This guide shows you how to connect your Programa account to Xero so your invoicing, accounting and tax rates stay automatically synced.
Connecting your Xero account
Navigate to Studio Settings > Integrations > Xero
Click Connect and enter your Xero login details
Choose your organization from the dropdown
Your accounts are now connected! Programa will automatically pull your tax rates from Xero - they'll appear in your Tax Settings straight away.
Note: This is a one-way sync from Programa to Xero. Programa cannot access your Xero account, and changes made in Xero won't appear in Programa.
Xero Tax rates
When you connect Xero, your tax rates are automatically synced from Xero into Programa and displayed in Settings > Tax with a Xero icon.
Synced Xero tax rates are read-only - the name, rate, and description cannot be edited in Programa, as these are managed in Xero. You can:
To set a Xero tax rate as your default:
Navigate to Settings > Tax
Click the three-dot menu next to the Xero rate you want to use as default
Select Set as default
To archive a Xero tax rate:
Navigate to Settings > Tax
Click the three-dot menu next to the rate
Select Archive
The rate will move to the Archived tab and will no longer be available for new use. It will remain on any projects it was previously applied to.
💡 If the auto-sync doesn't complete when you first connect, you can manually resync from the Xero settings page at any time.Assigning invoice items to Xero accounts
Managing your Xero connection
To access your Xero settings, go to Settings > Integrations and click the Settings button on the Xero tile.
To resync your tax rates:
Navigate to Settings > Integrations > Xero > Settings
Click Resync Tax Rates
Programa will re-pull the latest tax rates from your Xero account. The last synced timestamp will update once complete.
To disconnect from Xero:
Navigate to Settings > Integrations > Xero > Settings
Click Disconnect
Confirm in the modal that appears
Your Xero connection will be removed. Existing Xero tax rates will remain in Programa but will no longer update.
When creating an invoice in Programa:
Add your line items as usual
For each line item, select the corresponding Xero account from the dropdown
Only your Revenue accounts will appear in this list
How synchronization works
Programa syncs with Xero automatically in the background:
Draft invoices: When you create an invoice in Programa, it's automatically saved as a draft in Xero
Approved invoices: When you send the invoice through Programa, the Xero draft is marked as sent
Payment reconciliation: Once you receive payment, reconcile it with the invoice in Xero (Programa doesn't sync payment status back).
Note: Programa invoices sync to Xero as draft invoices. Once you send them and receive payment, they'll appear in your Xero bank feeds for reconciliation. The payment matching process works with Xero's standard reconciliation workflow.
Need more help with the Xero integration? Contact our support team via live chat for personalized assistance.