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Xero Zapier integrationAutomate Xero with Zapier.

The Xero Zapier integration gives you 18 triggers, 26 actions and 10 searches to move invoices, payments, contacts and quotes between Xero and your other tools, with no code. Xero is a premium app, so plan on a paid Zapier plan.

Premium app Zapier reserves this app to its paid plans.

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Overview

What the Xero Zapier integration actually does for your books

The integration links your Xero organization to Zapier, so an event in your accounts (a new invoice, a payment, a contact) can start work in other tools, and the reverse: a sale, a form or a signed deal in another app can create the matching record in Xero. You set it up once, it runs on its own.

Three results people actually build. Invoices that go out by themselves: a deal closes in your CRM, Create Sales Invoice drafts it, then Send Sales Invoice by Email sends it to the contact. A finance channel that knows when cash comes in: New Payment or New Reconciled Payment posts the line where the team reads it. Supplier paperwork filed in the right place: a receipt arrives in your inbox, Create Bill records it and Upload Attachment pins the file to it.

The best news on this app is about speed. Out of 18 triggers, two are instant: New Sales Invoice and Updated Sales Invoice. Those start the Zap the second Xero sees the change, on any plan. The 16 others wait for Zapier's next check, so anything built around payments, bills or contacts has a delay that depends on your plan.

What Zapier does not do here: there is no action that deletes an invoice, a contact or a bill (the only delete is on a credit note allocation), and the employee part is narrow: the employee triggers and actions only work on Australian Xero organizations. If you need more depth, compare with the Xero n8n integration and the Xero Make integration.

Vocabulary

Zapier vocabulary in one minute

Eight words come back on every line of this page. Here is what each one means, without the jargon.

Zap
The automation you build: one starting event, then one or more steps that run every time that event happens.
Trigger
The event in Xero (or another app) that starts the Zap. Once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for it.
Action
What the Zap does after it starts: the step that creates, sends or updates something for you.
Task
What Zapier bills: one action that completes successfully. Your plan's quota is a count of these.
Polling trigger
Zapier checks Xero on a timer, asks for the latest items and keeps only the ones it has not seen yet.
Instant trigger
Xero calls Zapier itself the moment the event happens, so nothing waits for the next scheduled check.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap continue only when the incoming data matches your condition, and stops it otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something already in Xero, like a contact, so later steps can reuse what it found.
Cost

What a Xero Zap really costs

Xero is a premium app: Zapier keeps it for paid plans and the free trial. The free plan is out from day one.

  • Xero on the free planNot available (premium app)
  • Cost of the trigger0 tasks
  • Cost of each successful action1 task
  • Free plan, for reference100 tasks a month, Zaps of 2 steps

The trigger never costs a task, and neither does Zapier checking for new data. Each action that succeeds counts one task; a failed one counts nothing. A Zap with three actions uses three times more than a Zap with one. A filter or a search turns the Zap into a multi-step Zap, which also needs a paid plan. On Xero that changes little, since the app is already off the free plan, but it matters when you compare quotes from Zapier: plan for one task per successful action, per run.

Connect

Connect Xero to Zapier in three steps

  1. 01

    Open your connections

    In Zapier, open the Apps page of your account and click + Add connection. A connection is your Xero login linked once to Zapier, then reused by every step that touches Xero.

  2. 02

    Pick Xero and confirm

    Type Xero in the search box of the dialog, select it, then click Add connection. A new browser tab opens on the Xero sign-in page, where the rest of the setup happens.

  3. 03

    Sign in and allow access

    Log in to Xero in that tab and grant Zapier access. You need a Xero account, and read or write rights on any organization you do not own yourself but want the Zap to touch.

First Zap

Your first Zap: email every new sales invoice

GoalWhen a sales invoice is created in Xero and is ready to send, email it to the client without opening Xero.

  1. 01

    Create the Zap and pick the trigger

    Start a new Zap, choose Xero as the app and New Sales Invoice as the event. Select your connection and the Organization. This trigger is instant, so the delay will not depend on your plan.

  2. 02

    Test the trigger on a real invoice

    Run the test. Zapier brings back the three most recent invoices of the connected account. Pick one that looks like the ones you want to send, so the next steps are mapped on real data.

  3. 03

    Add a filter on the status

    Click the plus icon, add Filter, then set the field (the invoice status), the rule and the value. Xero only emails invoices awaiting approval, awaiting payment or paid, so drafts must stop here.

  4. 04

    Add the email action

    Add Xero again, choose Send Sales Invoice by Email and map the Invoice ID from the trigger. Xero sends to the contact's main address using your default email template.

  5. 05

    Test, then publish

    Use Configure & test on each step and read what comes back. When it looks right, click Publish to switch the Zap on. Only new invoices will be picked up from that moment.

Triggers

Xero triggers in Zapier

18 events start a Zap when something happens in Xero, and 2 of them are instant: the app calls Zapier straight away, whatever your plan.

1

New Bank Transaction

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new bank transaction is created.”

Starts the Zap whenever a new transaction is created in one of your Xero bank accounts, so the rest of your tools learn that money moved in or out.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
warn the finance lead in chat when a spend line goes over an amount you set, with a filter right after the trigger.
Watch out
the Organization field is required, so the connected login must reach the company that owns the bank account.
2

New Bill

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when you add a new bill. (Accounts Payable).”

Reacts to a supplier bill you add in Accounts Payable. The bill becomes the starting point for approval or reminder flows outside Xero.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
create an approval task in your project tool for the person who owns that supplier, so nobody pays a bill nobody checked.
Watch out
a bill entered just before you publish the Zap is never picked up; only bills added after it goes live count.
3

New Contact

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when you add a new contact.”

Fires on every contact added to Xero, customer or supplier alike, and passes the record on to the next step.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
keep your CRM or mailing list in step with the client list your accountant maintains in Xero.
Watch out
this one only sees new contacts. If edits matter too, New or Updated Contact is the better pick, and running both doubles the work for the same person.
4

New Credit Note

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new credit note is created.”

Picks up each credit note created in Xero, whether it cancels part of a sale or records a supplier refund.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
tell the account manager that a client just got a refund, before the client mentions it on the next call.
Watch out
a credit note only reduces an invoice once it is allocated, and that is a separate action further down this page.
5

New Employee

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new employee is created (Exclusively for Australian Instances).”

Notices a new employee created in Xero payroll, which makes it the natural kickoff for onboarding steps in other tools.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
open accounts in your HR or IT tools for each new hire the payroll team records.
Watch out
Zapier states this trigger is exclusive to Australian Xero organizations. Elsewhere, it will not return anything.
6

New Report

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when you run or refresh one of the selected Xero report types (Balance Sheet, Profit & Loss, etc.).”

Watches the report types you select, such as the Balance Sheet or the Profit and Loss, and fires when one of them is run or refreshed.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
drop the latest figures into a shared spreadsheet for the founders after each month-end refresh.
Watch out
Report Type is a required field on top of the Organization, so choose at least one report type before you test.
7

Overdue Sales Invoice

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a sales invoice is overdue by a specified number of days.”

Catches sales invoices that have stayed unpaid past their due date by a number of days you choose. It is the closest thing to a collections assistant in this integration.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
ping the sales rep who owns the client so the reminder comes from a person, not just from Xero.
Watch out
pick the number of days with care, since a short delay will chase clients who simply pay late every month.
8

New Payment

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when you receive a new payment.”

Fires when a payment is received in Xero, which closes the loop on the invoices you sent.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
mark the deal as paid in your CRM, or unlock the client's access to a service once the money is in.
Watch out
a payment is not the same as a reconciled payment; if you only trust money matched against the bank feed, use the next trigger in the list.
9

New Payslip

Polling trigger

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

Goes off when a new payslip is created in Xero payroll, so other tools can react to each pay run.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
log each payslip in an internal tracker that the HR team reviews, without exporting anything from Xero.
Watch out
payslips carry personal salary data, so check who can read the destination before you map a single field into it.
10

New Project

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new project is created. May not trigger if there are more than 500 projects.”

Each project created in Xero Projects becomes a fresh start for the Zap, handed over to the next step.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
create the matching board in your project management tool so the delivery team can start tracking work right away.
Watch out
Zapier warns this trigger may not fire once the organization holds more than 500 projects.
11

New Purchase Order

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new purchase order is created or enters a status for the first time.”

Fires on a new purchase order, and also when an order reaches a status for the first time, so you can follow it through its life.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
alert the warehouse when an order moves to approved, using a filter on the status.
Watch out
because status changes count, one order can start the Zap several times. Add a filter if only one status matters.
12

New Quote

Polling trigger

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

Spots every new quote created in Xero, before the client has even answered.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
open a follow-up task for the salesperson so no quote goes out without a follow-up call.
Watch out
edits to an existing quote do not count here; Updated Quote covers those.
13

New Reconciled Payment

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a payment is reconciled for the first time.”

Waits until a payment has been reconciled for the first time, which means it was matched against the bank. For many finance teams, that is the only moment money really counts.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
trigger revenue reporting or a commission calculation only once the bank confirms it.
Watch out
the Zap waits for the reconciliation itself, so a payment that is never reconciled never reaches it.
14

New Sales Invoice

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new Sales Invoice (Accounts Receivable) is created.”

Fires on each new sales invoice in Accounts Receivable, and it is one of the two instant triggers of this app.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
send the invoice by email, post it in a sales channel, or add the amount to a revenue sheet.
Watch out
if a test invoice never shows up, Zapier keeps a dedicated help article on this exact trigger, linked in the section on breakdowns below.
15

New or Updated Contact

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a contact is created or updated.”

Covers both cases at once: a contact created in Xero, or an existing contact whose details change.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
keep billing addresses identical in Xero and in your CRM, whichever side the accountant edits first.
Watch out
if the Zap then updates the same contact in Xero, it sets itself off again. Write to another app, or filter hard.
16

Updated Employee

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new employee is updated (Exclusively for Australian Instances).”

Fires when an existing employee record changes in Xero payroll, such as a new email or a change of name.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
carry those changes into the staff directory or the tools that send employees their documents.
Watch out
like New Employee, this trigger is reserved for Australian Xero organizations.
17

Updated Sales Invoice

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a Sales Invoice is updated.”

Any update to an existing sales invoice sets this one off. It is the second instant trigger of the app.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
keep the status of each invoice in sync with your CRM, without waiting for a timer.
Watch out
every edit counts as an update. Put a filter on the status right after the trigger, or one invoice will run the Zap many times.
18

Updated Quote

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a quote is created or updated.”

Covers quotes at every stage: when it is created, then each time it is updated.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
move a deal to won in your CRM the moment a quote turns accepted, with a filter on the status.
Watch out
new quotes fire here too, so New Quote and Updated Quote in two Zaps will both react to the same quote.
Actions

Xero actions in Zapier

Xero gives you 26 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Add Items to Existing Sales Invoice

Action

In Zapier“Adds line items to an existing sales invoice.”

Appends new lines to a sales invoice that already exists, without touching the lines in place.

When to use it
extra hours or add-ons are logged in another app and must land on the client's open invoice.
Watch out
nothing here stops the same line from being added twice if the trigger repeats.
2

Add Note to Invoice

Action

In Zapier“Add a note which will appear in the invoice history.”

Writes a note in the history of an invoice, where anyone opening it in Xero will see it.

When to use it
record that a reminder was sent, or that the client promised to pay on a call.
Watch out
the note is capped at 2500 characters, so trim long messages before you map them.
3

Add or Update Stock Items

Action

In Zapier“Creates or updates one or more stock items.”

Creates stock items or refreshes existing ones in one go, matched on a unique item code.

When to use it
your catalogue lives in another tool and Xero should mirror it.
Watch out
the code allows 30 characters and the name 50, both unique. Ticking sold, purchased or tracked makes the matching account and tax fields required.
4

Allocate Credit Note to Invoice

Action

In Zapier“Allocates a credit note to an invoice.”

Uses a credit note to reduce what a client still owes on an invoice.

When to use it
right after Create Credit Note, so the refund actually lowers the balance.
Watch out
both the credit note and the invoice must be approved. A draft on either side blocks the step.
5

Create Bank Transaction

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new Spend/Receive Money bank transaction.”

Records spend money or receive money directly on a bank account, outside any invoice.

When to use it
card expenses tracked in another tool should appear in the right bank account.
Watch out
a contact and a bank account are both required for each line.
6

Create Bank Transfer

Action

In Zapier“Transfers money between two bank accounts.”

Moves an amount from one of your bank accounts in Xero to another.

When to use it
a transfer between your current and savings accounts is logged in your banking tool and should show up in Xero.
Watch out
the source account, the target account and the amount are all required.
7

Create/Update Contact

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new contact or updates a contact if a contact already exists.”

Creates a contact, or updates it when that contact already exists, which keeps one record per person.

When to use it
a new customer signs up on your site and should exist in Xero before the first invoice.
Watch out
Contact Name is required, so the earlier step must always provide it.
8

Create Account

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new account.”

Adds an account to your chart of accounts, with a code, a name and a type.

When to use it
rare, but handy when a new product line or entity needs its own revenue account created from a central list.
Watch out
the code is limited to 10 characters and the name to 150, so a long label gets refused.
9

Create New Quote Draft

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new quote draft.”

Starts a quote for a contact and leaves it as a draft, ready for someone to review in Xero.

When to use it
a lead fills in a request form and the sales team wants a first quote waiting for them.
Watch out
the result stays a draft, so a person still has to check it and send it.
10

Create Credit Note

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new credit note for a contact.”

Issues a credit note for a contact, the document that cancels all or part of an amount owed.

When to use it
a refund is approved in your support tool and finance should see it in Xero right after.
Watch out
the credit note still has to be allocated to an invoice to reduce it; that takes the allocation action below.
11

Delete Credit Note Allocation

Action

In Zapier“Deletes a credit note allocation on an invoice.”

Removes the link between a credit note and an invoice, which puts the amount back as owed.

When to use it
a refund was applied to the wrong invoice and needs undoing.
Watch out
it is the only delete in the integration, and it needs both the credit note ID and the allocation ID.
12

Send Sales Invoice by Email

Action

In Zapier“Send Sales Invoice by Email”

Has Xero email an invoice to the contact, with your default template for the subject and the text.

When to use it
right after an invoice is created or approved by another step.
Watch out
the invoice must be awaiting approval, awaiting payment or paid. A draft will not go out.
13

Create Employee

Action

In Zapier“Creates an employee in Xero. (Exclusively for Australian Instances)”

Adds an employee to Xero payroll with first name, last name, date of birth and email.

When to use it
HR validates a hire in another tool and payroll should not retype it.
Watch out
Zapier marks it as exclusive to Australian Xero organizations, and the date of birth must use the year-month-day format.
14

Create Inventory Item

Action

In Zapier“Creates an inventory item.”

Creates a product in Xero with its item code, and lets you mark it as something you sell, buy, or both.

When to use it
a new product goes live in your online shop and accounting needs the same reference.
Watch out
the item code cannot exceed 30 characters. If the sales box is off, the sales details you mapped are ignored.
15

Create Bill

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new bill (Accounts Payable).”

Records a supplier bill in Accounts Payable, so purchases made outside Xero end up in the books.

When to use it
a supplier invoice arrives by email or through a form, and the team should stop typing it in by hand.
Watch out
each line needs a Quantity; without it, the step fails and nothing is created.
16

Create Sales Invoice

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new sales invoice (Accounts Receivable).”

Drafts a new sales invoice in Accounts Receivable from data coming out of another app, such as a won deal or an online order.

When to use it
invoice clients the day the contract is signed, without retyping the line items.
Watch out
Quantity is required on each line, so map it even when it is always one.
17

Create Payment

Action

In Zapier“Applies a payment to an invoice.”

Applies a payment to an invoice or another document, so it shows as paid in Xero.

When to use it
your payment provider confirms a charge and the matching invoice should close itself.
Watch out
you must give the document ID or number and the account the money is paid into.
18

Create Project

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new project for a contact.”

Opens a project in Xero Projects for a given contact, with the name you choose.

When to use it
a signed proposal should become a project where the team logs time and costs.
Watch out
both the contact and the project name are required, so make sure the earlier step provides them.
19

Create Purchase Order

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new purchase order for a contact.”

Raises a new purchase order addressed to one of your suppliers.

When to use it
stock drops below a threshold in your inventory tool and the order should exist in Xero right away.
Watch out
the required contact field is labelled Contact (supplier), so map the supplier, not the customer of the deal.
20

Create Repeating Sales Invoice

Action

In Zapier“Creates a template that generates regular invoices.”

Sets up a template in Xero that keeps generating invoices on a weekly or monthly rhythm for a contact.

When to use it
a new subscription is sold, and you want Xero to bill it from then on without a Zap running each time.
Watch out
frequency, payment terms, due days and start date are all required, so decide them before you build.
21

Update Employee

Action

In Zapier“Updates an existing employee in Xero. (Exclusively for Australian Instances)”

Changes the details of an employee already in Xero payroll, chosen from a list.

When to use it
someone updates their email or name in your HR tool and payroll must follow.
Watch out
Australian organizations only, and names, date of birth and email are required even if they did not change.
22

Update Purchase Order

Action

In Zapier“Updates an existing Purchase Order.”

Edits a purchase order that is already in Xero.

When to use it
a supplier confirms a different quantity or date and the order should match.
Watch out
the only required field is the purchase order itself, so a Find Purchase Order step before it saves a lot of guessing.
23

Update Quote

Action

In Zapier“Updates an existing quote.”

Changes an existing quote, identified by its Quote ID, for the contact it belongs to.

When to use it
the scope of a deal changes in your CRM and the quote should follow.
Watch out
both the Quote ID and the contact are required; Find Quote is the usual way to get the ID.
24

Update Sales Invoice

Action

In Zapier“Updates existing sales invoice (Accounts Receivable).”

Edits an existing sales invoice in Accounts Receivable, instead of creating a new one.

When to use it
a client changes their order after the invoice was drafted and the figures must be corrected.
Watch out
you need the right invoice to edit, so a search step such as Find Invoice usually sits just before it.
25

Upload Attachment

Action

In Zapier“Uploads an attachment to a selected Xero resource. Resources can have a maximum of 10 attachments.”

Attaches a file, such as a receipt or a signed PDF, to a record you choose in Xero.

When to use it
a supplier's PDF arrives by email and should sit next to the bill you just created.
Watch out
a record holds 10 attachments at most, and the eleventh upload fails.
26

API Request (Beta)

Action

In Zapier“This is an advanced action which makes a raw HTTP request that includes this integration's authentication.”

An advanced step that sends your own request to Xero with the connection you already set up, for anything the list above does not cover.

When to use it
you need a Xero feature that has no ready-made action, and someone on the team can read the Xero documentation.
Watch out
it is in beta and only reaches Xero's own addresses. Set Stop on error to Yes so failures are not silent.
Searches

Xero searches in Zapier

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

Searches sit at the bottom of the action list in the editor, under the SEARCH heading. They fetch a record that already exists in Xero so later steps can use its ID. Some action fields also offer + Add search step, which inserts the right search for you. Three settings decide what happens when the result is not what you expected.

1

Find Contact

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Finds a contact by name or account number.”

Looks up a contact by its name or account number, so an invoice or a quote lands on the right customer.

When to use it
before any action that needs a contact. The editor also shows Find or Create Contact: it is this same search with the create box ticked, not another operation.
3

Find Employee

Search

In Zapier“Finds an employee based on email.”

Pulls up an employee record from an email address, the one piece of data most other tools already hold.

When to use it
just before Update Employee, when the change comes from a tool that only knows the person's email.
Watch out
employee records only exist on Australian Xero organizations in this integration.
4

Find Invoice by ID

Search

In Zapier“Find a specific invoice using its unique Invoice ID.”

Pulls one exact invoice from its unique ID, or from its invoice number, and can bring its PDF and online link along.

When to use it
you store the invoice ID in your CRM and want the latest version of that one invoice.
Watch out
the online invoice link is not valid while the invoice is a draft.
5

Find Purchase Order

Search

In Zapier“Finds a Purchase Order”

Locates a purchase order from its ID or its order number, depending on what you choose in Search By.

When to use it
a supplier email quotes an order number and you need the record before updating it.
Watch out
Search By and the order reference are both required, so tell the step which of the two you are giving it.
6

Find Quote

Search

In Zapier“Finds quotes, optionally filtered by contact, quote number, or status.”

Searches quotes, with optional filters on the contact, the quote number or the status.

When to use it
get the Quote ID that Update Quote requires, starting from the client name in your CRM.
Watch out
without any filter, several quotes can match, so check the multiple results setting above.
7

Get Invoice History

Search

In Zapier“Returns a list of History Records for a given Invoice ID.”

Returns the list of history records attached to one invoice ID, including the notes added to it.

When to use it
check whether a reminder was already logged before sending another one, so a client never gets two in a row.
Watch out
it starts from an Invoice ID, so a Find Invoice step usually comes first.
8

Find Invoice

Search

In Zapier“Finds an invoice by number or reference.”

Finds an invoice from its number or its reference, the way people actually talk about invoices.

When to use it
a client emails with an invoice number, and you want to add a note or record a payment on it.
Watch out
the online invoice link is empty on drafts.
9

Find Item

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Finds an item by name or code.”

Retrieves a product or service by its name or its code.

When to use it
before adding a line to an invoice, so the right item is used. Find or Create Item in the editor is this same search with creation turned on.
10

Find Payment

Search

In Zapier“Finds a payment by ID or reference.”

Fetches a payment from its ID or its reference.

When to use it
your payment provider sends a reference and you want to confirm Xero recorded the payment before telling the client.
Watch out
it matches on the ID or the reference only, not on the amount or the payer.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left as is, a search that finds nothing stops the Zap and skips the steps that relied on it. Turned on, the Zap carries on without the result.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    Ticking it turns the search into a find or create: the setting above disappears and the step asks for what it needs to create the missing record.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Keep the first match (the default), stop the Zap, or pass all the matches on at once.
When it breaks

When a Xero Zap breaks

Most Xero Zaps that fail do so for the same handful of reasons.

Zapier keeps a help article called Common Problems with Xero on Zapier, worth a look before you debug. On polling triggers, Zapier remembers what it has already seen, so the same item does not start the Zap twice. The rest comes down to the cases below, and our Zapier troubleshooting guide covers the general method.

  • New Sales Invoice stays silent

    Zapier keeps a help article just for this trigger when it does not fire as expected. Read it in the Xero section of the help centre before rebuilding the Zap.

  • New Project stops after 500 projects

    Zapier says the New Project trigger may not fire once an organization holds more than 500 projects.

  • The eleventh attachment fails

    Upload Attachment cannot add a file to a record that already holds 10 attachments. Clean up the record or attach to another one.

  • Old invoices never come through

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after you publish it. Invoices, bills or contacts created before that are never picked up; moving them is a separate job.

  • The Zap keeps setting itself off

    A Zap that writes into the very records its trigger watches, like updating a contact on New or Updated Contact, restarts itself and eats tasks fast.

  • A bulk import gets held back

    After a migration or a big import, a trigger can suddenly return a large batch. Zapier's flood protection may hold it back.
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FAQ

Xero Zapier integration: frequent questions

01Is the Xero Zapier integration free?
No. Xero is a premium app in Zapier, which means it is reserved for paid plans and the free trial. The free plan, with its 100 tasks a month and Zaps limited to two steps, cannot use Xero at all. So the real question is which paid plan fits your volume. Zapier does not charge per app: you pay for the tasks your Zaps complete, and Xero steps count like any other. Prices change often, so check the current grid on Zapier before you commit, and keep in mind that a filter or a search also needs a paid plan.
02How many tasks does a Xero Zap use?
One task per action that succeeds, and nothing for the trigger. Zapier does not bill the checks it runs on Xero to look for new items, however often it runs them. A Zap that creates an invoice and then emails it uses two tasks each time it runs. A failed action is not billed. Searches and filters are steps of their own, and the main effect they have is to make the Zap multi-step, which requires a paid plan anyway with Xero. Count your expected runs per month, multiply by the number of actions, and you have your monthly consumption.
03Does Xero trigger Zaps in real time?
Only two triggers do: New Sales Invoice and Updated Sales Invoice. Xero tells Zapier about those the moment they happen, so the Zap starts at once on any plan, and the editor shows a lightning bolt. The 16 other triggers, such as New Payment, New Bill or New Contact, are polling triggers: Zapier checks Xero on a timer. That timer is 15 minutes on the free plan, 2 minutes on Professional and 1 minute on Team and Enterprise. On paid plans you can also run a check by hand from the editor when you are testing.
04What does it take to connect Xero to Zapier?
A Xero login and a Zapier account on a paid plan or trial. From the Apps page in Zapier, you add a connection, pick Xero, sign in on the tab that opens and grant access. If you want the Zap to work in an organization you do not own, your Xero user needs read or write rights there. Almost every Xero step then asks for an Organization, so with several companies on one login, choose carefully in each step. The connection is made once and reused by every Zap that uses Xero.
05Why will Zapier not email your Xero invoice?
Usually because the invoice is still a draft. Send Sales Invoice by Email only works on invoices that are awaiting approval, awaiting payment or paid. Xero then sends it to the contact's primary address, plus anyone marked to be included in emails, using your default template. The fix in a Zap is simple: put a filter on the status right after the trigger, or approve the invoice in an earlier step. The same logic applies to credit notes: Allocate Credit Note to Invoice refuses anything that is not approved on both sides.
06What if the Xero action you need is not in Zapier?
Look at API Request (Beta) first. It is an advanced action that sends a request of your own to Xero, using the connection you already set up, so there is no second login to manage. It does require someone able to read the Xero developer documentation, and it can only call Xero's own addresses. Otherwise, a search followed by an update action often covers the gap: Find Invoice plus Update Sales Invoice, Find Quote plus Update Quote. If neither works, it may be a sign that another automation tool suits this case better.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for Xero?
It depends on the criteria that matter for your case, not on a winner. On Zapier, Xero exposes 18 triggers, of which only New Sales Invoice and Updated Sales Invoice are instant, plus 26 actions and 10 searches. Xero is a premium app there, so a paid plan is required, and each successful action counts as one task. Before choosing, list the exact Xero operations your flow needs, check that each tool offers them, and estimate how many actions you will run per month. Also weigh which tool your team already uses day to day.
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