Xero integration explained

Xero integration explained

Connecting to Xero

You connect to Xero in Business > Settings > IntegrationsSelect Xero from the Select list 



Next click on the Connection icon on the right 



This will show the Xero connection screen and you will either select a company for the first time or continue with an available company, if you already have a connection in Zahara to Xero with he same username and password. 

Set your company 

Head back to the Integrations tab. You should now be able to set the company as shown below: 

If you have more than one company available, select the correct one. Remember each Business Unit in Zahara needs to align with a Company in Xero. The Green connected sign will show if you have a successful connection. 

Map your Tracking Categories 

Zahara will pickup the tracking Categories available in Xero and make them available so you can easily switch them over. 

Wherever possible, Map Project in Zahara to a track that relates to your projects in Xero. Despite any warnings, we will never delete anything in Xero. Xero is the truth holder. If you need to change these at any time, you can and we will avoid having duplicate child entries in each list. This will mean existing entries will be disabled or deleted if they already exist in Xero and can be synced back into Zahara. 

Now Save your settings 

Before going any further, save your settings. This will then allow syncing to take place. 

Syncing 

You can now click the Sync button to sync the following: 
  1. Tax Codes
  2. Cost Codes
  3. Projects 
  4. Suppliers 
The coding lists will appear very quickly. The supplier syncing will be queued so will happen more slowly. With the supplier sync we being over: 
  1. Supplier Name & Key Details 
  2. Email address
  3. Defaults - Tax, Nominals etc
  4. Payment terms  

Disconnecting 

If you need to disconnect at any time, just click the connection icon again and you will see this screen:


Other Settings 

Post Invoices as 


Invoices are exported from Zahara into Xero. You can choose what status they will be. As Zahara is an approval solution, we would assume Approved is best. An invoice can be exported manually in Zahara - select and click export - or as part of a workflow. The PDF of the invoice will also be exported into Xero. The invoice (bill) in Xero will have a document link to take you back to Zahara. If an invoice relates to a Zahara purchase order, the order number will be added to the Invoice number - ie 199919 | 29991 - where 29991 is the purchase order number.

Importing Bills from Xero into Zahara 

If you would like to Import Draft bill from Xero into Zahara you can enable it here by clicking this button: 


You will then be shown the additional fields to make this work. Here is a dedicated support article on this feature. 

Invoice Gross Up 

If you aren’t VAT registered and you wish to post all invoices into Xero as Gross against a Zero rated tax code, then this feature is for you.

We recommend you send your Zahara orders to your suppliers in a “True” nature – ie £100 + VAT – so use the correct 20% tax rate code for orders. This way, your suppliers will get an order which is correct for them – assuming they are VAT registered.

When you record an invoice against an order, the line items will import from the order, but they will have the 20% tax rate that you don’t actually want. The line items will effectively have net amounts and VAT amounts. If enabled, when the invoice is posted to Xero, the line items will be converted to Gross and Zero rated – we will “Gross them up”.


    • Related Articles

    • Xero troubleshooting

      Here are the main issues when Zahara is connected to Xero  Problem Resolution Any messages relating to connection or authentication Go to Business > Settings > Integrations. Disconnect and then reconnect to Xero. Enter relevant credentials and try a ...
    • Xero connection problems

      Xero connection errors drop outs.  For most people with one Business unit and one Company in Xero, you can use your Xero username and password for the connection and never have to change this.  If you have more than one Business Unit in Zahara ...
    • QuickBooks & QuickBooks Online Integration

      QuickBooks Desktop & Pro We have a simple integration with QuickBooks Desktop where we can export an IIF file with Bill information. You can then use the import utility in QuickBooks to batch import vendor invoices  / Bills. All you need to do is set ...
    • Xero Gross Up

      Xero Gross Up If you aren’t VAT registered and you wish to post all invoices into Xero as Gross against a Zero rated tax code, then this feature is for you. We recommend you send your Zahara orders to your suppliers in a “True” nature – ie £100 + VAT ...
    • Syncing & Originating suppliers in Xero

      Syncing & Originating Suppliers Xero is frustrating in that you create a Contact and it doesn’t become a Supplier until you record a Bill against it. Zahara only picks up contacts that have been flagged as suppliers. So what to do? We think the best ...