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Resolve payroll export errors - Xero UK
Resolve payroll export errors - Xero UK

Find solutions to resolve common timesheet export errors to Xero payroll

Maud avatar
Written by Maud
Updated over a month ago

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At times, you might encounter errors while exporting timesheets to Xero. However, there's no need to worry, as these issues can be resolved by updating your settings in either Planday or Xero. Below, you'll find information on the most common payroll sync errors and how to resolve them.


Timesheets could not be synced with Xero: The timesheet already exists for this employee and pay period in Xero.

This means that the employee already has a timesheet in Xero for the pay period you’re trying to export. There are two options here.

  • Check the employee’s timesheet in Xero and if it’s correct, then you can disregard this message

  • The timesheet is incorrect and you wish to make changes. You need to delete the employee’s timesheet in Xero and sync your hours again from Planday.

To delete a timesheet in Xero,

  • Go to Payroll > Timesheets

  • Select the relevant Pay Period > Select the Employee

  • Click on the small arrow next to the Edit button > Select Delete


Leave request can not be created: The leave type is not assigned to the employee in Xero.

There could be a few reasons for this:

  • The employee may not have a leave type assigned in Xero. To resolve this:

    • In Xero, navigate to Payroll > Employees > Select the employee > Leave > Assign the appropriate leave type.

  • Ensure that the assigned leave type in Xero is correctly mapped to a shift type in Planday:

    • Go to Settings > Integrations > Overview.

    • Locate the Xero integration and click Manage.

    • In the Payroll section, click the pencil icon.

    • In Step 2 of 2, confirm that the holiday leave type is mapped to the correct shift type in Planday. If it’s not, add the salary code for the shift type to the mapping.


Timesheets could not be synced to Xero: The earning rate is not valid for timesheets in Xero.

This can occur when:

  • You’ve synced an Earnings rate that is not in the Earnings categories Regular Earnings or Overtime Earnings or that is not set as a Rate per unit or as a Multiple of an employee’s regular earnings rate. To solve this, you can follow these steps:

    • Go to Xero > Payroll settings > Pay items

    • Edit the relevant pay item and change the Rate type from Fixed amount to Rate per unit or to Multiple of an employee’s regular earnings rate

    • Or recreate the pay item with the right Earnings category and sync it with Planday (link to section of article)

  • A mapped pay item has been set as inactive or has been deleted in Xero. To see your pay items in Xero, go to Settings > Payroll settings > Pay items. Alternatively, go to Planday > Settings > Integrations > Overview > Xero (Manage) > Payroll > Edit and look at your mapped earning rates. A deleted pay item will show like this: ⬇️

‎deleted_pay_item.‎001.jpeg


Timesheets could not be synced to Xero: The employee does not have a completed employment record in Xero.

This usually happens when the employee profile configuration is not complete in Xero.
You can fix this by doing the following:

  • Navigate to Payroll > Employees > Select employee

  • Check what information is missing and add it.

  • For instance, the Salary and wages could be missing in the employee’s Employment tab.


Timesheets could not be synced with Xero: The timesheet dates do not match any of the pay period dates in Xero.

In Xero, the period of the Pay calendar selected for the employee (under Payroll > Employees > Employee > Employment information > Pay calendar), does not match the period of the Pay run. You can check the Pay calendar templates, by navigating to Payroll > Payroll settings > Pay Calendars. Here you can find the selected period and payment date for each calendar.


The Start Date for the leave request cannot be before the Employee’s Start Date.

You would get this message if you’ve set the employee’s start date in Xero to a date after the registered leave in Planday. To fix this, either change the Employment start Date in the employee’s profile in Xero or cancel the absence in Planday, resubmit it and approve it with the correct date range.


I can’t seem to see the correct date range in the Planday pay run

You need to ensure that you have created a draft pay run setup in Xero before you can see the information in the Planday dropdown. Create a draft pay run by going to Xero > Payroll > Pay employees. Click Add Pay Run > Select a pay period > press Next. Read more about this at Xero Central.


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