Guide

Billing & Payments

Payments and tax compliance

Petboost and Stripe collect your payments and keep the record of them, and your accountant does the accounting from that record. This page shows where the line sits and what to hand over.

Updated 27 September 2026 - 5 min read
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Petboost is not accounting software. It collects payments through Stripe and keeps the record of them. The accounting happens in Xero, QuickBooks or whatever your accountant uses.

What sits on each side of the line

Payment collection, in Petboost

  • Card on file: customers save a card and are charged after each service.
  • SMS payment links: send a Stripe payment link by SMS.
  • Pre-authorisation: hold funds 72 hours before an appointment.
  • Packages: sell prepaid bundles, with credits tracked per pet.
  • PDF invoices: generate an invoice carrying your ABN, and your GST when you are registered, on demand.
  • Customer self-service receipts: customers download receipts from the pet owner app.

Accounting, outside Petboost

  • Stripe bank feeds to Xero: you connect Stripe to Xero as a bank feed, which is set up in Xero and not in Petboost.
  • Categorising deposits: your accountant categorises Stripe deposits as sales or revenue.
  • BAS and GST: your accountant lodges the BAS from that data.

Give your accountant what they need

There are three routes. Use the one your accountant asks for.

Connect Stripe bank feeds to Xero

Do this to send every Stripe deposit into Xero.

  1. In Xero, go to Settings, then Bank Accounts.
  2. Add Stripe as a bank feed source.
  3. Ask your accountant to categorise the deposits as sales or revenue.

Each Stripe deposit then appears in Xero without further work. Xero explains the setup in its Stripe Direct Feeds guide, and a business new to Xero can get started with Xero. Both links are also in Petboost, as Set Up Stripe Bank Feeds and Get Started with Xero on the Accounting Integration card of Pricing & Payments, under Advanced options.

Export from Stripe

Do this when your accountant works from a file.

  1. Log in to your Stripe Dashboard.
  2. Go to Reports, then Payments.
  3. Export the payment data for the period.
  4. Send the file to your accountant.

Download PDF receipts from Petboost

Do this for a single transaction.

  1. Open the booking from Appointments.
  2. On the paid booking's Invoice, open Manage and select Download Receipt.

The PDF carries your ABN and your itemised services.

Download a customer's receipts in one PDF

Do this when your accountant wants every receipt for one customer over a period.

  1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on the customer's pet.
  2. Open the Wallet tab. If it shows sub-tabs, choose Wallet Activity.
  3. On Payment & Card Activity, select Download invoices.
  4. Set the Start date and End date, then tick the paid appointments you want.
  5. Select Download. The button shows how many you ticked.

Petboost joins every receipt into one PDF. Download invoices appears only when the customer has paid appointments.

When customers need invoices or receipts

Customers get their own receipts

A customer can download a receipt without asking you. In the pet owner app, they open the paid appointment and select Download Payment Receipt. Their Wallet in the pet owner app also has Download invoices for several at once.

The receipt includes:

  • Your business name and ABN
  • Customer name and address
  • Date of service
  • Service description
  • Total amount paid

Whether the document is a tax invoice with a GST line or a plain invoice follows your ABN. Petboost takes your GST registration from the ABN lookup when you sign up. A business registered for GST gets a tax invoice with GST shown as included. A business that is not registered gets an invoice with no GST line, which is correct: a business that is not registered for GST must not charge it.

Staff generate a receipt

Your team downloads the same receipt from the booking, as in Download PDF receipts from Petboost. Stripe covers the rules in Best practices for invoices in Australia.

Xero and QuickBooks

Stripe connects to Xero as a bank feed, and most Australian accountants already use Xero, so the deposits land where the books are kept. QuickBooks works the same way if that is what your accountant uses. Petboost does the payment collection either way, not the accounting. The links to get started with Xero and to set up Stripe bank feeds are the ones above.

Packages and payment admin

A package is paid for up front, so there is no payment to collect per visit. The customer buys the package and Stripe takes the payment, Petboost tracks the credits per pet, and the credits are deducted as the pet is booked in. The Stripe payment for the package reaches your accountant by the same three routes above.

Frequently asked questions

Does Petboost replace my accounting software?

No. Petboost collects payments through Stripe and keeps the record. Your accountant does the accounting in Xero or QuickBooks from that record.

How do I connect Stripe to Xero?

In Xero, not in Petboost. In Xero, go to Settings, then Bank Accounts, and add Stripe as a bank feed source. Your accountant can do this for you. See Connect Stripe bank feeds to Xero.

What does my bookkeeper need to know?

  • Petboost collects the payments.
  • Stripe bank feeds send the deposits to Xero.
  • PDF invoices are available on demand from Petboost.
  • The bookkeeper categorises the deposits as sales or revenue.

Can I still create invoices in Xero?

Yes. If a client needs a separate invoice trail, keep raising those invoices in Xero. The Stripe record is unaffected.

What about tax invoices and the ATO?

The ATO requires a tax invoice only when the customer asks for one, and you have 28 days to provide it. Petboost generates the PDF on demand, and your Stripe transaction records and bank feeds are the rest of the paper trail. The ATO explains the rules in Tax invoices.

Need help? Contact support or select Get Help in your dashboard to chat with our team.