South Africa
How do I get South African supplier invoices into Xero or QuickBooks with the VAT right?
Last updated
Enter each invoice as a bill with the VAT on a tax code, so it reaches your VAT return; by hand that means typing the lines and choosing the 15% input rate per line. InvoiceParser Pro reads rand invoices as printed (R 1 234,56, day-first dates, Sage and Pastel layouts), checks the arithmetic and the VAT, and pushes approved bills; into QuickBooks Online the VAT lands on your own QuickBooks tax codes, while Xero and Zoho Books pushes do not set tax codes yet, so in Xero you set the rate on the draft bill. If you are on Xero with a few simple bills a month, Xero’s own bill upload may be all you need.
Without IPP
Enter the bill by hand in Xero or QuickBooks
- 1
Open a new bill
In Xero, go to Purchases, then Bills, then New bill. In QuickBooks Online, select Create, then Bill.
- 2
Enter the header as printed
Choose the supplier, then type the invoice date, due date and the supplier’s invoice number exactly as printed. South African invoices write dates day first: 03/10/2026 is 3 October.
- 3
Enter each line and its tax rate
Type each line’s description, account and amount, and choose the tax rate per line: the standard 15% input rate for standard-rated purchases, and the zero-rated or exempt code where the invoice says so.
- 4
Match the totals
Check whether the bill is set to tax inclusive or exclusive so the total matches the invoice to the cent. A Sage or Pastel invoice that prints “Sub Total” after the VAT usually prints prices including VAT.
- 5
Attach and approve
Attach the PDF, then save or approve the bill. In Xero, approved bills move to Awaiting payment.
Checked against Xero Central: Add bills and Intuit: Enter bills in QuickBooks Online, read 3 October 2026. Menus change; the vendor's page is the authority.
In InvoiceParser Pro
Read, check and push them with InvoiceParser Pro
- 1
Connect your books
Connect QuickBooks Online, Xero or Zoho Books once (paid plans and the 14-day trial). For QuickBooks, a VAT-registered workspace maps each VAT rate to one of your own QuickBooks tax codes, once, in Settings.
- 2
Upload or forward the invoices
Upload up to 50 at once, or forward them to the inbox address each client gets. R and ZAR read as rand, and amounts grouped with a space, such as “R 23 448.50”, are read as one amount.
- 3
The VAT and totals are checked
Every invoice must add up: subtotal − discount + shipping + fees + tax = total. When the page prints one VAT rate, the VAT is checked against it. A Sage or Pastel layout keeps the printed net; where no net is printed, it is worked out as total less VAT, with a note for the reviewer.
- 4
Review and approve
Open each flagged invoice beside its page, correct anything, and approve. Nothing is pushed without an approval.
- 5
Push the bill
QuickBooks Online receives the bill exclusive of VAT, with your tax code on each line and the PDF attached. Xero receives a draft bill with every line and the PDF; set the VAT rate on the draft in Xero before you approve it there.
South African VAT in one paragraph
SARS levies VAT at the standard rate of 15% on goods and services supplied by registered vendors. An increase to 15.5% from 1 May 2025 was announced and then reversed, so a template or a spreadsheet still carrying 15.5% is out of date. Input VAT reaches your VAT return only when the bill carries it on a tax code; VAT added to the expense line instead is lost from the return.
Sources: SARS: Value-Added Tax, read 4 October 2026.
When Xero’s own bill upload is enough
Xero turns an uploaded or emailed PDF into a draft bill and, when it can read the file, fills in the contact, dates, reference and total, setting the draft to tax inclusive. The lines, accounts and tax rates are left to you. For a few simple bills a month that is fine. IPP is worth it when invoices have many lines, when you want the arithmetic checked before anything is booked, or when the paperwork mixes rand with Namibian dollars or US dollars.
Sources: Xero Central: Upload bills into Xero, read 3 October 2026.
What IPP does not do
- Xero and Zoho Books pushes do not set VAT tax codes yet. Before a push would book a bill’s VAT as part of the expense, IPP warns you; in Xero, set the rate on the draft bill.
- It has no Sage Pastel, Sage Business Cloud or Sage Evolution integration, and no QuickBooks Desktop integration.
- It does not file your VAT201 return or check a supplier’s VAT number with SARS.
- It does not calculate customs duty or import VAT on imports.
Questions
What VAT rate applies to South African supplier invoices?
SARS states a standard rate of 15%. The increase to 15.5% announced for 1 May 2025 was reversed. Zero-rated and exempt supplies carry no VAT, so use the code the invoice supports.
Does the VAT go onto a tax code when IPP pushes to QuickBooks?
Yes, for a VAT-registered workspace that has mapped each VAT rate to one of its own QuickBooks tax codes. The bill is pushed exclusive of VAT with the code on each line.
And when it pushes to Xero?
The bill arrives in Xero as a draft with every line and the PDF attached, but Xero pushes do not set tax codes yet. IPP warns before the push, and you set the VAT rate on the draft in Xero before approving it.
Can it read amounts like R 1 234,56?
Yes. Amounts grouped with a space are read as one amount, regional dates read day first, and Sage or Pastel layouts that print “Sub Total” after the VAT keep the printed net.
Is there a free way to try it?
Convert up to 3 invoices a day on the free tool with no account, or open a workspace: a 14-day trial with 50 invoices and the accounting push, then 25 invoices a month free.
Try it on one of your own invoices
Upload a PDF or a phone photo on the free tool, with no account (up to 3 invoices a day), and download the result as Excel or CSV. When you want more: the free plan reads 25 invoices a month; the 14-day trial gives you 50 invoices and the QuickBooks, Xero and Zoho Books push, with no card.