitive financial data is only accessible on a strict need-to-know basis. For instance, an auditor or external accountant could be given a special “Auditor” role on Control-C: read-only access to relevant reports and the audit log, but nothing else. Meanwhile, your sales manager might have access to customer contact list backups (for business continuity) but not to any financials. These tailored permissions greatly reduce the risk of internal data leaks or unnecessary snooping.
For business owners, the benefit is peace of mind and professionalism. You no longer have to say, “I’ll give my assistant access to Xero, but I hope they don’t poke around the salaries or bank accounts.” Instead, you define their role on Control-C to exactly what they require (perhaps invoice creation and nothing else). It shows a commitment to confidentiality: employees see only what’s relevant to their job, which also reduces temptation and errors. And because the platform logs every access and download, you have a full audit trail of who viewed or exported data.
This Zero Trust security model is a unique selling point of Control-C’s platform. It effectively adds a new permission layer on top of Xero’s data, one that many businesses have long wished Xero itself had. By deploying it, you protect sensitive information by default while still empowering your team with the tools they need. The result is a more secure, compliant operation, where data access is precisely aligned with role and purpose – no more, no less.
If you would like to learn more visit Control-C.com or find us in the Xero App Store.
-
277 votes
Hi everyone, thanks for the interest in this idea.
As you can appreciate, user roles span across the entire Xero product so there’s many combinations of permissions our customers want to see us build. Specifically, our reporting product team is very much aware of the challenges with the current permission sets relating to sharing individual reports with different users and are beginning to look into how we might be able to alleviate some of these reporting challenges.
However, at this stage it’s far too early to anticipate or confirm any direction on where this discovery work will lead, but it will inform our next steps. Additionally, as I'm sure you can appreciate there are sensitivities of data access and security. Creating upgrades to user permissions will need very careful consideration. As most will be across, the reporting team are leading up to retiring older versions of Xero’s reports on 31…
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Granular Access Control – Secure, Zero Trust Permissions
Control-C’s new security model introduces a level of granularity never seen before in managing access to your Xero financial data. Traditionally, giving an employee access to run an Aged Payables or Aged Receivables report meant exposing your entire financial landscape – including sensitive areas like your Profit & Loss, balance sheet, bank transactions, and even other employees’ bonus information. Xero’s native user roles are fairly broad (e.g. standard user or advisor roles grant wide access). Not anymore.With Control-C’s Zero Trust-based security framework, you can now restrict access to just the specific data or reports your team members need – and nothing more. Want a staff member to run only the Aged Receivables report? You can grant that exact permission, without also giving away the rest of your accounting info. No more over-exposure or “all-or-nothing” access. For example, an accounts clerk can be set up to view and export customer invoices and aging reports, but cannot see the general ledger or payroll details. A junior bookkeeper could be limited to inputting bills and viewing the payables report, without any visibility of bank balances or management reports. You define roles at a fine-grained level – a stark contrast to Xero, where even a read-only user can see almost everything.
This precision access control is built from the ground up, aligning with modern Zero Trust security principles that assume no implicit trust – every access is explicitly granted and minimal. For accountants and compliance officers, this means better internal controls and cleaner audit trails. You can demonstrate that even within your organisation, sensitive financial data is only accessible on a strict need-to-know basis. For instance, an auditor or external accountant could be given a special “Auditor” role on Control-C: read-only access to relevant reports and the audit log, but nothing else. Meanwhile, your sales manager might have access to customer contact list backups (for business continuity) but not to any financials. These tailored permissions greatly reduce the risk of internal data leaks or unnecessary snooping.
For business owners, the benefit is peace of mind and professionalism. You no longer have to say, “I’ll give my assistant access to Xero, but I hope they don’t poke around the salaries or bank accounts.” Instead, you define their role on Control-C to exactly what they require (perhaps invoice creation and nothing else). It shows a commitment to confidentiality: employees see only what’s relevant to their job, which also reduces temptation and errors. And because the platform logs every access and download, you have a full audit trail of who viewed or exported data.
This Zero Trust security model is a unique selling point of Control-C’s platform. It effectively adds a new permission layer on top of Xero’s data, one that many businesses have long wished Xero itself had. By deploying it, you protect sensitive information by default while still empowering your team with the tools they need. The result is a more secure, compliant operation, where data access is precisely aligned with role and purpose – no more, no less.
If you would like to learn more visit Control-C.com or find us in the Xero App Store.
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447 votes
Hi everyone, we appreciate all your feedback on how we could evolve roles for customers using Xero. As you can see through the ideas on the platform, there are a wide range of combinations of permissions our customers want to see us build. As user roles impact all areas of the product, there are many considerations we must factor in when assessing how to solve for majority of our customers needs.
We’re beginning to conduct research on the current landscape and how we might approach some of the most predominant needs in roles for our customers. Front footing this, the discovery of this work will be long winded and there will be multiple phases of research and forms of engagement with users that’ll help shape the path ahead in this space.
We’d like to invite you, our community to be part of this research and discovery. This may involve interviews…An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Granular Access Control – Secure, Zero Trust Permissions
Control-C’s new security model introduces a level of granularity never seen before in managing access to your Xero financial data. Traditionally, giving an employee access to run an Aged Payables or Aged Receivables report meant exposing your entire financial landscape – including sensitive areas like your Profit & Loss, balance sheet, bank transactions, and even other employees’ bonus information. Xero’s native user roles are fairly broad (e.g. standard user or advisor roles grant wide access). Not anymore.With Control-C’s Zero Trust-based security framework, you can now restrict access to just the specific data or reports your team members need – and nothing more. Want a staff member to run only the Aged Receivables report? You can grant that exact permission, without also giving away the rest of your accounting info. No more over-exposure or “all-or-nothing” access. For example, an accounts clerk can be set up to view and export customer invoices and aging reports, but cannot see the general ledger or payroll details. A junior bookkeeper could be limited to inputting bills and viewing the payables report, without any visibility of bank balances or management reports. You define roles at a fine-grained level – a stark contrast to Xero, where even a read-only user can see almost everything.
This precision access control is built from the ground up, aligning with modern Zero Trust security principles that assume no implicit trust – every access is explicitly granted and minimal. For accountants and compliance officers, this means better internal controls and cleaner audit trails. You can demonstrate that even within your organisation, sensitive financial data is only accessible on a strict need-to-know basis. For instance, an auditor or external accountant could be given a special “Auditor” role on Control-C: read-only access to relevant reports and the audit log, but nothing else. Meanwhile, your sales manager might have access to customer contact list backups (for business continuity) but not to any financials. These tailored permissions greatly reduce the risk of internal data leaks or unnecessary snooping.
For business owners, the benefit is peace of mind and professionalism. You no longer have to say, “I’ll give my assistant access to Xero, but I hope they don’t poke around the salaries or bank accounts.” Instead, you define their role on Control-C to exactly what they require (perhaps invoice creation and nothing else). It shows a commitment to confidentiality: employees see only what’s relevant to their job, which also reduces temptation and errors. And because the platform logs every access and download, you have a full audit trail of who viewed or exported data.
This Zero Trust security model is a unique selling point of Control-C’s platform. It effectively adds a new permission layer on top of Xero’s data, one that many businesses have long wished Xero itself had. By deploying it, you protect sensitive information by default while still empowering your team with the tools they need. The result is a more secure, compliant operation, where data access is precisely aligned with role and purpose – no more, no less.
If you would like to learn more visit Control-C.com or find us in the Xero App Store.
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Hi everyone,
I understand that many of you are facing challenges with Xero's current permissions settings, especially when it comes to restricting access to specific bank accounts or transactions. While Xero may not have an immediate solution for these issues, I wanted to let you know that Control-C might be able to help.
As an add-on partner for almost 10 years, Control-C has developed a platform that can surface the required access to view-only data that your team members need to do their job. This ensures that sensitive information, such as staff wages and bonuses, remains confidential while allowing your colleagues to perform their roles effectively.
Having worked at Xero, I appreciate the complexities involved in retrofitting features into an established system. It's a challenging task, and I understand why some features might not be available yet. Our goal at Control-C is to provide you with the tools you need to manage your financial data securely and efficiently, complementing Xero's capabilities.
If you're interested in learning more about how we can help, please feel free to reach out to us through the Xero app store or the Control-C website.
Best regards,
Campbell Green
control-c.com -
12 votes
We appreciate you taking the time to share and support this idea. We can see that this idea is already gaining traction amongst the community. Giving Invoice Only users the ability to send or print approved invoices has the potential to simplify your workflow and make day-to-day tasks more efficient.
Enabling this functionality would allow the same users who create and approve invoices to also send or print them, reducing handovers and helping your business operate more smoothly. It’s a great example of how a small change can lead to better team autonomy.
Currently, this action is available to users with Standard, Advisor, or Invoice Only – Approve & Pay roles. Expanding this to other Invoice Only roles, such as Draft, Sales, or Purchases could make Xero even more flexible for teams with clearly defined responsibilities.
We’ve moved this idea into the Gaining Support stage. It’s now open for voting…
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Granular Access Control – Secure, Zero Trust Permissions
Control-C’s new security model introduces a level of granularity never seen before in managing access to your Xero financial data. Traditionally, giving an employee access to run an Aged Payables or Aged Receivables report meant exposing your entire financial landscape – including sensitive areas like your Profit & Loss, balance sheet, bank transactions, and even other employees’ bonus information. Xero’s native user roles are fairly broad (e.g. standard user or advisor roles grant wide access). Not anymore.With Control-C’s Zero Trust-based security framework, you can now restrict access to just the specific data or reports your team members need – and nothing more. Want a staff member to run only the Aged Receivables report? You can grant that exact permission, without also giving away the rest of your accounting info. No more over-exposure or “all-or-nothing” access. For example, an accounts clerk can be set up to view and export customer invoices and aging reports, but cannot see the general ledger or payroll details. A junior bookkeeper could be limited to inputting bills and viewing the payables report, without any visibility of bank balances or management reports. You define roles at a fine-grained level – a stark contrast to Xero, where even a read-only user can see almost everything.
This precision access control is built from the ground up, aligning with modern Zero Trust security principles that assume no implicit trust – every access is explicitly granted and minimal. For accountants and compliance officers, this means better internal controls and cleaner audit trails. You can demonstrate that even within your organisation, sensitive financial data is only accessible on a strict need-to-know basis. For instance, an auditor or external accountant could be given a special “Auditor” role on Control-C: read-only access to relevant reports and the audit log, but nothing else. Meanwhile, your sales manager might have access to customer contact list backups (for business continuity) but not to any financials. These tailored permissions greatly reduce the risk of internal data leaks or unnecessary snooping.
For business owners, the benefit is peace of mind and professionalism. You no longer have to say, “I’ll give my assistant access to Xero, but I hope they don’t poke around the salaries or bank accounts.” Instead, you define their role on Control-C to exactly what they require (perhaps invoice creation and nothing else). It shows a commitment to confidentiality: employees see only what’s relevant to their job, which also reduces temptation and errors. And because the platform logs every access and download, you have a full audit trail of who viewed or exported data.
This Zero Trust security model is a unique selling point of Control-C’s platform. It effectively adds a new permission layer on top of Xero’s data, one that many businesses have long wished Xero itself had. By deploying it, you protect sensitive information by default while still empowering your team with the tools they need. The result is a more secure, compliant operation, where data access is precisely aligned with role and purpose – no more, no less.
If you would like to learn more visit Control-C.com or find us in the Xero App Store.
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445 votes
Hi community, thank you for your engagement and sharing how you'd like us to evolve roles for customers using Xero. User roles impact all areas of the product, there are many considerations we must factor in when assessing how to solve for majority of our customers needs - As you can see there is a large range of ideas for different roles shared by customers in Product Ideas.
We’re conducting research on the current landscape and how we might approach some of the most predominant needs in roles for our customers. To be upfront, the discovery of this work will be long running and there'll be multiple phases of research and forms of engagement with users that’ll help shape the path ahead in this space.
We’d like to invite you, our community to be part of this research and discovery. This may involve interviews and sharing further feedback through direct…An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Thanks @Paul Howlett, no offence taken ;-)
Granular Access Control – Secure, Zero Trust Permissions
Control-C’s new security model introduces a level of granularity never seen before in managing access to your Xero financial data. Traditionally, giving an employee access to run an Aged Payables or Aged Receivables report meant exposing your entire financial landscape – including sensitive areas like your Profit & Loss, balance sheet, bank transactions, and even other employees’ bonus information. Xero’s native user roles are fairly broad (e.g. standard user or advisor roles grant wide access). Not anymore.With Control-C’s Zero Trust-based security framework, you can now restrict access to just the specific data or reports your team members need – and nothing more. Want a staff member to run only the Aged Receivables report? You can grant that exact permission, without also giving away the rest of your accounting info. No more over-exposure or “all-or-nothing” access. For example, an accounts clerk can be set up to view and export customer invoices and aging reports, but cannot see the general ledger or payroll details. A junior bookkeeper could be limited to inputting bills and viewing the payables report, without any visibility of bank balances or management reports. You define roles at a fine-grained level – a stark contrast to Xero, where even a read-only user can see almost everything.
This precision access control is built from the ground up, aligning with modern Zero Trust security principles that assume no implicit trust – every access is explicitly granted and minimal. For accountants and compliance officers, this means better internal controls and cleaner audit trails. You can demonstrate that even within your organisation, sensitive financial data is only accessible on a strict need-to-know basis. For instance, an auditor or external accountant could be given a special “Auditor” role on Control-C: read-only access to relevant reports and the audit log, but nothing else. Meanwhile, your sales manager might have access to customer contact list backups (for business continuity) but not to any financials. These tailored permissions greatly reduce the risk of internal data leaks or unnecessary snooping.
For business owners, the benefit is peace of mind and professionalism. You no longer have to say, “I’ll give my assistant access to Xero, but I hope they don’t poke around the salaries or bank accounts.” Instead, you define their role on Control-C to exactly what they require (perhaps invoice creation and nothing else). It shows a commitment to confidentiality: employees see only what’s relevant to their job, which also reduces temptation and errors. And because the platform logs every access and download, you have a full audit trail of who viewed or exported data.
This Zero Trust security model is a unique selling point of Control-C’s platform. It effectively adds a new permission layer on top of Xero’s data, one that many businesses have long wished Xero itself had. By deploying it, you protect sensitive information by default while still empowering your team with the tools they need. The result is a more secure, compliant operation, where data access is precisely aligned with role and purpose – no more, no less.
If you would like to learn more visit Control-C.com or find us in the Xero App Store.
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Hang in there is all I can recommend as we are about to launch a new platform that will provide a solution for most of these role and permission based issues with granularity users of Xero need. Our delay in launching before now was due to the higher priority release of Invoice versioning - to address the infamous Contact bug (change a contact’s details and Xero kindly updates every historical invoice with the new contact details).
We are now back on track with release of our first slice of granting permissions to only run and see Aged Payables and Receivables, without giving full access to all your business data to staff members. If you are interested in becoming an early tester for us, you will receive a complimentary backup for 6months in return for your use case and working with us on the testing, please email me on campbell@control-c.com
Control-c.com -
149 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Thanks for the thoughtful responses and feedback. I wanted to clarify why the idea of “unvoiding” an invoice or reusing its number isn’t as simple as it might seem.
When an invoice is voided in Xero, it’s not just updated—it’s marked as a final, irreversible action to protect the integrity of your financial records. Reversing that action would mean undoing everything that happened as a result: tax calculations, inventory updates, payment records, and even external system notifications. That’s a complex process, and it’s not just about changing a status—it’s about safely rewinding multiple layers of accounting logic.
Also, Xero may not store a full version history of the invoice before it was voided, which means it can’t easily restore it to its exact previous state. Without that history, “unvoiding” could lead to errors or inconsistencies.
Paul Canavese - For integrations (like with BigCommerce), relying on invoice numbers as the main identifier can cause issues. Ideally, integrations should use a unique internal ID that never changes, even if the invoice is voided or edited. This avoids conflicts and keeps systems in sync.
Yes, this post was AI-generated—but that’s actually a strength. AI can look at all the use cases in this thread, remove emotional bias, and offer a clear, logical view of the problem. It helps us see the bigger picture and understand the deeper technical and compliance challenges involved.
A possible middle ground could be allowing invoice cloning or offering a short time window to undo a void, with proper audit logging. But broad reuse of invoice numbers would likely introduce more problems than it solves.
I have attached a little more detail for those interested in the tech.
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Hi everyone,
“In accounting, integrity is preserved by building upon history, not rewriting it!”
The fact that some jurisdictions demand sequential invoice numbers, however, does not imply that your invoice numbers must necessarily be consecutive and without gaps in numbering – solely the uniqueness is required. As long as you can provide an explanation for non-consecutive numbers (like a specifically configured counter or just a cancelled invoice), breaks in sequence are acceptable.
Here's a comprehensive summary of accounting and auditing principles regarding reusing voided invoice numbers, and whether the requests in the Xero thread reflect sound accounting practice or a misunderstanding of professional standards.
✅ What Accounting and Auditing Standards Say
1. Invoice Numbering Must Be Unique and Traceable
• Invoice numbers are unique identifiers used to track financial transactions, maintain audit trails, and ensure compliance [1].
• Once an invoice is finalized, its number should be unalterable to preserve the integrity of financial records[2].
2. Sequential Numbering Is Common but Not Always Mandatory
• Many jurisdictions recommend or require sequential numbering for clarity and auditability [1].
• However, gaps in numbering (e.g., due to voided invoices) are acceptable if properly documented. For example, in Germany, gaps are allowed as long as they are explainable [2].
3. Voiding vs. Deleting
• Voiding an invoice retains its number and audit trail but nullifies its financial impact [3].
• Deleting an invoice removes it entirely, which is discouraged as it breaks the audit trail [4].
4. Reusing Voided Invoice Numbers Is Generally Discouraged
• Most accounting systems (including Xero) do not allow reuse of voided invoice numbers to maintain audit integrity [5].
• Reusing numbers can lead to confusion, data integrity issues, and audit complications, especially if the original invoice was partially processed or referenced elsewhere.⚠️ Why Business Users Might Request Reuse
1. Desire for Clean Number Sequences
• Users often want to avoid gaps in invoice numbers for aesthetic or perceived compliance reasons.
• In some countries, like Spain or Romania, non-consecutive numbering may raise flags, even if technically allowed[2].
2. Misunderstanding of Audit Requirements
• Some users may not fully understand that audit trails are more important than perfect sequences.
• The request to reuse numbers often stems from a desire for simplicity, not from a deep understanding of accounting principles.
3. Software Limitations and Workflow Frustrations
• Users working with bulk uploads or frequent corrections find it inconvenient that voided numbers are permanently lost [5].
• This leads to requests for features that contradict best practices in financial recordkeeping.🧾 Best Practices for Handling Voided Invoices
1. Void Instead of Delete: Always void to preserve the audit trail.
2. Use Credit/Debit Notes: For corrections, issue credit or debit notes rather than altering original invoices [3].
3. Document Gaps: If a number is skipped due to voiding, document the reason clearly.
4. Avoid Reuse: Do not reuse invoice numbers—even if voided—to maintain integrity and avoid audit issues.🧠 Conclusion
The requests in the Xero thread to reuse voided invoice numbers do not align with standard accounting and auditing principles. While the desire for consecutive numbering is understandable, reusing invoice numbers compromises audit trails and data integrity. These requests likely stem from workflow frustrations or misunderstandings, rather than sound accounting logic.References
[1] Accurate Invoice Numbering: Strategies and Best Practices
[2] What are the legal requirements for invoice numbers? - JustOn
[3] Can You Change an Invoice Once It Has Been Issued?
[4] Void Invoice: Meaning, Example
[5] How can i reload invoices that I have voided with the same ... - Xero -
93 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Hi there 👋
This is a long-standing limitation in Xero’s invoicing system—and unfortunately, it’s not something that can be easily fixed. The restriction around delivery addresses being tied to the contact record (rather than stored individually per invoice) has been baked into Xero’s design since day one. That means when you update a contact’s delivery address, it retroactively changes on all historical invoices linked to that contact.This creates real problems for businesses that invoice multiple locations for the same customer—especially when you need to reference or reissue an old invoice with the original delivery address intact.
✅ That’s exactly why we built Control-C.
Control-C is a Xero-certified backup and versioning service that captures every invoice exactly as it was issued—including the delivery address at the time. Even if you update the contact in Xero, Control-C retains the original invoice version, so you can always retrieve it with the correct delivery details.
Here’s how Control-C helps:
• 🗂️ Preserves the original invoice layout and delivery address—even after contact edits.
• 🔒 Provides immutable backups of every invoice, bill, and contact record.
• 🕵️ Gives you a full audit trail and historical access to every version of your data.While Xero may not be able to redesign this behaviour easily, Control-C gives you a reliable workaround and protection against data loss or compliance issues.
We’re also rolling out near real-time versioning, so changes and deletions are captured within minutes, not just daily.
📌 If you’re serious about protecting your financial records and ensuring audit transparency, we’d love to help if you’d like to see how it works with your organisation.
🔗 Learn more at https://control-c.com
🌟 **Special Offer for Xero Community Members** 🌟
Register here...
https://backup.control-c.com/Registration
Simply enter the Promo Code "Immutable" (case sensitive) when prompted during registration for a…
➡️ **A free backup of your Xero data**
➡️ **3 months free subscription, no obligation to continue**Let’s make sure your invoice history is complete, compliant, and never lost.
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28 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Hi @Ryan Switzer,
We completely understand your frustration—deleting an invoice in Xero and losing all visibility into its history is a real concern, especially when it comes to audit integrity and compliance.
That’s exactly why we built Control-C.
✅ Control-C captures every invoice version—including drafts, approved invoices, edits, and yes, even deleted invoices.
✅ We preserve the full invoice content before deletion, so you can always retrieve what was lost—even if it’s no longer visible in Xero.
✅ Our immutable backups mean you can view, export, and audit any invoice as it existed on any day, giving you peace of mind that nothing is ever truly gone.In your case, where the invoice was deleted and you needed to reference it later, Control-C would have retained the last known version of that invoice, including its line items, contact details, and status. You could have pulled it up instantly—even if it was deleted in Xero. See the attached screenshots.
We’re also rolling out near real-time versioning, so changes and deletions are captured within minutes, not just daily.
If you’re using Xero and want to ensure your financial records are complete, compliant, and audit-ready, Control-C is here to help.
🔗 Learn more at https://control-c.com
🌟 **Special Offer for Xero Community Members** 🌟
Register here...
Simply enter the Promo Code "Immutable" (case sensitive) when prompted during registration➡️ **A free backup of your Xero data**
➡️ **3 months free subscription, no obligation to continue**
Let’s make sure your invoice history is complete, compliant, and never lost.Let us know if you’d like help setting it up or seeing how it works with your organisation.
— The Control-C Team
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40 votes
An error occurred while saving the comment Campbell Green
commented
Hi everyone,
We completely agree that invoice numbering and visibility—even for deleted or draft invoices—is critical for audit integrity and financial traceability.
That’s exactly why we built Control-C.
✅ Control-C captures and versions every invoice in your Xero account—including drafts, deleted invoices, and those edited after approval.
✅ We preserve the original invoice state before any changes, giving you a full audit trail and immutable records.
✅ Our daily versioning (and soon near real-time capture) ensures that no invoice is lost, overwritten, or untraceable—even if it was deleted or edited in Xero.Xero’s current invoicing model doesn’t retain historical versions or allow users to view deleted drafts. This creates gaps in audit readiness and compliance, especially when invoice numbers are reused or skipped. See the attached screenshots.
With Control-C, you can:
- Track every invoice number, even if the invoice was deleted before approval
- Retrieve the original version of any invoice, regardless of edits
- Maintain a complete audit trail for compliance and peace of mind📌 If you’re serious about protecting your financial records and ensuring audit transparency, we’d love to help.
🔗 Learn more at https://control-c.com
🌟 **Special Offer for Xero Community Members** 🌟Register here...
https://backup.control-c.com/RegistrationSimply enter the Promo Code "Immutable" (case sensitive) when prompted during registration
➡️ **A free backup of your Xero data**
➡️ **3 months free subscription, no obligation to continue**
Let’s make sure your invoice history is complete, compliant, and never lost.
Why Xero Doesn’t Offer Built-In Backups – And Why That’s Okay Under TPB Rules
The TPB’s updated record-keeping obligations (effective from January and July 2025) require tax practitioners to retain proper records of the services they provide [1](https://www.tpb.gov.au/obligation-keep-proper-client-records). However, these rules do not mandate a built-in “backup button” within your accounting software. What they require is that records be:
- Accurate and complete
- Retained for at least 5 years
- Accessible and secure, whether in paper or electronic format
Importantly, the TPB allows records to be stored electronically, as long as they’re retrievable and protected. This means using a third-party backup solution is entirely compliant—as long as it meets those standards.
Xero, like all modern SaaS platforms, follows the Shared Responsibility Model. Xero ensures the platform is secure and available, but you are responsible for backing up your data. This is no different from Microsoft 365, where users must pay for third-party email backups to meet compliance needs.
Requiring Xero to build a native backup tool would limit flexibility and increase costs for all users. Instead, Xero supports an open ecosystem, allowing you to choose a backup solution that fits your practice’s needs and compliance obligations.
So yes, regular backups are essential—but how you do them is up to you. And using a trusted third-party app is a valid, compliant, and industry-standard way to meet TPB requirements.