What Xero costs in South Africa
Xero publishes its prices, so we do too. What follows is the subscription you pay Xero. Our fee for running your books is separate, and is on our pricing page.
Xero has three plans in South Africa: Starter at R450 a month, Standard at R795 and Premium at R1 095, as at 18 September 2026. Most trading businesses need Standard, which has unlimited invoices and bills. Multi-currency only comes with Premium. South African payroll is handled by an integrated payroll system, not by Xero itself.
The three plans
| Plan | Per month | Who it suits | Includes | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | R450 | Sole proprietors and very small businesses with a handful of invoices a month. |
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| Standard | R795 | Most trading businesses on the South Coast. This is the plan we put clients on. |
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| Premium | R1 095 | Businesses invoicing in other currencies, or wanting deeper analysis. |
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Prices as published by Xero on 18 September 2026, in South African rand, excluding any add-ons. Xero usually runs an introductory discount for the first few months on new subscriptions. We will tell you what is current when you sign up. Xero has announced a subscription price increase from 1 November 2026. We confirm the current figure when we quote your setup.
What a partner adds
Partner-rate subscriptions
As a Xero partner we can carry the subscription for you at partner rates and bill it with your monthly fee, or you can pay Xero directly. Your choice.
Set up so the reports mean something
The plan is the cheap part. The value is a chart of accounts built around how your business actually earns, which is what makes the reports worth reading.
One number to phone
When something looks wrong, you phone us, not an overseas support queue. Partner practices have a direct line to Xero support.
Questions about cost
What does Xero cost in South Africa?
Xero publishes its South African subscription prices by plan, and they change from time to time, so we quote the current figure when we scope your setup rather than printing a price that goes stale.
Our fee for setup, migration and training is quoted separately and once-off. The monthly Xero subscription can be billed to you directly or through us.
Can Xero run South African payroll?
Xero's built-in payroll is not designed for South African PAYE, UIF, SDL and IRP5 requirements. We run payroll in a South African payroll system that integrates with Xero, so the journals land in your books automatically.
You get compliant EMP201 and EMP501 submissions and a clean set of books, without double capturing.
Why switch from Pastel or Sage to Xero?
The practical differences are daily bank feeds, access from anywhere without a server, and your accountant seeing the same live data you do. Most owners notice that VAT and month-end stop being a scramble.
Switching is not always right. If you have complex manufacturing or heavily customised reports, we will tell you to stay where you are.
Not sure which plan you need?
Tell us how you invoice and we will tell you which plan fits, in twenty minutes and at no charge.