Xero Integration


We're excited to announce that Xero has been added as one of our financial integrations. This integration will allow you to transfer your employee data and journal entries from ZenHR to your Xero account based on your defined Journal Entries Structure.


Note: To set up or edit how you would like your journal entries to be created, including how to match your journal entries, how many employees you wish to include, and how to group and generate them, follow the steps in this support article Journal Entries Structure article

TABLE OF CONTENTS


Integrate Your ZenHR Account With Xero


User Menu  System Preferences  Integration Setup → Marketplace Integrations  Xero Setup


The new integration setup page, Xero Setup, allows you to integrate your ZenHR account with Xero using Oauth 2 authentication. This page will allow you to send and update all your employee data, as well as send journal entries to Xero.



How to Activate This Integration


To activate Xero on ZenHR, first set up your Journal Entries Structure and generate the needed API keys to proceed with the integration process.

Step 1: Set Up Journal Entries Structure


To set up your Journal Entries Structure, follow these steps:

  • On ZenHR, click your user icon on the upper right corner and go to System Preferences  Integration Setup → Journal Entries Structure.

  • Set up the way you would like your journal entries structured by completing the following fields, then click “Save”.



Step 2: Generate API Keys


To generate the API keys, follow these steps: 

  • Retrieve your Client ID and Client Secret from Xero by following these steps:


  • On the My Apps pageclick on the “New app” button.


  • On the “Add a new app” pop-up that appears, enter the App name.

  • Under Integration type, select “Web app”.

  • In the Company or application URL field, enter https://www.zenhr.com

  • In the Redirect URI field, enter: https://app.zenhr.com/integration/v1/integration/oauth_callback?locale=en

  • Check the box to agree to Xero’s terms and conditions.

  • Then click on the “Create app” button.

  • Click “Configuration” on the menu on the left side. 

  • Click on “Add another URI” button, and add the URL: 

https://app.zenhr.com/integration/v1/integration/oauth_callback?locale=ar


  • Click “Generate a Secret”.

  • Copy and save your Client secret, as it will only be visible to you once.

  • Then, on ZenHR, click your user icon on the upper right corner and go to System Preferences → Integration Setup  API Keys.

  • On the API Keys page, click on the “Add API Key” button.


  • Then add the API key name and select your desired Permissions. 

  • Add the IP addresses and select Oauth 2 as the Authentication type.

  • Under Oauth 2, paste your Client ID and Client Secret from Xero.

  • Click “Create” to generate the API key. 


Step 3: Setup Xero 


  • On ZenHR, click your user icon on the upper right corner and go to System Preferences  Integration Setup Marketplace Integrations  Xero Setup.

  • Select the API key that you created from the drop-down list.

  • Activate the toggles in the Employee Data and Journal Entry sections.

  • Then click “Save”



  • Click on the “Add New Token” button.



  • Click “Allow access” to allow the transfer of data between ZenHR and Xero. 


Step 4: Adding Xero GL Account Identifiers: 

Add Payroll GL Accounts on ZenHR by following these steps: 

  • Click your user icon on the upper right corner and go to System Preferences  Financial Setup  Payroll Setup 

  • Select the relevant GL Account for each field.

  • Then click “Update”. 




Add Financial Transactions GL Accounts: 

  •  Click your user icon on the upper right corner and go to System Preferences  Financial Setup → Financial Transaction Types → Incomes & Deductions.

  • Click on “Edit” beside the desired Transaction Type record.


  • Enter the GL Account Number and Clearance Account.


  • Then click “Update Financial Transaction Type”. 



Add Loans GL accounts by following these steps: 

 click your user icon in the upper right corner and go to System Preferences  Financial Setup Financial Transaction Types → Loan Types 

  • Click on “Edit” beside the desired Loan Type record.



  • Enter GL Identifier and Clearance account.

  • Then click “Update”.


Add Overtime GL Accounts by following these steps:

  • Click your user icon in the upper right corner and go to System Preferences  Financial Setup Financial Transaction Types → Overtime Types

  • Click on “Edit” beside the desired Overtime Type record.


  • Enter GL Identifier and Clearance Account.

  • Then click “Update Overtime Type”. 



Add Vacation in-advance salaries GL account:

  • Click your user icon in the upper right corner and go to System Preferences  Financial Setup  Vacation In-Advance Salary Setup

  • Enter GL Identifier and Clearance Account.

  • Then click “Update Setup”.


That’s it; your Xero Integration will now be complete! You can now post journal entries directly from ZenHR. 


Step 5: Map ZenHR’s Organizational Levels with your Xero tracking categories


If you would like to map organizational levels on ZenHR with Xero’s tracking categories, follow these steps:


  • Go to User Menu  System Preferences  Organizational Setup  Organizational Levels



  • Click on the pen icon in the actions column of an organizational level to edit it, or click on the “+ Add” button to add a new organizational level. 

  • Under Xero tracking category option, select the option in Xero’s tracking categories you would like to map this organizational level to.


  • Click on “Update Organizational Level”.

Note: You can only have two active tracking categories on Xero. If you use Detailed Journal Entries, you will be able to map two Organizational Levels on ZenHR with two Tracking Categories on Xero. However, if you use Summarized Journal Entries, you will only be able to map the chosen Summarized by Organizational Level in the  Journal Entries Structure

Using the Xero Integration:


Employee Data

Once you add or update an employee on ZenHR, the employee’s information will be sent to your Xero account.


Posting Salaries From ZenHR to Xero

To post salaries from ZenHR to Xero, follow these steps: 


  • On the left side of the page, go to Main Menu  Payroll  Manage Financials  Manage Salaries. 

  • Filter the desired salary year and month for all employees, and click “Filter”.

  • Then click “Send to Xero”, and your salaries will be transferred as journals. 




Posting Off-Cycle Payments From ZenHR to Xero

To auto-generate separate journals for off-cycle payments and post them with your payroll journal entries, follow these steps:


  • Click your user icon in the upper right corner and go to System Preferences  Integration Setup Marketplace Integrations  Journal Entries Structure.

  • Activate the Auto-generate separate journals for off-cycle payments checkbox and click “Save”.




  • You can then post salaries from ZenHR to Xero, and the transferred journals will include separate journal entries for your off-cycle payments. 

To manually generate your off-cycle payments journal entries, follow these steps: 


  • Click your user icon in the upper right corner and go to System Preferences  Integration Setup Marketplace Integrations  Journal Entries Structure. 


  • Clear the Auto-generate separate journals for off-cycle payments checkbox and click “Save”.


  • Go to Main Menu  Payroll  Manage Financials  Manage Financial Transactions → Off-Cycle Payments 

  • Use the “Date from” and “to” filters to filter out the duration of the transactions you wish to include in your journal entries and click “Filter”.

  • In the Employee ID column, select the transactions you wish to include in your journal entries.

  • Then click “Send to Xero”, and your off-cycle payments will be transferred as journals.


Post Off-Cycle Vacation In-Advance Salaries From ZenHR to Xero 

To auto-generate separate journals for off-cycle vacation in-advance salaries and post them with your payroll journal entries, follow these steps:


  • Click your user icon in the upper right corner and go to System Preferences  Integration Setup Marketplace Integrations  Journal Entries Structure 

  • Activate the Auto-generate separate journals for off-cycle vacation in-advance salaries checkbox and click “Save”.

 

  • You can then post salaries from ZenHR to  Xero, and the transferred journals will include separate journal entries for your off-cycle vacation in-advance salaries.


To manually generate your off-cycle vacation in-advance journal entries, follow these steps: 


  • Click your user icon in the upper right corner and go to System Preferences  Integration Setup → Marketplace Integrations  Journal Entries Structure.

  • Clear the Auto-generate separate journals for off-cycle vacation in-advance checkbox. 

  • Then click “Save”.




  • Go to Main Menu  Payroll  Manage Financials  Manage Vacation In-Advance Salary.

  • Filter out the vacation in-advance salaries that fall within a specific time period by using the “In-advance from date” and  “In-advance to date” filters.

  • Select “Off-cycle” under Payroll status and click “Apply Filters”.

  • Then, under the Employee No. column, select the in-advance salaries you wish to include in your exported journal entries. Or you can select all the filtered salaries by clicking the “Select all” checkbox.

  • Then click “Send to Xero”, and your off-cycle vacation in-advance salaries will be transferred as journals.




Posting Provisions From ZenHR to Xero

To auto-generate journals for provisions and post them with your payroll journal entries, follow these steps:


  • Click your user icon in the upper right corner and go to System Preferences  Integration Setup Marketplace Integrations  Journal Entries Structure

  •  Activate the Calculate employees' provisions toggle.

  • Activate the Auto-generate journal entries for employees' provisions toggle.

  • Then select the desired option under “How to generate provision journal entries”.

  • click “Save”.



You can then post salaries from ZenHR to Xero, and the transferred journals will include journal entries for your provisions

To manually generate provisions journal entries, follow these steps: 


  • Click your user icon in the upper right corner and go to System Preferences  Integration Setup Marketplace Integrations  Journal Entries Structure.

  • Activate the Calculate employees' provisions toggle.

  • Deactivate the Auto-generate journal entries for employees' provisions toggle.

  • Then select the desired option under select “How to generate provision journal entries”. 

  • Click “Save”.



  • On the left side of the page, go to Main Menu  Payroll  Manage Financials  Manage Salaries. 

  • Filter the desired salary year and month for all employees, and click “Filter”.

  • Then click the“Send to Xero” drop-down menu and click on “Provisions journal entries” and your provisions will be transferred as journals.



Xero Event Viewer 

  • To view all events and retry sending failed posts, go to User Menu  System Preferences  Integration Setup Marketplace IntegrationXero.

  • On the Event Viewer page, click “Retry” to send journal entries again.