Xero continues to introduce new features designed to reduce administration, improve efficiency and give business owners greater visibility over their finances.

With Payday Super now in effect, there are also some important changes to Xero Payroll that Australian businesses should be aware of. Here are some of the latest functions and improvements worth knowing about.

Multiple Super Authorisers for Auto Super

One of the most useful recent updates for Australian businesses is the ability to have multiple nominated Super Authorisers for Xero Auto Super.

Previously, businesses could be reliant on one person being available to approve super payments. Xero now allows businesses to nominate multiple eligible authorisers.

For example, a business could nominate the business owner, payroll manager and another senior employee. When a super payment is ready for approval, one of the nominated authorisers can be selected to receive the SMS authorisation code.

Only one person needs to approve each payment. The benefit is that businesses are no longer dependent on a single person being available every time super needs to be processed.

This is particularly important with Payday Super, which commenced on 1 July 2026. Employers now need to pay super at the same time as wages, with contributions generally required to reach employees' super funds within seven business days of payday.

If you use Xero Auto Super, we recommend reviewing your current authorisers and considering whether you should add a second or additional person.

Scheduled Invoicing

Xero has introduced greater flexibility around when invoices are sent to customers.

Invoices can now be scheduled to be sent on the next business day or at a specific date and time. This can be particularly useful for businesses that prepare invoices in advance but don't want them sent immediately.

For example, you could prepare your monthly invoices ahead of time and schedule them to be issued on the appropriate day without needing to remember to return to Xero and send them manually.

Faster Data Entry

Xero has made improvements to data entry across bills, invoices, quotes, credit notes and purchase orders.

Drag-to-fill functionality allows information to be quickly copied across multiple line items, while improved keyboard navigation makes it easier to move between fields.

These may appear to be small changes, but for businesses processing many transactions or detailed invoices, they can reduce the amount of time spent entering information.

Improved Business Analytics

Xero is continuing to develop its Analytics functionality, giving business owners more ways to understand their financial performance.

Recent improvements include industry benchmarking, custom date ranges, customisable dashboard widgets and scheduled delivery of reports and visualisations.

Industry benchmarking is particularly useful because it allows you to compare aspects of your business performance against similar businesses.

Instead of simply asking "What were our sales last month?", you can start asking more meaningful questions such as:

Are our profit margins improving?

Are our expenses increasing faster than our revenue?

How does our performance compare with similar businesses?

Where should we be focusing our attention?

The aim is to make Xero more than just a system for recording transactions. It is becoming an increasingly useful tool for analysing the performance of your business.

Artificial Intelligence and Just Ask Xero

Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly important part of Xero.

Xero's Just Ask Xero (JAX) is designed to allow users to interact with their accounting information using natural language. Rather than needing to know exactly which report to run or where to find a particular function, users can ask questions and receive assistance directly within Xero.

Xero is also developing integrations with AI platforms such as Claude and Microsoft 365 Copilot.

This is an area that is likely to develop significantly over the coming years. The direction is towards accounting software that doesn't simply record what has happened but can help users understand the information and determine what action may be appropriate.

Improvements to the Xero Mobile App

Xero continues to improve its mobile application, making it easier to manage financial information while away from the office.

One useful improvement is the ability to upload multiple files through the Xero Accounting app on iOS and Android.

For business owners who regularly receive receipts and other financial documents while travelling or working away from their desk, this can make document capture much easier.

What Does This Mean for Your Business?

The development of Xero is increasingly focused on three key areas: automation, better information and reducing the amount of manual administration.

If you have been using Xero for several years, it is worth remembering that the software you are using today is considerably different from the Xero you originally signed up for.

There may be features available in your current subscription that you aren't using, or processes that you are still completing manually that Xero can now help automate.

We recommend reviewing your current Xero setup regularly to make sure you are getting the most value from the software.

If you would like us to review your Xero file and identify opportunities to improve your processes, please get in touch.