Last reviewed . Next review January 2027.
Short answer

Every bill, receipt and supplier credit note should be attached to its transaction in Xero. Attach it directly, upload it to Documents, or photograph it with the Xero Accounting app. Smart document capture, which reads the document and drafts the bill for you, is available to South African Xero users on all small business plans.

If it isn't in Xero, assume it will be lost. Attached documents also mean nobody has to dig through emails or a shoebox when your accountant or SARS asks.

Files is now called Documents

In September 2026 Xero renamed Files to Documents and moved it from the organisation menu to the Accounting menu. Your existing files are unaffected. Older help articles and videos may still say Files.

Three ways to get documents into Xero

  1. Attach directly. Open the bill, invoice or transaction, click the paperclip or attach button, and upload the PDF or photo. VERIFY BUTTON NAME
  2. Upload to Documents. Go to Accounting, then Documents, and drag files in. Xero reads the document and suggests a draft bill or transaction for you to check and approve.
  3. Photograph it. In the Xero Accounting app, take a photo of the receipt. It lands in Documents, ready to use.

You can also forward emailed bills to your organisation's Xero email address. VERIFY: where the address is shown in Documents

Golden rule

Always check what Xero read from the document (supplier, date, amount and VAT) before you approve it. Capture is fast, but you are still the one approving the bill.

Good habits

  • Attach on the day you capture the bill, not later.
  • Use clear files: the full invoice, readable, one invoice per file.
  • When you reconcile a card purchase or cash expense with no bill, attach the slip to the bank transaction.
  • Thermal till slips fade within months. Photograph them on the day.

The South African detail

South African tax law requires businesses to keep their records, including tax invoices, for at least five years. A tax invoice stored against the bill in Xero is the easiest way to meet that, and to answer a SARS VAT verification quickly.