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Paymo Zapier integrationAutomate Paymo with Zapier.

The Paymo Zapier integration gives you 16 triggers, 7 actions and 2 searches, and every one of those triggers is instant. It runs on the free plan, with one catch: two steps per Zap. Here is what each operation does and what it costs you.

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Overview

What the Paymo Zapier integration actually does

It links your Paymo account (projects, tasks, time tracking and invoicing in one tool) to the other apps you use, through Zapier. Something happens in Paymo, Zapier hears about it, and it does the next step for you. Or the reverse: an event elsewhere creates a client, a project or a time entry in Paymo.

Three results people build first. A ready-to-use project: New Project fires, and Create Task List drops the standard list into it, so nobody starts from an empty board. A clean client file: a form or a CRM elsewhere starts the Zap, Find Client by Email checks whether that person is already in Paymo, and Create Client only runs when they are not. A billing heads-up: New Invoice or New Estimate fires and the finance team hears about it in the tool they actually read.

Now the limits, because they shape what you can plan. Every Paymo action on Zapier creates something: a client, an expense, an invoice, a project, a task list, a task, a time entry. There is no action that edits or deletes a record, so a Zap can add to Paymo but never tidy it up. Searches cover only clients (by email) and tasks (by name). Nothing looks up a project or an invoice for you.

The good news sits on the trigger side: all 16 triggers are instant, which matters a lot on a free plan (the cost section explains why). If you are weighing another tool, the same app has a page for Paymo Make integration.

Vocabulary

Zapier vocabulary, in plain words

Eight words come back on every line below. Here they are once, so the rest of the page reads fast.

Zap
The automation you build on Zapier: one trigger, then one or more actions that run each time that trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event in an app that starts the Zap. Once the Zap is switched on, Zapier waits for it, here a new or updated record in Paymo.
Action
What the Zap does once it has started: the step that writes, sends or creates something for you, such as a task in Paymo.
Task
The unit Zapier bills: one action your Zap completes successfully. The number on your plan counts exactly those.
Polling vs instant
A polling trigger is checked on a timer by Zapier. An instant trigger is reported by the app itself the moment the event happens.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap go on only when what arrived meets the condition you set, and stops it there otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something already in an app, so the steps after it can reuse what it found, like an existing Paymo client.
Connection
Your Paymo account linked to Zapier once, then reused by every step of every Zap that touches Paymo.
Cost

What a Paymo Zap really costs

Zapier bills tasks, and only one thing makes a task: an action that works.

  • Trigger0 tasks
  • Each successful action1 task
  • Free plan100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps only
  • Paymo on the free planYes, not reserved to paid plans
  • Paymo triggers16 of 16 instant

The trigger costs nothing, and neither does Zapier watching for new data. Each action that succeeds counts once, so a Zap with three actions eats three times what a one-action Zap does. A failed action is not counted. Paymo is not reserved to paid plans, so it works on the free plan: 100 tasks a month, unlimited Zaps, but each Zap stops at two steps, one trigger and one action. Add a second action, a filter or a search and the Zap becomes multi-step, which needs a paid plan. The interval grid below applies to polling triggers only. Every Paymo trigger is instant, so on any plan, free included, your Zap starts without waiting for a check.

Connect

Connect your Paymo account in three steps

  1. 01

    Open the Apps page

    In your Zapier account, go to Apps and click + Add connection. You need a Paymo account first, plus read or write rights on anything you do not own yourself and want the Zap to touch.

  2. 02

    Pick Paymo and start

    Type Paymo in the search box of the dialog that appears, select it in the results, then click Add connection to start the link. A new tab opens on Paymo's side for the sign-in.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    Log in to Paymo in that tab and allow Zapier to reach your account. The connection now shows on the Apps page, and every Zap that uses Paymo can reuse it without asking again.

First Zap

Your first Paymo Zap, step by step

GoalEvery new client in Paymo gets its own project and a starting task list, built for you.

  1. 01

    Pick the trigger

    Create a Zap, choose Paymo as the app and New Client as the event, then select the connection you just made. This is the event that starts everything.

  2. 02

    Test the trigger

    Run the test. Zapier brings back the three most recent clients of the account, so you map the next steps on a real one rather than on a blank.

  3. 03

    Add the project

    Add Paymo with Create Project. Client and Name are required: map the client from the trigger and build the name from what it returned.

  4. 04

    Add the task list

    Add a second Paymo action, Create Task List. It needs a project and a name: map the project the previous step just created. Two actions make this a multi-step Zap, so it needs a paid plan.

  5. 05

    Test, then publish

    Test each action and check the result in Paymo before going further. Then click Publish to switch the Zap on. It reacts only to clients created from that point.

Triggers

The 16 Paymo triggers

16 events start a Zap when something happens in Paymo, and 16 of them are instant: the app calls Zapier straight away, whatever your plan.

1

New Client

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new client is created in Paymo.”

Starts a Zap each time someone adds a client in Paymo. It is the natural opening move for anything that should follow a new account, from a welcome sequence to a folder in your file storage.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
your sales tool and Paymo should both know about a client the day it signs.
Watch out
clients created before the Zap was published are never picked up, so move the existing list by hand.
2

New Client Contact

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new client contact is created in Paymo.”

Fires when a contact person is added under a client. The client record may already exist; what changes is that there is now a named human to reach on that account.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
you want each new contact on a client to land in your mailing tool or CRM without retyping.
Watch out
it reacts to contacts, not to clients, so pair it with New Client if both matter.
3

New Estimate

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new estimate is created in Paymo.”

Reacts to a fresh estimate in Paymo. Quotes are the moment a deal turns concrete, and this trigger lets the rest of your tools hear about it without anyone forwarding a PDF.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a sales lead wants a ping in the team chat for every quote that goes out.
Watch out
it fires on creation only; a later edit to the same estimate does not start the Zap again.
4

New Expense

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new expense is created.”

Launches the Zap when an expense is logged in Paymo. Costs entered against a project can then travel to wherever your accountant or your finance sheet expects them.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
your bookkeeping lives outside Paymo and you are tired of copying receipts across.
Watch out
if the same Zap also runs Create Expense, it will set itself off in a loop.
5

New Invoice

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new invoice is created in Paymo.”

Goes off whenever an invoice is created in Paymo. For a small agency or a freelancer, this is often the trigger that saves the most chasing, because billing is where details get lost.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
you log every invoice in an accounting tool or a shared spreadsheet and want the line written for you.
Watch out
it signals a new invoice, not a payment; nothing in this list reports that an invoice got paid.
6

New Project

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new project is created.”

Kicks in the moment a project appears in Paymo. Most teams have a ritual around a new project (a channel, a folder, a kick-off list), and this trigger is where that ritual can start without a human.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
every project should open with the same task list, created by Create Task List.
Watch out
a Zap that answers with Create Project would trigger itself again, endlessly.
7

New Report

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new report is created in Paymo.”

Fires when somebody generates a report in Paymo. Reports are what you show a client or a manager, so this one is about distribution more than data entry.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a project lead wants the team told whenever a new report is ready to read.
Watch out
the Zap hears that a report was created; check in the trigger test what it actually brings back before planning to send it anywhere.
8

New Task List

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new task list is created.”

Triggers on a new task list inside a Paymo project. Task lists are how projects get split into phases, so a new one often means a new stage of work has opened.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a fresh phase should come with its standard tasks, added through Create Task.
Watch out
if your other Zap already creates task lists automatically, this one will fire for those too.
9

New Task

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new task is created.”

Runs your Zap for every task added in Paymo, whoever created it. It is the busiest trigger of the set on an active account, which is worth keeping in mind for your task budget.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
new tasks should show up in a personal to-do app or a team chat channel.
Watch out
each new task costs one task per action in your Zap, so a busy project drains a free plan quickly.
10

New Time Entry

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new time entry is created.”

Fires whenever a time entry is created in Paymo. Hours are what you bill, so this is where timesheet exports and payroll sheets usually begin.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a spreadsheet of hours per person should fill itself without a weekly copy-paste.
Watch out
a Zap pairing this trigger with Create Time Entry restarts itself on every entry it writes.
11

Timer Started

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a timer is started.”

Responds to someone hitting start on a Paymo timer. It tells you that work has begun. Not how long it lasted, so it serves a status signal far better than a report.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
you want a team status to flip to busy when a person starts tracking.
Watch out
people start and stop timers a lot, and each run with an action counts against your tasks.
12

Timer Stopped

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a timer is stopped.”

The mirror of Timer Started: it goes off when a running timer is stopped. That is the point where a stretch of work is finished and can be passed on.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a status should switch back to free, or a manager should hear that a session ended.
Watch out
if you only need the logged hours, New Time Entry is the more direct trigger to build on.
13

Update Client

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a client is updated.”

Fires when an existing client record changes in Paymo. Where New Client covers the arrival, this one keeps other tools in step with whatever gets edited later.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
your CRM must reflect the client details your project managers correct in Paymo.
Watch out
any edit starts the Zap, so add a filter if only some changes matter (that makes it multi-step).
14

Update Project

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a project is updated.”

Reacts when a project already in Paymo is modified. Projects change a lot during their life, and this trigger lets outside tools follow along instead of drifting.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a client-facing dashboard or tracker should stay aligned with the project as it evolves.
Watch out
it cannot tell you on its own which change happened; a filter narrows it down, on a paid plan.
15

Update Task

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a task is updated.”

Starts the Zap when a task is edited in Paymo. Renamed, reassigned, moved along: any update counts, so it is the trigger for keeping a mirror of your tasks elsewhere.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a team chat thread should hear whenever a task in a key project changes.
Watch out
busy boards produce many updates, and each run with an action eats into your task count.
16

Update Time Entry

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a time entry is updated.”

Corrected hours are what this one watches: it goes off when an existing time entry is edited. Logged hours are often fixed after the fact, and this keeps any copy of them honest.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
your hours spreadsheet must show the corrected figure, not the first one typed.
Watch out
this trigger asks for a Project when you set it up, so pick the right one or it stays silent.
Actions

The 7 Paymo actions

Paymo gives you 7 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Create Client

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new client.”

Adds a client to Paymo from data that arrived elsewhere. Only the name is required, which makes it the easiest action to start with.

When to use it
a signed deal in your CRM should become a Paymo client without retyping.
Watch out
it does not check for duplicates; put Find Client by Email in front on a paid plan.
2

Create Expense

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new expense.”

Records a cost against a client. Client, Name, Amount and Currency are required, and the currency goes in as an ISO code such as USD or EUR.

When to use it
receipts captured in another tool should reach Paymo as expenses.
Watch out
a currency written in full, like "euro", will be refused.
3

Create Invoice

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new invoice.”

Builds an invoice for a client with its currency and at least one line: item name, price per unit (in the invoice currency) and quantity. Options cover a second tax applied on top of the first and online payment when it is set up in company settings.

When to use it
a closed order in your shop should produce the invoice in Paymo.
Watch out
Pay Online only works if payment providers are already configured.
4

Create Project

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new project.”

Opens a new project for a given client. Client and Name are required, and a Billable switch decides whether the project counts toward unbilled time in reporting.

When to use it
a won opportunity elsewhere should open the matching project in Paymo.
Watch out
the client must already exist, so create or find it in an earlier step.
5

Create Task List

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new task list.”

Puts a named task list inside an existing project. It needs the project and a name, nothing else, which suits template-style setups.

When to use it
every new project should open with the same phases already in place.
Watch out
in a Zap started by New Task List, every list it adds restarts that same Zap.
6

Create Task

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new task.”

Writes a task into Paymo under a given project and task list, with its name. An Invoiced switch is also there if billing status matters to you.

When to use it
a support ticket or a form request should turn into a task your team will see.
Watch out
without a task list in that project, the step has nowhere to put the task.
7

Create Time Entry

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new time entry.”

Logs a block of time on a task. Project, Task List, Task, Start Time and End Time are all required, and both times use ISO-8601 with the timezone when there is a time of day.

When to use it
meetings from your calendar should appear as tracked time.
Watch out
a time of day sent without its timezone does not match the format the step expects.
Searches

The 2 Paymo searches

2 search steps look for data that already exists in Paymo, so a later step can use it.

A search step looks for something already in Paymo and hands it to the next steps. In the editor, Paymo's searches sit at the bottom of the Action event list, under SEARCH. Paymo offers no find-or-create variant, and adding a search makes the Zap multi-step, so it needs a paid plan. Three settings decide what happens when the result is not what you expected.

1

Find Client by Email

Search

In Zapier“Finds a Client by email”

Looks up a Paymo client from an email address, which is required. An Exact Match option decides whether the address has to match character for character.

When to use it
before Create Client, so a returning customer does not get a second record.
Watch out
with the default setting, no match stops the Zap; switch it on if creation follows.
2

Find Task

Search

In Zapier“Search for a task”

Finds a task by its name, the one required field, with an Exact Match option for strict comparisons. What it returns can feed a later step, such as a time entry.

When to use it
hours logged elsewhere must attach to a task whose name you know.
Watch out
two tasks with the same name return the first match by default.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left on its default, a search that finds nothing stops the Zap and skips the steps that relied on it. Switched on, the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    This box turns a search into a find-or-create. Paymo's two searches do not offer it, so the creation has to be a separate action step.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Three ways out: keep the first match (the default), stop the Zap, or pass every match along at once.
When it breaks

When a Paymo Zap breaks

Zapier lists no help article and no rate limit specific to Paymo. What breaks is the general behaviour of Zaps, which hits Paymo setups in a few predictable ways.

The most common one involves the history. A Zap starts listening when you publish it, and from there on only. Everything below is avoidable once you know it. For anything not covered here, the Zapier troubleshooting page is the next stop.

  • Old records never arrive

    Clients, tasks or invoices created before the Zap was switched on are ignored. Moving that backlog into another tool is a separate job, done once.

  • The Zap triggers itself

    New Task with Create Task, New Expense with Create Expense: a Zap that writes where its own trigger listens restarts on every run and burns through tasks fast.

  • A bulk import gets held back

    Importing many clients or tasks at once can send a sudden batch to Zapier, and its flood protection may hold those runs back rather than fire them all.
Need help

Need help automating Paymo with Zapier?

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FAQ

Paymo and Zapier: questions people ask

01Is the Paymo Zapier integration free?
Yes, on Zapier's free plan. Paymo is not reserved to paid plans, so you can connect it and build Zaps without paying. The free plan gives you 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, but every Zap is limited to two steps: one trigger and one action. A Zap that needs a second action, a filter or a search becomes multi-step and requires a paid plan. For a first Zap such as New Project creating a task list, the free plan is enough. Prices change often, so check Zapier's plan page before you commit to a tier.
02How many Zapier tasks does a Paymo Zap use?
One task per action that succeeds, each time the Zap runs. The trigger itself costs nothing, and Zapier watching Paymo for new events costs nothing either. So a Zap with New Client and Create Project uses one task per new client, while a Zap with two actions uses two. A failed action is not counted. The trap is volume: triggers like New Task or Update Task can fire a lot on a busy account, and on the free plan's 100 tasks a month that adds up quickly. Pick the narrowest trigger that does the job.
03Do Paymo triggers start a Zap instantly?
Yes. All 16 Paymo triggers are instant: Paymo tells Zapier the moment the event happens, and the Zap starts right away whatever your plan. That is unusual and useful. On many apps the trigger is polled, which means Zapier checks on a timer, and on the free plan that timer is 15 minutes. None of that applies here. A Zap built on a Paymo trigger shows a lightning bolt in the editor, which confirms it is instant. Only the actions in your Zap cost tasks, never the speed.
04What does it take to connect Paymo to Zapier?
A Paymo account, and access to whatever the Zap will touch. If the Zap reads or writes projects, task lists or clients that you do not own, your account needs read or write rights on them. The connection itself happens from the Apps page in Zapier: add a connection, pick Paymo, sign in to Paymo in the tab that opens and grant Zapier access. After that, every Zap reuses the same connection. Also check that the records your actions depend on exist: Create Task needs a project and a task list already in place.
05Why does Create Time Entry keep failing?
Usually because of the date format or a missing record. Start Time and End Time are required and expect the ISO-8601 format, with timezone information whenever a time of day is included. A plain date like the one a spreadsheet shows will not do. The step also requires a Project, a Task List and a Task, and all three must already exist in Paymo and be visible to the connected account. If the task is known only by name, a Find Task search before the action can supply it, which needs a paid plan.
06What if the Paymo operation you need is not available?
Then the Zapier integration simply cannot do it, and it is better to know before building. On Zapier, Paymo offers only creation actions: no action edits or deletes a client, project, task or invoice. Searches cover clients by email and tasks by name, nothing else. If your process needs an update or a deletion, you would have to do that step in Paymo by hand, or look at whether another automation tool exposes it. Checking the full list of triggers, actions and searches on this page against your process is the fastest test.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for Paymo?
It depends on what your Zap must do, so compare coverage rather than reputation. On Zapier, Paymo brings 16 instant triggers, so speed does not depend on your plan, plus seven creation actions and two searches. It runs on the free plan as long as each Zap stays at two steps. The limits are the missing update and delete actions, and the task-based billing on busy triggers. Check whether the other tool's Paymo connector covers the specific operations your process needs, and how it bills multi-step runs, before deciding.
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