Xero Integration

The Xero integration connects EventWorks to your Xero accounting software, allowing you to push invoices, purchase orders, credit notes, and payments directly into Xero. Contacts are automatically created or matched, and you can map your cost types and teams to specific Xero account codes and tracking categories.

Getting There

Go to Settings > Integrations and find the Xero card. Click Connect to begin setup, or click the Settings (wrench icon) button if you're already connected.

Overview

Once connected, Xero handles your accounting data automatically:

Sales invoices are pushed to Xero when you authorise them in EventWorks
Purchase invoices are pushed to Xero for your supplier costs
Purchase orders can optionally be synced
Credit notes are created in Xero with allocations to their related invoices
Payments sync in both directions — record payments in either system
Contacts are automatically created or matched in Xero by company name
PDF attachments are attached to Xero invoices automatically
Tracking categories let you tag invoice line items for reporting in Xero

Key Concepts

One Accounting Integration at a Time

You can only connect one accounting integration at a time. If you enable Xero, any other accounting integration (QuickBooks, Sage, etc.) is deactivated. Disabling Xero does not delete data already synced to Xero.

OAuth Authentication

Xero uses OAuth for secure authentication. You'll be redirected to Xero to grant EventWorks access. Tokens are managed automatically — if your session expires, EventWorks will prompt you to reconnect.

Multi-Organisation Support

If your Xero account has access to multiple organisations, you'll be asked to choose which one to connect after authorising. You can change this later by reconnecting.

Invoice References

The reference field on Xero invoices can be set to your event code, event date, or a custom template. This helps you identify invoices in Xero quickly.

How To...

Connect to Xero

Go to Settings > Integrations.
Click the Xero card, then click Connect to Xero.
Before connecting, configure these options in the modal:

- Sales invoice reference — Choose how the Xero invoice reference is populated: Event code, Event date, or Custom (see Custom Invoice References below). - Generate invoice numbers from EventWorks — Check this if you want EventWorks to control invoice numbering instead of Xero. - Disable integration for sales invoices — Check this to prevent sales invoices from being sent to Xero. - Disable integration for purchase invoices — Check this to prevent purchase invoices from being sent to Xero. - Enable integration for purchase orders — Check this to send purchase orders to Xero (disabled by default).

Click Connect to Xero. You'll be redirected to Xero to authorise access.
Grant EventWorks access in Xero and you'll be redirected back.
If you have multiple Xero organisations, select the one you want to connect and click Save.

Configure Account Mappings

After connecting, you should set up account mappings so invoices land in the correct Xero accounts:

Click the Settings button on the Xero card (or go to Settings > Integrations > Accounting).
In the right-hand panel under Sales, configure:

- Default sales account — The Xero account code used for sales invoice line items when no cost-type-specific mapping exists. - Default purchases account — The Xero account code used for purchase invoice line items when no cost-type-specific mapping exists. - Invoice payments bank account — The Xero bank account used when recording payments.

In the left-hand panel under Costs, map each cost type to specific Xero accounts:

- Accounting account — The Xero account for purchase/cost line items of this type. - Accounting sales account — The Xero account for sales line items of this type.

Click Save.

Tip: Set up your account mappings before pushing your first invoice. This avoids having to correct account codes in Xero after the fact.

Set Up Tracking Categories

Tracking categories in Xero let you tag invoice line items for more detailed reporting. EventWorks supports three layers of tracking category assignment:

Option 1: Map Tracking Categories to Event Fields

This is the most flexible approach. You can map up to two Xero tracking categories to an event field, and the value is applied to every line item automatically.

On the accounting settings page, find the Tracking categories section in the right-hand panel.
For each Xero tracking category, select which event field should provide the value:

- Event code — Uses the event's code - Event name — Uses the event's name - Start date (YYYY-MM-DD) — Uses the event's start date - None — Don't map this category

Click Save.

Note: Xero allows a maximum of two tracking categories per invoice line item. If you try to map more than two, you'll see an error.

If a tracking option doesn't already exist in Xero for the value (e.g. the event code), EventWorks creates it automatically.

Option 2: Assign Tracking Categories by Team

If your teams correspond to Xero tracking categories, you can map each team:

On the accounting settings page, find the Teams table in the left-hand panel.
For each team, select the appropriate tracking category and option from the dropdown.
Click Save.

When an event belongs to a team with a tracking category assigned, that tracking is applied to all invoice line items for that event.

Option 3: Set a Default Tracking Category

As a fallback, set a Default tracking category in the right-hand panel. This is applied to line items when no event-field mapping or team-specific mapping exists.

Note: Event field mappings (Option 1) take priority. If any mapped tracking categories produce values, the team-specific and default tracking categories are not applied. They only act as fallbacks.

Choose the Xero Invoice Status

You can control what status invoices have when they arrive in Xero:

On the accounting settings page, find the Xero invoice status dropdown.
Choose one of:

- Draft — Invoices arrive in Xero as drafts, requiring manual approval. - Submitted (Awaiting Approval) — Invoices are submitted for approval in Xero. - Authorised — Invoices are fully authorised in Xero immediately.

Click Save.

Send an Invoice to Xero

Invoices are sent to Xero when you authorise them in EventWorks (provided the integration is not disabled for that invoice type). The process happens automatically in the background.

After syncing, you'll see a View on Xero button on the invoice in EventWorks, which takes you directly to that invoice in your Xero account.

Note: If the sync is still processing, it may take a few moments for the View on Xero link to appear.

Sync Payments from Xero

Payments recorded in Xero can be imported back into EventWorks:

Payments created in EventWorks are automatically pushed to Xero.
Payments recorded directly in Xero are imported back into EventWorks, matched to the correct invoice.

Switch Xero Organisations

If you need to connect to a different Xero organisation:

Go to Settings > Integrations and click the Xero card.
Click Connect to Xero to restart the OAuth flow.
Authorise access in Xero — you may need to grant access to the new organisation.
On the organisation picker page, select the new organisation.
If the organisation you need isn't listed, check Add another organisation and click Save to re-authorise with additional organisations.

Disable the Xero Integration

Go to Settings > Integrations and find the Xero card.
Click the Disable button.
Confirm the disconnection.

Warning: Disabling Xero stops all future syncing. Data already in Xero is not affected, but new invoices will no longer be pushed. Your accounting service reverts to the built-in local mode.

Custom Invoice References

When you set the sales invoice reference to Custom, you can build a template using these variables:

Variable	Replaced With	Example
`{{code}}`	Event code	`EV001`
`{{event_name}}`	Event name	`Summer Festival`
`{{start_date}}`	Event start date	`15/06/2025`
`{{account}}`	Client/account name	`Acme Corp`

Example template: {{code}} - {{event_name}} Example result: EV001 - Summer Festival

What Gets Synced

EventWorks Record	Xero Record	Direction	Notes
Sales invoice	Accounts Receivable invoice	EventWorks to Xero	Includes PDF attachment
Purchase invoice	Accounts Payable invoice	EventWorks to Xero	Includes uploaded file attachment if present
Purchase order	Purchase Order	EventWorks to Xero	Must be enabled in settings
Credit note	Credit Note	EventWorks to Xero	Allocations are linked to the related invoice
Payment	Payment	Both directions	Matched by invoice
Account	Contact	EventWorks to Xero	Auto-created or matched by name

Settings & Configuration

All Xero settings are found at Settings > Integrations > Accounting (the wrench icon on the Xero card). You need the edit settings permission to access this area.

Connection Settings (in the connect modal)

Setting	Description
Sales invoice reference	How the Xero reference field is populated — event code, date, or custom template
Custom invoice reference	Template string using `{{code}}`, `{{event_name}}`, `{{start_date}}`, `{{account}}`
Generate invoice numbers from EventWorks	Use EventWorks numbering instead of Xero auto-numbering
Disable for sales invoices	Prevent sales invoices from syncing
Disable for purchase invoices	Prevent purchase invoices from syncing
Enable for purchase orders	Allow purchase orders to sync (off by default)

Account Mapping Settings

Setting	Description
Default sales account	Fallback Xero account for sales line items
Default purchases account	Fallback Xero account for purchase line items
Invoice payments bank account	Xero bank account for payment recording
Per-cost-type accounts	Map each cost type to specific Xero sales and purchase accounts

Tracking & Status Settings

Setting	Description
Default tracking category	Fallback tracking category for all line items
Tracking category mappings	Map up to 2 Xero tracking categories to event fields
Per-team tracking categories	Map each team to a specific tracking category
Xero invoice status	Status invoices arrive in Xero with — Draft, Submitted, or Authorised

Tips & Best Practices

Tip: Use per-cost-type account mappings to ensure your event costs are categorised correctly in Xero's chart of accounts without manual corrections.

Tip: If you use Xero's multi-currency features, EventWorks automatically sends the correct currency code and exchange rate with each invoice.

Tip: The View on Xero button on invoices gives you one-click access to see the synced invoice directly in Xero.

Note: If an OAuth connection issue occurs, try disconnecting and reconnecting Xero. This refreshes all tokens and typically resolves authentication errors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use Xero and QuickBooks at the same time?

No. Only one accounting integration can be active at a time. Enabling Xero disables any other accounting service.

Q: What happens to existing Xero data if I disconnect?

Nothing — all previously synced invoices, contacts, and payments remain in Xero. Only future syncing stops.

Q: Why isn't my invoice appearing in Xero?

Check that the integration is not disabled for that invoice type (sales or purchase). Also confirm the sync has had time to process — it runs as a background job. If the issue persists, try reconnecting Xero to refresh the authentication tokens.

Q: Can I change which Xero organisation is connected?

Yes. Reconnect to Xero from the integration settings. If you have multiple organisations, you'll be prompted to choose. Use the Add another organisation option if the one you need isn't listed.

Q: Why did my credit note allocation fail?

Credit notes can only be allocated to invoices that have been approved in Xero. If either the credit note or the target invoice is still in Draft status in Xero, the allocation will fail. Approve both records in Xero first, then retry.

Q: Does EventWorks attach files to Xero invoices?

Yes. Sales invoices have their PDF automatically attached. Purchase invoices attach any uploaded supplier document.