Connecting Xero to Finye
Connect Xero to Finye for two-way sync of your clients and contacts, so your client list stays accurate in both systems without double entry.
If your practice already runs on Xero, connecting it to Finye means you do not have to keep two client lists in step by hand. Finye offers two-way sync of clients and contacts with Xero, so a change made in one system flows through to the other. This guide walks through connecting Xero, choosing how the sync behaves, mapping your records, and keeping the connection healthy over time.
What the Xero connection does
The integration keeps your client and contact records aligned between Finye and Xero. A Xero contact becomes a client in Finye, and a Finye client can be pushed to Xero as a contact. Because the sync is two-way, you can update a client's details, contacts or status in whichever system you happen to be in, and the other side is brought up to date. This is most useful when your team raises work and tracks jobs in Finye but bills and reconciles in Xero, and you want both to agree on who your clients are.
Before you start
A short checklist will make the connection go smoothly:
- You need a Xero login with permission to authorise app connections for the organisation you want to link.
- Decide which Finye user will own the connection. It is best set up by a principal or an administrator rather than a casual user.
- Have a sense of how clean your existing lists are. If either system has duplicate or out-of-date contacts, tidy the worst of them first so you are not syncing mess in both directions.
Connecting your Xero organisation
Authorising the connection takes only a few steps and uses Xero's secure sign-in, so Finye never sees or stores your Xero password.
- In Finye, open your workspace Settings and go to the integrations area.
- Find Xero and choose Connect.
- You are taken to Xero to sign in. Log in with your Xero credentials if prompted.
- Select the Xero organisation you want to link to this Finye workspace.
- Review the access Finye is requesting and approve it. Xero returns you to Finye and the connection is now active.
If you manage more than one Xero organisation, take care to select the correct one. Each Finye workspace links to a single Xero organisation, which keeps client records cleanly separated.
Choosing your sync settings
Once connected, decide how you want records to flow. Review the sync options before running a full sync so the first pass behaves the way you expect.
Direction of sync
Two-way sync keeps both systems aligned automatically. If you would rather Finye remain the source of truth, or Xero remain the source of truth, set the direction accordingly so changes only flow one way. Many practices start one-directional while they build confidence, then switch to two-way.
What gets synced
The connection covers clients and contacts. A Xero contact maps to a Finye client, and the people attached to that record map to Finye contacts. Remember that in Finye a client can be an organisation such as a company, trust, partnership or SMSF, or an individual such as a sole trader, so check that the entity type is right after the first sync. If you need a refresher on entity types, see the related guide in the guides library.
Matching and mapping records
The first sync is where existing records are matched up. Finye looks for records that already exist on both sides so it can link them rather than create duplicates.
- Run the initial sync from the Xero settings page.
- Review any records Finye flags as possible matches and confirm or reject each one.
- For records that exist on only one side, decide whether to create the matching record on the other side or leave it out.
- Spot-check a handful of clients afterwards to confirm names, contact details and entity types came across correctly.
Spending a little time on this first pass pays off, because clean matching now prevents duplicate clients later.
Keeping the connection healthy
After the initial sync, changes flow through as you work. A few habits keep things tidy:
- Make edits in one place where you can. If a client changes their trading name, update it once and let the sync carry it across, rather than editing both systems at the same moment.
- Watch for duplicates. If you add a brand-new client, check whether they already exist in the other system before creating them again.
- Review the connection status. The Xero settings page shows whether the connection is active. If it has dropped, reconnect using the same steps as the initial setup.
Reconnecting or disconnecting
Xero connections can lapse, usually because the authorisation has expired or the Xero login that set it up has changed. If sync stops, open the Xero integration in Settings and choose Reconnect to re-authorise. If you need to unlink entirely, choose Disconnect. Disconnecting stops further syncing but does not delete the client and contact records already in Finye, so your data stays put.
Where Xero fits in your workflow
With the client list aligned, the rest of Finye works against accurate records. Your work items, projects, compliance obligations and invoices all sit against the same clients you bill in Xero, so there is no gap between the practice management side and the ledger. Once the connection is settled, most teams find they rarely think about it. To get more out of the records you have just synced, the guides library covers adding clients and managing your client service desk.