How do I give my Indian bookkeeper access to Xero?

In Xero: go to Settings → Users → Invite a User. Enter the Indian bookkeeper's email address and select the 'Adviser' role. Adviser access lets them view and edit all transactions, create invoices and bills, reconcile accounts, and run reports — but they cannot access your connected bank account credentials or initiate bank payments. Bank payment access in Xero requires the bank account's own online banking login, which you never share. Send the invite and they accept via email.

How do I give my Indian bookkeeper access to MYOB?

In MYOB Business (online): go to My Account → Manage Users → Invite User. Select the access level — 'Accountant/Bookkeeper' for full book access without administrator rights, or customise by module (purchases, sales, payroll). In MYOB AccountRight (desktop/cloud): File → Manage Users → New User. Set up a username and password and assign role-based permissions. Never give the Indian team your own MYOB login — always create a separate named user account for them.

What permissions should I NOT give my Indian bookkeeper?

Never give your Indian bookkeeper: (1) your bank's online banking login or password, (2) administrator access to your accounting software that would allow them to add or remove other users, (3) the ability to change your subscription or billing details, (4) access to your payroll if they are only doing bookkeeping (add payroll permissions separately when needed). The Indian team should be able to code, reconcile, and report — but payment initiation and account administration stays with you.

How do I set up Hubdoc or Dext to send invoices to my Indian bookkeeper?

Hubdoc: Log in → Settings → Users → Add User. Enter the Indian team's email and select 'Staff' or 'Accountant' access. They can view and process documents but not change your Hubdoc settings or connected accounts. Dext: Settings → Team → Add Team Member. Assign 'Client' or 'Practice' access as appropriate. Both tools pull data automatically from connected supplier portals (AGL, Telstra, etc.) and extract invoice data for the Indian team to review and publish to Xero or MYOB.

Should I share my bank account login with my Indian bookkeeper?

No — never share your bank login or password with anyone, including your bookkeeper. Bank reconciliation in Xero and MYOB works through read-only bank feeds connected at the accounting software level (not your bank login). The Indian team reconciles transactions that flow automatically into your software via bank feeds. They never need to log into your actual bank account. If they ask for your bank login, that is a red flag.

Xero and MYOB for Your Indian Bookkeeper

Before You Start — What to Never Share

Never share with any bookkeeper — local or offshore:

Your bank's online banking login or password
Your own personal Xero/MYOB/QuickBooks login
Your credit card or debit card details
Any 2FA codes or authenticator app access
Administrator access to add or remove other users

Bank reconciliation works through read-only bank feeds — your Indian bookkeeper never needs to log into your actual bank. If anyone asks for your bank login, stop immediately.

Setting Up Xero for Your Indian Bookkeeper

Step 1 — Invite the Indian Team as an Adviser

Log into Xero and go to Settings → Users → Invite a User

Enter the Indian bookkeeper's work email address (not a personal Gmail — a firm email)

Select role: Adviser — this gives full bookkeeping access: view and edit all transactions, create bills and invoices, reconcile accounts, run all reports, manage the chart of accounts

Uncheck Manage Users if it appears — the Indian team should not be able to add or remove other users

Click Send Invite. The Indian team accepts via email and creates their Xero login

What Adviser Access Includes and Excludes in Xero

Access	Adviser Has It?	Notes
View all transactions and reports	✅ Yes	Full read access to all historical data
Create and edit invoices, bills, expenses	✅ Yes	Core bookkeeping function
Reconcile bank accounts	✅ Yes	Via bank feeds — no bank login needed
Manage chart of accounts	✅ Yes	Adviser can add/edit account codes
Run payroll (if payroll module active)	✅ Yes	Remove if Indian team is only doing books, not payroll
Make bank payments	❌ No	Requires separate bank login — completely separate from Xero
Add or remove users	❌ No	Uncheck "Manage Users" when inviting
Change your subscription	❌ No	Only owner/subscriber can change billing
See your bank account password	❌ No	Bank feeds are read-only connections, not credential sharing

Setting Up MYOB for Your Indian Bookkeeper

MYOB Business (Online — formerly MYOB Essentials)

Go to My Account → Manage Users → Invite User

Enter the Indian bookkeeper's firm email

Select role: Accountant/Bookkeeper — gives full transaction access without administrator rights. Or use Custom to select specific modules (Purchases, Sales, Banking) if you want to restrict further

Do NOT enable Administrator access — admins can add/remove users and change account settings

Save and the Indian team receives an email invitation to accept

MYOB AccountRight (Desktop/Cloud Hybrid)

Open your company file and go to File → Manage Users → New User (or Setup → Manage Users in older versions)

Create a named user account (e.g. "Sharma Jyoti CA") with a strong password. Share these credentials securely via a password manager (1Password, Bitwarden) — do not email passwords

Assign role-based permissions: enable Accounts, Purchases, Banking. Disable Payroll if not needed. Disable Users & Roles, System Maintenance, Company File

If using cloud sync (MYOB AccountRight connected to MYOB cloud): the Indian team logs in via my.myob.com.au using the credentials you've shared

Setting Up QuickBooks Online for Your Indian Bookkeeper

Go to Settings (gear icon) → Manage Users → Add User

Select Accounting Firms → enter the Indian firm's email

This gives them Accountant-level access: full transaction view and edit, reconciliation, reports. Bank payment requires your bank's separate login — not accessible through QBO user access

Alternatively, use Standard User with Custom permissions if you want more granular control (e.g., purchases only, no sales)

Setting Up Invoice Capture — Hubdoc and Dext

If you use Hubdoc or Dext to automatically capture supplier invoices, adding your Indian team takes 5 minutes and dramatically reduces the manual work of forwarding invoices.

Hubdoc

Log into Hubdoc → Settings → Users → Add User
Enter the Indian team's email, select Staff role
Staff access: can view, review, and publish documents to Xero/MYOB. Cannot change connected accounts or billing
The Indian team reviews auto-extracted invoice data, corrects any extraction errors, and publishes approved invoices directly to your accounting software

Dext (formerly Receipt Bank)

Log into Dext → Settings → Team → Add Team Member
Assign Client access to give the Indian team full document processing access without practice management rights
The Indian team processes items from your Dext inbox, reviews extraction, categorises expenses, and publishes to Xero or QBO

Sharing Documents Securely — Day-to-Day Workflow

For documents not captured through Hubdoc or Dext, set up a simple shared folder system:

Google Drive or OneDrive shared folder — create a folder called "To Process" and share it with the Indian team. Drop supplier invoices, bank statements, payroll changes, and expense receipts there
Dedicated email alias — create a forwarding address like bookkeeping@yourbusiness.com.au that the Indian team monitors. Suppliers send invoices there, the team processes them into Xero/MYOB
Do not use personal email or WhatsApp for sharing financial documents — keep a documented, auditable channel for all bookkeeping-related communications

Onboarding Your Indian Bookkeeper — First Call Checklist

Once access is set up, a 60-minute onboarding call covers everything the Indian team needs to work independently:

Walk through your chart of accounts — which accounts you use, which are inactive
Explain your revenue streams and how they should be coded (GST rates for each)
Confirm your BAS lodgement cycle (quarterly or monthly) and due dates
Walk through your payroll setup — employee names, pay rates, pay frequency, leave entitlements
Confirm your bank reconciliation frequency expectation (daily, weekly, fortnightly)
Agree on a weekly or fortnightly check-in call time that works for both time zones
Confirm your preferred communication channel for queries (email, WhatsApp, Slack)

At Sharma Jyoti & Co, we handle the full onboarding process — software setup, access configuration, and initial chart of accounts review — so your Australian business is operational with your Indian CA team within 2 weeks of engagement. Get in touch to discuss your setup.

About This Article
Written by Sharma Jyoti, CA (ICAI) — Founder, Sharma Jyoti and Co. We are an ICAI-registered Chartered Accountant firm providing outsourced bookkeeping and accounting services to Australian, US, UK and Canadian businesses. Learn more about our firm →

Frequently Asked Questions

Settings → Users → Invite a User. Enter their firm email, select Adviser role, uncheck Manage Users. Click Send Invite. Adviser access gives full bookkeeping capability — transactions, reconciliation, reports — with no bank payment access and no user management rights. Takes 2 minutes.

Never. Bank reconciliation in Xero and MYOB works through read-only bank feeds that connect at the software level — no one needs your bank login for reconciliation. If anyone asks for your bank login, that is a red flag. Your bank credentials stay private. Payments only leave your account when you initiate them using your own bank login.

Do not give: your bank login, administrator access to add/remove users, ability to change your subscription or billing, or access to accounts they don't need (e.g., payroll module if they're only doing bookkeeping). In Xero this means unchecking Manage Users when inviting. In MYOB this means not assigning Administrator role. In QuickBooks, use Standard User with custom permissions rather than full Admin.

Settings → Users → Add User. Enter the Indian team's email, select Staff role. They can view, process, and publish documents to Xero/MYOB but cannot change your connected accounts. Hubdoc automatically pulls invoices from connected suppliers (AGL, Telstra, etc.) and the Indian team reviews extraction accuracy and publishes approved items directly to your accounting software.

Software access setup: 30 minutes. A 60-minute onboarding call to walk through your chart of accounts, coding rules, BAS cycle, payroll setup, and workflow preferences. First live bookkeeping: day 1 after the call. Most Australian businesses are fully operational with their Indian CA team within 5–10 business days of engagement.

How to Set Up Xero and MYOB for Your Indian Bookkeeper — Australian Step-by-Step Guide