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For Xero, MYOB & QuickBooks Bookkeepers

The Missing Timesheet Layer for Australian Xero, MYOB & QuickBooks Bookkeepers

Many Australian business owners ask their bookkeeper: "We already pay for Xero—can't the crew just put their hours into Xero Me?"

In practice, Australian bookkeepers and trade/cleaning owners quickly run into four walls with native accounting timesheets:

Why "Just Use Xero Me" Breaks Down for Field & Subcontractor Crews

Xero Me Only Covers Payroll Employees on Your Xero Plan:

You cannot invite external ABN subcontractors or labour-hire workers into Xero Me to log daily site hours alongside your employees.

Xero Payroll Headcount Tiers:

As of October 2026, Xero's Australian plans cap how many payroll employees are included (Ignite A$35/mo includes payroll for 1 person; Grow A$75/mo includes 2; Comprehensive A$95/mo includes 5; Premium 10 A$115/mo includes 10). Adding rotating casuals just to collect timesheets pushes up your accounting subscription.

No Site-by-Site Check-In or Shift Reminders:

Accounting apps let someone type "8 hours" on Friday afternoon from memory. They don't send site-based shift reminders, capture check-in/check-out timestamps as the crew arrives at each job site, or flag out-of-radius check-ins.

Bookkeepers Still End Up Chasing:

Because field crews hate logging into accounting portals, bookkeepers spend Monday morning chasing WhatsApp/SMS screenshots, paper dockets, and half-remembered hours.

How ZimQi Works with Your Bookkeeper (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks)

Competitor pricing and feature availability verified from each vendor's public Australian/global pricing page as of October 2026. Where a vendor publishes prices in USD, figures are clearly labelled US$ alongside approximate A$ equivalents. Vendors change plans and pricing over time; check each vendor's website for current rates.

How ZimQi Works with Your Bookkeeper (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks)
Workflow Step Xero Me Alone ZimQi + Your Accounting Software
Who Can Log Hours Salaried/payroll employees on your Xero Payroll tier only Employees, casuals, and ABN subcontractors in one place (unlimited crew on Team plan)
How Crew Log Hours Download Xero Me app, log in, enter hours at end of week Tap in & out on Telegram at each site (or personal browser link) + type daily work notes
AI Note Tidying None One narrow AI step turns messy notes into tidy rows; unclear items are flagged for a human, never guessed
Supervisor & Bookkeeper Approval Single payroll approval Configurable approval chain (Supervisor → Bookkeeper → Owner) with permanent timestamped record
Bookkeeper Access & AI Queries Must log into Xero Read-only bookkeeper login + MCP connector (ask Claude or ChatGPT "Who hasn't checked out this week?" or "Export last week's approved timesheets as CSV")
Getting Hours into Payroll Inside Xero (employees only) One-click clean CSV export of approved hours ready for Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks
Monthly Cost (AU) Included up to Xero plan employee cap (A$75–$115+/mo) From A$19/mo ex GST (A$20.90/mo inc GST) (Starter) · A$49/mo ex GST (A$53.90/mo inc GST) (Solo) · A$149/mo ex GST (A$163.90/mo inc GST) (Team)

Transparency Note: ZimQi exports approved timesheets as a clean CSV and provides a live 77-tool MCP server & REST API on every plan. You can also connect Xero to push approved subcontractor hours into Xero draft bills with human confirmation.

Honest Verdict: When to Use Xero Me Alone vs. Adding ZimQi

Use Xero Me alone if:

You only have a few salaried office or single-site staff already included in your Xero Payroll tier who happily enter their own weekly timesheets inside the Xero Me app.

Use ZimQi alongside Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks if:

Your crew works across multiple sites, includes casuals or ABN subcontractors, and your bookkeeper wants supervisor-approved site hours + digital site dockets exported cleanly every Friday without chasing.

ZimQi Single-Price Summary (ex GST & inc 10% AU GST)

Every account starts with a free trial: 30 days or 100 credits, whichever comes first (no card required, includes 3 free AI form template imports). Starter: A$19/mo ex GST (A$20.90/mo inc GST) · Solo: A$49/mo ex GST (A$53.90/mo inc GST) · Team: A$149/mo ex GST (A$163.90/mo inc GST, unlimited crew & sites) · Scale: A$299/mo ex GST (A$328.90/mo inc GST, unlimited crew & sites). 2 credits = 1 active worker-day (~A$0.10–$0.20/day). BYO-AI (Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT, Grok) = A$0 / 0 ZimQi credits.

Start Free Trial on Telegram Full Pricing & Credit Breakdown Sign up with Email

Frequently Asked Questions

Can subcontractors log site hours in ZimQi alongside employees?

Yes. Unlike Xero Me, which only works for employees on your Xero Payroll subscription, ZimQi lets employees, casuals, and ABN subcontractors check in and out on Telegram across your job sites, with supervisor approval and clean CSV export for your bookkeeper.

Does ZimQi integrate with Xero or export CSV?

ZimQi exports approved timesheets as a clean CSV file for your bookkeeper to use with Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks, supports pushing approved subcontractor hours to Xero draft bills, and includes a read-only bookkeeper role plus a 77-tool MCP server and REST API on every plan.

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