This covers how to sync approved timesheets from Buildxact directly into Xero Payroll for processing.
Setup
Enable Timesheet Sync
To get started, you’ll first need to enable timesheets in your Xero integration:
Go to Integrations in Buildxact
Find Xero
Click Settings (⚙️)
Enable Timesheet Sync
Match employee emails
The email address must match between:
Buildxact Contact
Xero Employee, this is seen in the empoyee area of payroll
👉 This is how timesheets are linked during sync.
Check for employment details in Xero
This is found in under the employee section (shown above) and then specifically under the employment tab.
Both these items need to be set:
Employment Basis (e.g. Full-time, Casual)
Pay Frequency (e.g. Weekly, Fortnightly, Monthly)
👉 These settings control which pay period the timesheet can sync into.
Approving and syncing timesheets
Create & Approve Timesheets
Create a timesheet in Buildxact
Assign it to a job
Approve it by creating a Work Order
👉 Only approved timesheets will sync.
Run the Sync
Go to Integrations → Xero
Click Sync
Sync may take a few minutes
Check the Sync Log for any issues
Important Notes
Payroll permissions required
The user who connected Xero must have Payroll access
If not, disconnect and reconnect using the correct user
Pay period restrictions
Timesheets outside the current pay period will be skipped.
The periods can be seen in the timesheets area of payroll
One timesheet per day (current limitation)
Only one entry per employee per day will sync
No breakdown in Xero
Xero shows total hours only (no job-level detail)
No updates to synced timesheets (yet)
Changes in Buildxact won’t update in Xero
Troubleshooting
If a timesheet doesn’t sync, check:
Email mismatch between contact and Xero employee
Timesheet is not approved
Timesheet falls outside the pay period
Missing Payroll permissions on the Xero connection
👉 Review the Sync Log for specific error messages.
Anything else, reach out to support for assistance.