Xero can't automatically send statements. Here's what to do about it.

Summary

• Xero can’t automate statement sending: you can manually send statements to different customers, but there’s no way to schedule it to repeat - the only way to automate it is a third-party tool.
• The manual workaround: send statements one customer at a time, choosing between an outstanding statement (what they owe) or an activity statement (full transaction history). This works if you only have a few customers.
• When you need a tool: once statements become a recurring job across lots of customers, or you’re dealing with multi-entity billing, doing it by hand starts costing real time.
• Statey: cheapest option, from £8/month, with a free 32-day trial. The £8 plan adds a watermark and sends from Statey’s domain, not yours - £40/month removes both.
• Trove: £50/month, adds automated chasing if a statement goes unanswered, two-way Xero sync, and AI-suggested replies when customers respond.

Why haven’t Xero added automatic statement sending?

Xero lets you send statements to different customers manually but doesn’t offer any way to automate this so it happens every month.

The only way to automatically send statements using Xero data today is with a third party tool. If you are surprised by this, you are not alone. Here’s a Xero forum full of people who are also surprised (and a bit angry).

One thing you can do now to increase the chances of Xero building this functionality is upvote the thread. If you are logged in you can do that here:

Upvote automated statements in Xero

Before you reach for a tool, though, it’s worth knowing the manual route - because for a small number of customers it’s genuinely all you need.

How to send a statement manually in Xero

Here’s the process for sending a statement to a customer in Xero. The process is relatively quick:

1. Go to Contacts in Xero and click into the relevant customer.
2. Choose Send statements (you can email it or export to PDF instead).
3. Pick the statement type - Outstanding or Activity (more on the difference below).
4. Set the statement date or the date range for an activity statement.
5. Preview, then send or download the PDF.

It probably takes about 30 seconds per customer for the experienced statement sender but of course that starts to add up across the customer base.

Outstanding vs activity statements: which to send

Xero gives you two different options for sending statements:

• Outstanding statement shows only the invoices a customer still hasn’t paid as of a chosen date. It’s the “here’s what you owe” view and it’s the one 90% of people use for credit control - the customer sees exactly what’s due and can act on it.
• Activity statement shows every transaction over a date range - invoices, credit notes and payments - like a mini account history. It’s useful when a customer wants a full record or is reconciling a period, but it’s noisier if your goal is simply to get paid.

Generally, an outstanding statement is the best bet and the one most customers will be expecting.

How to choose a tool for automating regular Xero statements

The manual route is fine for a few customers and the odd statement. You’ve outgrown it when statements become a recurring job. Here are a few things to look out for when choosing a tool to send statements.

1. Sending from your own domain. If your statement arrives from a third-party address - something like noreply@randomproduct.com - it’s more likely to land in spam or cause suspicion. Sending from your own domain keeps deliverability high and looks more professional.

2. Customer exclusions. Some customers won’t want automated statements. Maybe they’ve asked not to be contacted this way or you have a different arrangement with them. You need to be able to exclude individual customers without turning off the automation entirely.

3. Flexible cadences. Monthly works for most customers but not all. Your largest accounts might want statements fortnightly. A tool that only supports one fixed schedule can be limiting.

4. Chasing if there’s no response. A statement is useful. It reminds a customer what’s outstanding and gives them something to reconcile against. But if it lands and nothing happens, the next step is a follow-up. Some tools offer automation for this as well.

Two options for sending regular Xero statements automatically

Statey - best for lowest cost

Statey does one thing: automated customer statements for Xero. At £8/month on the Starter plan, it’s also the cheapest option available.

On the £8 plan, there are two drawbacks:

• You must include a Statey watermark on your statement
• You cannot send from your own email (e.g. accounts@company.com), it has to come from Statey’s email. This can trigger spam alerts or mean the customer ignores the email.

If these limitations are fine for your business, it’s hard to argue with the price. Upgrading to both remove the watermark and send from your own domain costs £40/month.

Statey does also offer automated age analysis, essentially bucketing your invoices into those 30 days, 60 days or 90 days overdue. They are the only option that offer this and it is available on both their plans.

Statey offers a free 32-day trial, so you can test it before committing.

Trove - best all-rounder

At £50/month, Trove sits close to Statey’s own-domain price but covers significantly more ground:

• If a statement goes ignored you can follow up automatically with a chasing sequence (Trove data shows that 80% of customers pay after two chasing emails).
• Trove has a two-way sync with Xero so any notes and activity in Trove are synced back in
• If customers reply to your statement emails, Trove’s AI suggests actions and next steps

It also comes with a free trial at 30 days.

Comparison of Xero plugins for sending statements

	Statey (£8/month)	Statey (£40/month)	Trove (£50/month)
Sends from	statey.app	Your email domain	Your email domain
Watermark on PDFs	Required	-	-
Flexible cadences	Max 1 cadence	Unlimited	Unlimited
Automated chasing included	✗	✗	✓
Payment policies included	✗	✗	✓
Age analysis	✓	✓	✗
Free trial	32 days	32 days	30 days

Conclusion: which is the best tool for automating Xero statements

Sticking with the manual process may still be best. Time how long it takes you to complete the manual steps and if it’s less than an hour a month, it’s probably not worth automating at all.

If you do decide to buy a tool to automate the process, the cheapest plan on Statey covers the basics. There will be a Statey watermark on your statement and it will come from @statey, not your email. If this works for your business, go with their £8 plan.

If you want emails to come from your domain to ensure good deliverability, Trove is the best all-rounder. It includes sending statements from your own email address, multiple cadences, exclusions, and invoice chasing if there’s still no payment.