This is the practical process for turning a detailed Xero invoice into a simple client-facing document — without changing a single record in Xero. Three steps, set up once as a template and reused automatically after that. For the reasoning behind why this matters, see why your accounting records shouldn't be your client invoice.
Open a real, detailed Xero invoice and read it as if you were the client, not the bookkeeper. Which lines are genuinely useful to them, and which exist purely for your own costing and reporting? Most complex invoices have more of the second kind than people expect — and every one of them is a candidate for grouping in the next step.
Related charges — several labour entries, multiple material lines, a handful of small add-ons — can usually be combined into one labelled section, like "Labour" or "Materials." Grouping doesn't delete or edit anything in Xero; it changes how those same line items are presented together on the client-facing PDF. The client sees one clear total per category instead of ten individual lines.
Some line items need a different kind of grouping: not a visible category, but a quiet one. Margin or markup built into a material or supplier cost, administration and overhead fees, insurance recovery charges — these are useful to you but genuinely awkward for a client to see on their own line. You can't remove a line item's value outright, since the invoice total needs to add up to exactly what's owed. Instead, fold it into an existing group so its value is absorbed into a total like "Materials," or place it in its own plainly labelled section with minimal detail. Either way, nothing about the amount changes — only how visible that individual line is.
Once your grouping rules are set, InvoicePolish applies them automatically and shows a live preview — a simplified, clearly labelled, branded invoice generated directly from your real Xero data. Save the rules as part of a template, and every future invoice with matching line items is simplified the same way, with no manual work required.
No. Save them as part of a reusable template and they apply automatically to future invoices with matching line items. For invoices you duplicate often, you can also tag line items with a keyword of your choice — like #LABOUR or #MATERIALS — and group them instantly with one click, or add #GENERATE as its own line item to have InvoicePolish group, render and attach the PDF automatically the moment you save the invoice in Xero — see [automate Xero invoice grouping with keyword tags and #GENERATE](automate-xero-invoice-grouping-with-keyword-and-generate) for the full walkthrough.
They're not really different tools — hiding is what grouping looks like when you don't want an item to stand out. Grouping combines line items into one labelled, visible section with a combined subtotal; folding a single sensitive item — margin, an administration fee, an insurance charge — into a broader group is how you keep it out of individual view. The value always still counts toward the invoice total, and the original entry stays untouched in Xero.
Common examples are margin or markup built into a cost, administration and overhead fees, and insurance recovery charges. These are all genuine, necessary entries in Xero — they're just usually folded into a broader total rather than itemised on their own for a client.
Yes — InvoicePolish shows a live preview as you build the layout, so what you see is what your client receives.
Yes. The same grouping and template system applies to Xero quotes.
Apply your grouping rules once, then reuse them on every invoice.
No disruption to your Xero account. Cancel anytime.