Sage to Xero Migration (UK)
Moving from Sage 50 or Sage Business Cloud to Xero is easy to start and easy to get wrong. We migrate your accounts safely, reconcile every balance, and protect your VAT position — at a fixed price agreed before we touch your data.
Yes. APIwise runs UK Sage-to-Xero migrations end to end: chart of accounts, contacts, open invoices and bills, VAT settings and a practical span of historical transactions. We work in phases — audit, mapping, trial migration and a parallel run before cutover — so your opening balances and VAT periods reconcile and nothing breaks at switchover.
A botched migration leaves you with opening balances that don't tie back, missing history, broken VAT periods and invoices stranded half-paid across two systems. Off-the-shelf tools tend to move a year or two of data but quietly drop the edge cases — and you often only find out at year-end or under an HMRC query.
What you get
- Xero opening balances and bank positions that reconcile to your final Sage figures
- VAT scheme, settings and current period migrated correctly, so your next return is clean
- Open invoices, bills and credit notes live in Xero with aged debtors and creditors intact
- A reconciliation pack and team handover proving both systems agree — plus a complete Sage archive
Chart of accounts & contacts
We map your Sage nominal codes to Xero's account structure and bring customers and suppliers across with balances intact — clearing duplicates and dormant records as we go, rather than carrying mess into your new system.
Open items & balances
Outstanding invoices, bills and credit notes come across as live open items, so aged debtors and creditors still reconcile. Opening balances and bank positions are agreed and tied back to Sage to the penny.
VAT & historical data
We carry your VAT scheme, settings and current period across correctly, and migrate a practical span of historical transactions. We're honest up front about what realistically comes over versus what's better kept as a Sage archive.
Cutover & verification
A controlled switchover with a reconciliation pack proving Sage and Xero agree, plus a team handover. Bank feeds, repeating invoices and connected apps are reconnected and tested before you go live.
Audit & reconcile Sage
We review your Sage 50 or Business Cloud data, VAT scheme, transaction volume and integrations, and confirm Sage itself reconciles first. You get a clear picture of what migrates cleanly, what needs cleansing and how much history is realistic — at a fixed price.
Map & plan cutover
We map nominal codes to Xero's chart of accounts, design the contact and tax-rate mapping, and agree a cutover date that respects your VAT periods and month-end. Scope and price are locked before we proceed — no surprises.
Trial migration
We run a full trial into a test Xero file and reconcile it against Sage line by line — balances, VAT, aged debtors and creditors. You review the real output and sign off before anything touches your live accounts.
Parallel run & cutover
Where it adds confidence, we run both systems briefly in parallel, then perform the controlled cutover, reconnect bank feeds and apps, and hand over a reconciliation pack and short walkthrough — so you switch off Sage knowing everything ties back.
How much Sage history can you actually bring into Xero?
Honestly, not everything — and chasing full history often isn't worth the cost. Xero and migration tools reliably import open balances plus, typically, one to two years of detailed transactions. We agree a practical span up front and keep a complete Sage archive for anything older, so you stay covered for audits and HMRC without inflating the project.
Will my VAT and opening balances be correct after migration?
That's the part we obsess over. We reconcile Sage before migrating, carry your VAT scheme and current period across correctly, and tie opening balances and bank positions back to the penny. You get a reconciliation pack proving Sage and Xero agree before you stop using Sage.
Can't I just use Xero's free conversion or a migration app myself?
Often, yes — and we'll tell you if a native or off-the-shelf route fits. We're vendor-neutral and won't sell you a project you don't need. We add most value with higher transaction volumes, multiple VAT periods, messy nominal codes, connected apps, or where a clean reconciliation and no year-end surprises really matter.
When's the best time to switch, and how long does it take?
We usually cut over at the start of a VAT period or financial year to keep things clean, but we work around your calendar. A typical Sage-to-Xero migration runs a few weeks from audit to cutover, depending on data volume and history. We agree the timeline and a fixed price before starting.