Guide

Getting records out of Xero for an audit or HMRC

Do it in this order. Find what's missing, attach what you can, then export everything with an index. If you start with the download, you find the gaps last.

1. Agree what they want

Ask for the period and the record types in writing. "A year of purchase invoices" is a smaller job than "everything".

2. Find the gaps

List your approved or paid bills and spend transactions with no attachment. Start with the largest amounts. Check Xero Documents too. A receipt may be sitting there, attached to nothing.

3. Attach what you can

Open each transaction, attach the receipt, and check the gap list again. Chase suppliers for the rest.

4. Export with an index

Hand over files they can match to transactions. An index should show each transaction, its amounts and accounts, and where its files are.

5. Start early

Xero limits how many requests any app can make for your organisation each day. A large export can take days.

GrabReceipts does steps 2 and 4. The gap count and largest gaps are free.

Questions

How long must a UK limited company keep records?

GOV.UK says 6 years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to, or longer in some cases, including when HMRC has started a compliance check into your Company Tax Return.

Does a clean report mean my records are right?

No. It shows whether a transaction has an attachment in Xero. It can't tell if the receipt is the right one or if a record is correct.

Is this advice?

No. This page is general information, not accounting, tax or legal advice. Ask your accountant about your own case.

Source: GOV.UK, company and accounting records. Last checked November 2026. Rules differ by country.