Hubdoc is Xero's document capture tool: you upload or email in bills and receipts, Hubdoc extracts the key details, and you publish each document to Xero to create a transaction with the document attached. As of October 2026, every Xero business edition subscription includes a Hubdoc organisation you open with your Xero login, while partner edition subscribers have it set up by their accountant or bookkeeper and billed separately.
The catch is who connects the two. Xero Central says the Hubdoc integration takes the same Xero user role as the person who links the organisations. So if someone with the administrator role in Xero connects it, anyone in Hubdoc with the Publish Documents permission can publish to Xero with an awaiting payment or awaiting approval status, even during a lock period. That's worth thinking about before you hand out publishing rights.
What Hubdoc does for a small business
Hubdoc gives your business a single place, and a unique email address, for source documents. Staff can upload receipts, suppliers can email bills straight in, and Hubdoc can extract the data automatically if you switch on data extraction, plus tax extraction when you're connected to Xero. You can organise documents with tags and folders, and when you open one, you'll see an audit trail and upload information below it, with options to zoom, rotate and download.
A few rules apply to the connection. You can only connect one Hubdoc organisation to one Xero organisation, and each Hubdoc organisation needs its own unique email address. If you run several Xero organisations from one email account, use an email alias for each. If you're still weighing Hubdoc against standalone apps, I've compared the best receipt scanner apps separately.
Setting up Hubdoc from inside Xero
You need to be the subscriber of the Xero organisation, or have the administrator or master administrator role in Xero Partner Hub. Then, as of October 2026:
- Log in to Xero, click the organisation name and select Hubdoc under Do more with Xero.
- Agree to the Hubdoc terms and click Set up Hubdoc.
- Click I'm new to Hubdoc, then Small business.
- Select the Xero organisation to connect and click Allow access.
- Enter your email address, choose whether to send an invitation and click Create New Organization.
Your Xero and Hubdoc organisations are then connected, and single sign on is switched on for you, so next time you can click Sign in with Xero. If you already had a Hubdoc organisation, check its Integrations tab first. You need permission to publish documents in Hubdoc to connect it to Xero.
Single sign on can be set up later for existing Hubdoc users from the Profile settings, and turned off with Disconnect from Xero if you've linked the wrong accounts or want separate logins. Xero recommends multi-factor authentication on your Xero login and two-factor authentication on Hubdoc as well.
Publishing documents to Xero
Publishing creates a new transaction in Xero from the document's data. If the document is under 3MB, Xero attaches a copy; if it's larger, it shows as a link instead. To publish one by hand, open the document, click Edit Document, check the extracted details under Transaction Details, choose Xero under Destinations, select the fields and click Publish. Publish All also sends it to other connected integrations, such as cloud storage.
Two details save time. If you don't enter a due date, Xero uses the transaction date. And ticking Mark as Paid changes things depending on the document's status: a draft already in Xero moves to Awaiting payment, while an approved one stays unchanged in Xero.
For regular suppliers you can switch on autosync, so Hubdoc configures and publishes every document from that supplier the moment it arrives. You set it per supplier from the settings icon, under the Suppliers tab, by selecting Configure rules for Xero and then Auto-sync. One exception: documents Hubdoc identifies as credit notes never publish automatically, so you'll need to review and publish those by hand. Xero Central's UK article adds extra checks for CIS supplier bills, including having CIS turned on and the DRC tax rates added.
Hubdoc's three user roles
Xero user roles don't sync to Hubdoc, so you invite each person into Hubdoc separately. These are the roles as of October 2026.
| Role | What they can do | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Upload only | Upload documents and create tags; can be allowed to publish their own uploads to Xero | Can't delete documents or see anyone else's uploads, supplier folders or other users' tags |
| Standard | Upload, view and download all documents and manage settings; extra permissions to publish, manage connections or manage users | Can be set to read only, which suits auditors |
| Accountant/bookkeeper | Full access, including publishing to the general ledger | Can't be customised or changed to another role, only removed |
Upload only and standard can be swapped back and forth. The accountant/bookkeeper role is sticky: once someone has it in one organisation, they can only be invited as accountant/bookkeeper into any other. If you're a small business owner, Xero suggests inviting your accountant with this role so they can link your organisation to their practice.
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Adding, removing and the permission errors
To add someone, click the settings icon on your Hubdoc dashboard, enter their email address, pick a role, adjust permissions and click Send Invite. New users get an email to set up a login; existing Hubdoc users don't, they simply see your organisation next time they log in. You can resend a pending invitation, but only once every five minutes. To remove someone, use Revoke Access from the menu next to their name.
Most permission errors come from that sticky role. Hubdoc won't let you change someone's permissions if they're an accountant/bookkeeper on a partner organisation, pay for their own or other Hubdoc organisations, or have documents or connections in their own organisation. And the email address that created your organisation is added automatically but doesn't show in the Users tab, which is why trying to add it gives an error.
One more thing that can't be undone. When a user deletes their own account, documents they uploaded show as uploaded by a deleted user, and Hubdoc keeps no audit history of deleted users.
My verdict on Xero Hubdoc
I'd switch Hubdoc on if you're on a Xero business edition and still forwarding receipts by hand, because it's already included and autosync for regular suppliers removes a chore. I'd skip autosync for suppliers whose bills vary, and I'd be careful who connects Xero and who gets publishing rights. For the bigger picture, here's my Xero review.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Hubdoc included with Xero?
All Xero business edition subscriptions include a Hubdoc organisation. On a Xero partner edition subscription, Hubdoc is set up by your accountant or bookkeeper and billed separately.
Can I connect more than one Hubdoc organisation to a Xero organisation?
No. You can only connect one Hubdoc organisation to one Xero organisation.
Do Xero user roles carry over to Hubdoc?
No. User roles in Xero aren't synced to Hubdoc, so you invite each user into Hubdoc separately and give them permissions there.
Do credit notes publish automatically with autosync?
No. Documents identified as credit notes won't publish automatically. You review them and publish them by hand.
Can I change an accountant/bookkeeper user's role in Hubdoc?
No. The accountant/bookkeeper role can't be customised or changed to another role. You can only revoke their access.
