Skip to main content
All CollectionsIntegrationsXero payroll integration
Xero integration – Setup guide with Planday: Step 1
Xero integration – Setup guide with Planday: Step 1

Follow this guide to configure the integration and sync your Planday employee data with your Xero organisation in the UK.

Maud avatar
Written by Maud
Updated over 2 months ago

🔓 Access level in Planday: Administrator

🌐 Subscription plan: Plus, Pro, Enterprise

⏱️ Reading time: 5 min.

ℹ️ Important read: Xero integration FAQ

  • Watch a webinar to get help with setting up the integration and understanding what the integration syncs.

Step 1: Initial setup

⏱ 10 minutes

⏱ 10 minutes

⏱ 5 minutes


Connect your Xero organisation

Please note that you need Payroll Admin access in Xero to authorise this integration. See more details in this guide from Xero Central.

Also, Payroll must be already set up in Xero. Follow this guide from Xero for the setup steps.

To connect your Xero organisation, go to Settings > Integrations > Overview. Open the Xero integration by clicking Set up.

Next, press “Add” within the Organisations section to connect to a Xero organisation:

Add Xero UK.001.jpeg

A new window with the Xero login page will open, and once logged in, you will see an application authorisation prompt for Planday. Select the Xero organisation to connect to and press Allow access to continue.

Your Xero organisation should be connected and visible in the Integrations overview.

successfully connected Xero UK.001.jpeg

Tip: If a window with the Xero log-in page did not open, make sure your browser is not blocking pop-up windows.


Sync employee data

This step will enable employee data synchronisation between Planday and Xero. Assuming you have already created employees in either system, this first-time synchronisation will let you combine data from both platforms so any changes in one are reflected in the other. Any subsequent changes to employee data in Planday would be reflected in Xero but not the other way around. The values we sync from Planday to Xero are:

  • First name and Last name

  • E-mail address

  • Birthday

  • Gender

  • Address

  • City

  • Postcode

  • Country

For the sync to be successful, all the fields must be filled in in Planday.

Make sure you don't archive any of the fields above for employee sync to work.

Select the Xero organisation which you would like to combine employee data with and click on the edit icon.

employee data sync UK.001.jpeg

Employee Data mapping

If you have multiple departments in Planday, you’ll be asked to select one from the list because the employees must be linked to a department once imported.

Tip: You can change the department your employees are assigned to or assign them to multiple departments after finishing the integration setup by navigating to People > Departments. Read more about the structure of Planday or how to create or edit Departments here.

Click on Sync and you will be shown the employees with the same email in both systems. These employees will be automatically matched in both systems, but you will still need to add them to the integration to map them.

Besides automatically mapping employees in both systems, you can add employees created in Planday or Xero to your synchronisation. Some employees may need to be added manually if they don't have a matching email address. Press the Add employees button to manually select employees that should be added to the synchronisation.

Planday Mobile app Screenshot Shells.096.png

Here you can manually select employees from Planday or Xero and add them to the synchronisation.

Some of the employees may appear greyed out. This indicates that some information is missing in the employee's profile. Hover your mouse over the greyed-out checkbox to see what information is missing and update it in the employee's personal details page.


Once you select the employees you want to import, click the Add button.

Planday EN Screenshots for HC.114.png

Review the employee data mapping summary and click Add to integration to initiate the synchronisation of your employees across both systems.

Planday Mobile app Screenshot Shells.098.png


Create new employees in Planday with an active Xero integration

When you create a new employee in Planday or edit an existing employee, you can choose whether or not they should be synced to your Xero integration. Simply select which Xero organisation you would like to add the user to from People > Employees > Select the employee to edit > Employee details > Xero integration.

create employee link to Xero.png



See related articles:

ℹ️ Need more help?

🔍 Search the Help Center | See videos at Tutorials.Planday.com | Watch a webinar

💬 For personalised support

Login and contact our support team via the blue icon at the bottom if you have more questions or book a one-to-one professional training session with an expert.

Did this answer your question?