Use Xero's AI Assistant (Just Ask Xero) for Bookkeeping Tasks

What This Does

Xero's built-in AI assistant, Just Ask Xero (JAX), lets you ask questions about your client's books in plain English — "What's our accounts receivable balance?" or "Show me all expenses over $500 this quarter" — and get answers without navigating menus.

Before You Start

• You have access to a Xero account (any paid plan)
• Your client's books are set up and have transaction data
• JAX is available via the Xero mobile app and via email/WhatsApp in some regions
• Time needed: 10 minutes to explore first use
• Cost: Included in Xero subscription (Starter plan $20/mo and up)

Steps

1. Access Just Ask Xero (JAX)

In the mobile app: Open the Xero app → Tap the chat bubble icon or "Just Ask Xero" button (typically on the Dashboard or in the main menu).

In the web version: Look for the sparkle/AI icon in the top navigation bar or the help panel. JAX availability on web expanded through 2024–2025.

Via email: In some regions, you can email a question to your Xero-linked email and JAX will respond with the answer — no need to open the app.

What you should see: A chat interface with a text input box and some suggested questions.

2. Ask a plain-English question about your client's books

Type your question naturally — JAX understands conversational queries:

• "What's the total overdue from customers?"
• "How much did we spend on utilities last quarter?"
• "Show me any invoices that are more than 30 days overdue"
• "What's our bank balance right now?"
• "Which customer owes us the most money?"

What you should see: JAX returns a direct answer with the specific number or list, pulled live from the client's Xero data.

Troubleshooting: If JAX says "I'm not sure about that," try rephrasing with more specific Xero terminology ("accounts receivable" instead of "what clients owe us"). JAX is better with financial data queries than with navigation instructions.

3. Use JAX for smart categorization help

When a transaction comes through that you're not sure how to categorize, ask JAX: "How should I categorize a payment to [vendor name] for [amount]? We've categorized similar payments as [category]."

JAX will suggest a category based on your existing patterns and the vendor type.

What you should see: A category suggestion with a brief reason.

4. Ask for a quick financial snapshot

Before a client call, use JAX to get a fast briefing:

"Give me a quick overview of [client name]'s financial position this month."

What you should see: A 3–4 line summary covering revenue, expenses, outstanding invoices, and cash position.

Real Example

Scenario: You're preparing for a monthly check-in call with a landscaping client at 2pm. It's 1:45pm and you haven't had time to pull the reports.

What you type in JAX: "Quick overview of this month — revenue, main expenses, anything overdue?"

What you get: "Revenue this month: $34,200 (up from $28,400 last month). Top expenses: Fuel $3,800, Payroll $12,400, Equipment rental $2,100. Overdue receivables: $5,600 from 3 clients (oldest: Johnson Landscaping, $2,200, 45 days overdue)."

You walk into the call informed, without pulling a single report manually.

Tips

• JAX gets more useful as you use Xero more — it learns from the patterns in your client's books
• For categorization decisions where you want a "paper trail" of your reasoning, type your decision and reasoning into JAX chat — it creates an audit trail in some versions
• JAX is strongest for simple data queries; for complex multi-step analysis or what-if scenarios, export to Google Sheets and use AI there

Tool interfaces change — if JAX has moved or been renamed, look for chat or AI assistant icons in the Xero navigation or help panel.