Xero Accounting in Indonesia: Setting Up a PT’s Books
Xero Indonesia set-up for a PT: what it covers, how Coretax tax invoices fit in, and who can move your books across from your old system.
References (3)
- UU No. 6 Tahun 1983 on tax administration (KUP), as amended by UU No. 28 Tahun 2007. Article 28(4): books kept in Indonesia, in rupiah, in Indonesian or a foreign language the Minister of Finance allows.
- PER-11/PJ/2025, in force 22 May 2025, as amended by PER-12/PJ/2026 (in force 1 October 2026), which does not amend Articles 40 to 43. Articles 40 and 41: an e-Faktur is made in the taxpayer portal or through an application of a provider the Director General of Taxes has appointed. Article 43: the serial number is assigned when the e-Faktur is uploaded.
- Xero, Accounting Software for your Indonesian Small Business (xero.com/id/accounting-software/), read 27 October 2026.
Yes, an Indonesian company can keep its books in Xero, and we set up Xero in Indonesia for the companies whose books we keep. What matters is that the books meet Indonesia’s rules, and that the organisation is set up properly for a PT (Perseroan Terbatas, a limited company) from the start.
What the law requires of the books
Books are kept in Indonesia, in rupiah, and in Indonesian or a foreign language the Minister of Finance allows (tax administration law, Ketentuan Umum dan Tata Cara Perpajakan, KUP, Article 28(4)). Books in English need a notice to the tax office, and books in US dollars need permission first, as our guide to accounting records in Indonesia explains, along with how long the records are kept.
Xero’s site for Indonesian businesses says it tracks income and expenses in rupiah and other currencies from one dashboard.
What a Xero Indonesia set-up covers
All of this is settled before the first transaction is posted.
- Base currency. Rupiah, unless the company holds permission for US dollars. Settle it before the organisation is created in Xero.
- Chart of accounts. Built to the accounting standard the company uses: full SAK (Standar Akuntansi Keuangan) or one of the simpler standards. Our guide to accounting standards in Indonesia sets out which one applies.
- Tax rates. VAT (Pajak Pertambahan Nilai, PPN) and the withholding taxes the company deducts from its suppliers, so each invoice and bill carries the right one.
- Bank accounts. Each company account added, so the books can be reconciled to the bank every month.
- Opening balances. Brought across from the old system, with the fixed asset register, so the new books start where the old ones ended.
- Foreign currency. Foreign-currency invoices and withholding converted at the official tax exchange rate.
Where Coretax comes in
A VAT tax invoice (e-Faktur) is made in Coretax, the tax office’s taxpayer portal, or through an application of a provider the Director General of Taxes has appointed (Director General of Taxes regulation PER-11/PJ/2025, Articles 40 and 41). Our guide to Coretax in Indonesia covers how a company works in the portal.
The books and the tax invoices should agree
The sales in Xero and the tax invoices issued through Coretax describe the same transactions, so they should agree.
Moving onto Xero Indonesia from another system
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Currency and standard
Rupiah or, with permission, US dollars, and the accounting standard the company uses.
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Set up the organisation
The chart of accounts, tax rates and bank accounts.
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Bring the balances across
Opening balances and the fixed asset register from the old system.
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Keep the books in it
Monthly bookkeeping, reconciled to the bank.
Xero is not the only accounting software choice in Indonesia. If you would rather stay with software you already use, that is fine: we work in yours, and the rules on the books are the same in any system.
What you keep if you leave
The accounts stay yours. If you leave MAM, you take over the accounting subscription in your own name, or we hand over the full set of accounts in Excel or CSV for you to carry on from there.
Where MAM helps
MAM is a Xero Silver Partner and Certified Advisor. We set Xero up for clients and move them onto it from the system they use now, then keep the books in it through our bookkeeping service, reconciled to the bank every month.
The corporate tax work draws on the same records.