Live from Xerocon: Xero and Microsoft MileIQ Partnership

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Thirty-six percent of the nation's workforce is now freelancing, according to the 2017 Freelancing in America study by the Freelancers Union and Upwork. And 26 percent of U.S. employees say they are likely or somewhat likely to become a freelancer or independent contractor, according to a report from ReportLinker. As the gig economy continues to grow, demands for more simplified reporting processes are rising as well.

In response to the changing dynamics of America's workforce, Xero today announced it is expanding its integration with Microsoft by adding Microsoft-owned MileIQ to its growing ecosystem of app partners. The companies made the announcement at Xerocon 2017, the company's annual conference for cloud accounting leaders, being held in Austin, Texas.

MileIQ allows independent contractors to automatically track mileage, classify drives and accurately report in Xero. Plugging directly into Xero +C, MileIQ will enable independent contractors to more accurately deduct their mileage on their Schedule C reports. This integration will be publicly available later this month.

“Integrating with Microsoft’s MileIQ is another example of Xero embracing the gig economy,” said Herman Man, Vice President of Products and Partnerships at Xero. “Together, Xero and Microsoft provide a smarter, simpler way for our users to manage their businesses. Now, with the addition of MileIQ, we’re making it easier for independent contractors to reap the benefits of a more simplified mileage tracking and accounting process too.”

MileIQ will be integrated with Xero to support expense reimbursement with Xero Expenses and bills in Xero, enabling businesses to seamlessly track and reimburse their employees and independent contractors for travel-related expenses.  This integration should be available the first quarter of 2018.

As a value-added benefit for accountants and bookkeepers, MileIQ is also launching MileIQ for Xero Advisors - an exclusive partner program for Xero Advisors. The program will be modeled off the MileIQ for Tax Professionals program and will include additional benefits such as unique educational training and sales enablement materials for their clients.