Digital transformation has driven the growth of many new small businesses in the past decade. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen new business models emerging and established businesses adapting, relying on the broad benefits of financial systems like Xero provide.
They all have the same thing in common – they need quick access to financials to keep an eye on cash flow and bills. Sole traders like freelancers, gig-economy workers and tradespeople have all taken advantage of digital business models and cloud-based working. Online financials can be easily accessed to provide financial data needed to apply for government assistance.
At Xero, we want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to help new business owners set up their digital environment right from the start. We’ve been talking to many of you about ways we can support these businesses.
You have told us that small businesses need a low cost solution with flexibility to grow. So we’re excited to share that we are refreshing our Starter plan (Early plan in the US).
We’ve made some of the most popular features more flexible by removing the limit on bank reconciliation and increasing the invoice limit to 20 per month. That’s approximately one per business day.
Starter customers will still have access to all the other powerful features in the existing plan, including Hubdoc for automated document collection and management. Xero’s cash flow tools like business snapshot and short-term cash flow are also included.
History has shown us that there is often a business resurgence following economic downturns, with some of the most challenging economic periods sparking incredible feats of creativity and ingenuity. Disney, Airbnb, Uber, Canva, Slack and General Motors are all examples of companies that began life during a recession.
Our aim with Xero’s Starter plan is to help ambitious new businesses take their first steps during the COVID-19 pandemic, and support the green shoots of growth when each country moves into a recovery state.
New and existing customers can take advantage of the new Starter plan from today (14 September, 2020). We also have several special promotions for new customers to boost their business, for a limited time only. For more information on pricing and promotions, please visit our pricing page.
We know this environment is incredibly challenging yet the environment provides opportunities for people starting and growing small businesses. We are dedicated to helping these green shoots opportunities develop into thriving small businesses.
I have a small business and up till now have ben using an old basic Cash Book programme. I am having to replace the PC I use for my accounts and have been advised I should switch to yours. Your standard programme would suit me fine but I do need to handle international currencies. Can that be added to is as an extra?
Hi Frank, thanks so much for getting in touch. That’s super exciting that you’d like to give Xero a go and we are more than happy to help get you set up. I recommend you getting in touch with our extremely helpful sales team by sending an email to sales@xero.com. We will then be in touch with you directly to discuss your needs.
Hi, We want to downgrade our current standard plan to the starter plan as unlimited bank transactions are introduced. However I see “cash coding” is only provided for standard and premium plans. Is this true? Do we lost “cash coding” if we downgrade to the starter plan? Please suggest. Thanks.
Hi Peng, thanks for your comment. Yes, your understanding is correct. If you downgrade from the standard to the starter plan, you will no longer have cash coding. Our Starter plan has never included cash coding. The Starter plan does, however, include Hubdoc, Short term cash flow, Business snapshot and Bills to emails. I hope this helps you in your decision.
whaaat no cash coding? i only use cash coding for my business and all the clients i put on xero i train to use cash coding ~ i was so excited when you updated the starter plan but now i am extremely dissappointed ~ why xero why?
Hi Kristen, sorry to hear that you are disappointed but the Starter plan is an entry level plan and has never included cash coding.
I am a small agricultural business and I don’t have any requirements for payroll. Is there a plan without payroll at all?
Hi Amanda, where abouts are your located?
It would be good if you could increase the 5 bills/month threshold for the starter plan. Most small businesses would incur more than 5 bills/month, making the “starter” plan a non-starter for them.
Hi Iain, I have spoken with my team regarding your comment and they have informed me that most bills can be processed as cash transactions as the business isn’t effectively taking ‘credit’ from the supplier but paying at the point of purchase, so doesn’t need to go through an approvals process. Hubdoc can publish things as ‘spend money’ transactions as well. Hope that helps.
Hi There , I need to add another Trading name and ABN to the system , could you give me a call as to what i will be able to do
Ray 0408009690
Hi Ray thanks for reaching out. We encourage you to raise a case in Xero Central (https://central.xero.com) so our team can give you a call back and help with your specific question.
I have an organization on the $30/month plan. Can I add a 2nd organization at no cost? If there is a cost, can my second organization be on the starter plan?
Hi Michel, thank you so much for your comment. Every organisation needs to select a pricing plan, and so if you’d like to add another organisation, you’ll need to choose a pricing plan (and yes, you can select the Early / Starter plan). We do offer a 5% multi organisation discount. To redeem the discount, you need to subscribe to two or more subscriptions using the same email address. I hope that helps to answer your question.
Can I add a new Organization with the “Early” Plan to my account that already has 2 other organizations under it that both have the “Growing” Plan?
Hi Debbie, thanks for your question. So you have two Growing subscriptions and would like to know whether you can add an ‘Early’ subscription – is that right? If so, yes you can add a new subscription on the Early plan.I hope that answers your question.