Show labour and materials separately on a Xero invoice
Xero has no built-in way to group invoice lines and show a subtotal under each group. You can add a description-only line as a heading, but the total still appears only once, at the bottom. SectionTotal adds a subtotal under each group: you type a line that says "Subtotal" where a group ends, and your client gets a PDF with labour and materials totalled separately.
What you can do in Xero alone
- A heading line. Add a line with only a description, such as "Labour". It groups the lines visually, but there's no subtotal.
- Two invoices. One for labour, one for materials. The subtotals are right, but the client gets two documents and two payments to match.
- A custom DOCX template. Changes how the invoice looks, but it doesn't add a total per group.
Each works for an occasional invoice. None gives one invoice with a subtotal per group.
How to do it with SectionTotal
- Write the invoice in Xero as usual. Start the labour lines with a line that has only a description, "Labour", and the materials with "Materials".
- After the last labour line, add a line with the description
Subtotal. Do the same after materials. - Choose the SectionTotal branding theme and approve the invoice.
SectionTotal builds the PDF with a subtotal under each section, emails it to your client and marks the invoice as sent in Xero. The lines, VAT and total in Xero don't change.
Good to know
- VAT stays per line, exactly as in Xero.
- On CIS? A CIS deduction is shown between the total and the amount due, and lines on Xero's Domestic Reverse Charge rates are marked with Xero's note and the VAT your client pays to HMRC.
- It works the same by room, by site or by phase: a section is whatever you put between two Subtotal lines.
- Your first 30 days are free, no card needed.