In this article:
Actionstep offers a few different options for managing your bookkeeping within your system. Specifically, when you initially set up your system, you are presented with a few different options for managing your accounting: 
What Options Are Available
The following describes these accounting options in greater detail.
Xero
Xero is an online accounting system designed to make accounting understandable. If you use Xero, Actionstep ensures that any bill, credit note, bill payment, or trust accounting transaction you post in Actionstep will be posted to your Xero account. The integration means that any transaction done in Actionstep is pushed to Xero but it does not mean that any transaction done in Xero will update your records in Actionstep.
QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks is a small-business accounting solution in the US and is available for all Actionstep users. Like the Xero integration, by integrating your Actionstep with QuickBooks Online, Actionstep ensures that any billing or trust accounting transaction you post in Actionstep will be posted to your QuickBooks Online account. The integration means that any transaction done in Actionstep is pushed to QuickBooks Online but it does not mean that any transaction done in QuickBooks will update your records in Actionstep.
Actionstep Accounting
Actionstep offers its own general ledger-based accounting solution. Benefits of using Actionstep accounting include divisional accounting, multi-currency accounting, general retainers, and accounting reports based on matters and participants in your system.
Billing and Trust Accounting Only (no accounting)
This option is for any user who does not want to use an Actionstep integration partner or Actionstep for their accounting. It is for users who want to use another accounting system or want to do their accounting manually. Users are still able to process their billing and trust accounting in Actionstep but will have to manually re-enter information to account for items financially.
A Closer Look at the Different Accounting Options
The following table lists some common accounting tasks and then briefly discusses how these work in the selected accounting package.
When items are marked with a No in the table below, it could mean that you cannot create that item in Actionstep at all or it might mean that creating it in Actionstep does not record the transaction in your general ledger. See the explanation contained within each box.
QuickBooks Online (QBO) Integration
| Xero Integration
| Actionstep Accounting
| Billing and Trust Accounting Only(No Accounting) | |
Client Billing | ||||
Posting a client bill to your accounting | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to QBO | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to Xero | Yes | Yes Processed in Actionstep but not posted to any General Ledger |
Paying a client bill | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to QBO | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to Xero | Yes | Yes Processed in Actionstep but not posted to any General Ledger |
Creating a credit note | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to QBO | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to Xero | Yes | Yes Processed in Actionstep but not posted to any General Ledger |
Applying a credit note to an invoice | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to QBO | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to Xero | Yes | Yes Processed in Actionstep but not posted to any General Ledger |
Refunding an outstanding credit note back to the client | No Not available with a QBO integration | No Not available with a Xero integration | Yes | Yes Processed in Actionstep but not posted to any General Ledger |
Refund an overpayment from a client | No Not available with a QBO integration | No Not available with a Xero integration | Yes | Yes Processed in Actionstep but not posted to any General Ledger |
General RetainersRegionally specific | No Not available with a QBO integration | No Not available with a Xero integration | Yes | Yes Processed in Actionstep but not posted to any General Ledger |
Trust Accounting | ||||
Trust Receipts, Payments, Journals and Transfers | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to QBO | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to Xero | Yes | Yes Processed in Actionstep but not posted to any General Ledger |
Interest | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to QBO | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to Xero | Yes | Yes Processed in Actionstep but not posted to any General Ledger |
Invoice Payments | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to QBO | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to Xero | Yes | Yes Processed in Actionstep but not posted to any General Ledger |
Statutory DepositsRegionally specific | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to QBO | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to Xero | Yes | Yes Processed in Actionstep but not posted to any General Ledger |
Advanced funds transactionsRegionally specific | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to QBO | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to Xero | Yes | Yes Processed in Actionstep but not posted to any General Ledger |
Trust Bank Reconciliations | Yes Bank reconciliations for trust accounts should be completed in Actionstep and are NOT pushed to QBO | Yes Bank reconciliations for trust accounts should be completed in Actionstep and are NOT pushed to Xero | Yes | Yes Processed in Actionstep but not posted to any General Ledger |
Vendor / Supplier Transactions | ||||
Posting a vendor / supplier invoice to your accounting | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to QBO | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to Xero | Yes | No |
Paying a vendor / supplier invoice | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to QBO | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to Xero | Yes | No |
Creating a vendor / supplier credit invoice | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to QBO | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to Xero | Yes | No |
Applying a vendor / supplier credit invoice to a vendor / supplier invoice | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to QBO | Yes Processed in Actionstep, optional to post billing transactions to Xero | Yes | No |
Purchase Orders | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to QBO | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to Xero | Yes | No |
Purchase Credit Orders | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to QBO | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to Xero | Yes | No |
Pre-entered vendor | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to QBO | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to Xero | Yes | No |
Banking Transactions | ||||
A bank depositWhen not linked to a client payment | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to QBO | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to Xero | Yes | No |
A bank withdrawalWhen not linked to a vendor payment | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to QBO | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to Xero | Yes | No |
Bank to bank transfer | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to QBO | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to Xero | Yes | No |
Electronic Batching of paymentsRegional specific | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to QBO | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to Xero | Yes | No |
Bank reconciliations | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to QBO | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to Xero | Yes | No |
Printed Checks | No These can be created in Actionstep, the transaction will post to QBO (depending on if it is for a vendor invoice or a banking withdrawal - see above) but the check will be printed in Actionstep | No These can be created in Actionstep, the transaction will post to Xero, depending if it is for a vendor invoice or a banking withdrawal (see above) but the check will be printed in Actionstep | Yes | No |
Deposit Slips | No These can be created in Actionstep, the transaction in the deposit slip will post to QBO (depending on if it is for a vendor invoice or a banking withdrawal - see above) but the check will be printed in Actionstep | No These can be created in Actionstep, the transaction in the deposit slip will post to Xero (depending on if it is for a vendor invoice or a banking withdrawal - see above) but the check will be printed in Actionstep | Yes | No |
Bank feedsWhere transactions entered into your bank account is feed into your accounting to create or reconcile the transactions | Partial While the bank feed will work in QBO, any transaction created through the Bank feed will not be processed in Actionstep | Partial While the bank feed will work in Xero, any transaction created through the Bank feed will not be processed in Actionstep | No | No |
Other Accounting Functions | ||||
General Journals | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to QBO | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to Xero | Yes | No |
Sales Tax Returns | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to QBO | No These can be created in Actionstep but will not be posted to Xer | Yes | No |
DivisionsDivisions allow you to have multiple organizations operating from one instance of Actionstep | No Actionstep's division's function is not designed to work with a QBO integration | No Actionstep's division's function is not designed to work with a Xero integration | Yes | Yes |
Accounting reports based on Matter or Participant | No You will still be able to pull these reports in Actionstep, but the matter and participant types required will not be pushed through to QBO for you to run similar reports there | No You will still be able to pull these reports in Actionstep, but the matter and participant types required will not be pushed through to Xero for you to run similar reports there | Yes | No |
Multi-Currency Accounting | Yes | No | Yes | No |
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