Connectors / Integration
Connect Harvest and Xero to Automate Time Tracking and Accounting
Stop re-entering data by hand. Sync billable hours, invoices, and project costs between Harvest and Xero automatically.
Harvest + Xero integration
Harvest and Xero do different jobs — one tracks time and project budgets, the other handles accounting and cash flow. They work well together, but without an integration, your team ends up manually exporting invoices, re-entering client data, and chasing down discrepancies across both platforms. Connecting Harvest and Xero through tray.ai means billable time flows straight into accurate, ready-to-send invoices, and your books stay current without anyone touching them.
For agencies, consultancies, and professional services firms, time is literally money. The gap between logging hours in Harvest and getting paid through Xero is exactly where revenue leaks and delays happen. When these two platforms are connected, approved timesheets automatically generate invoices in Xero, new Xero contacts get created when clients are added in Harvest, and payments received in Xero update project statuses back in Harvest. That end-to-end automation cuts billing errors, shortens payment cycles, and gives finance teams a real-time view of project profitability without ever leaving their tools. Teams save hours of admin work each week while making sure every billable minute gets captured and invoiced.
Automate & integrate Harvest + Xero
Automating Harvest and Xero business processes or integrating data is made easy with Tray.ai.
Use case
Automatic Invoice Creation from Harvest Timesheets
When a Harvest invoice is generated or approved, tray.ai creates a matching invoice in Xero with all line items, hours, and rates accurately mapped. Finance teams don't have to re-enter anything, and billing goes out faster. The integration handles currency, tax codes, and client references so both systems stay in sync.
- Cut invoice generation time from hours to seconds
- Eliminate manual data entry errors in billing records
- Get invoices to clients sooner and improve cash flow
Use case
Client and Contact Synchronization
When a new client is added in Harvest, tray.ai automatically creates a matching contact record in Xero, complete with name, email, billing address, and currency preferences. Your accounting system always reflects your active client roster without anyone doing it twice. Updates to client details in either system can also be pushed across to keep records consistent.
- Maintain a single source of truth for client contact data
- Prevent duplicate or mismatched client records across platforms
- Save admin time when onboarding new clients
Use case
Payment Status Updates from Xero to Harvest
When an invoice is marked as paid in Xero, tray.ai updates Harvest to reflect that payment status, giving project managers real-time visibility into which clients have settled their accounts. Both platforms stay in sync and nobody has to reconcile statuses by hand. Teams can also use this signal to trigger follow-up workflows or unlock next project phases.
- Give project teams instant visibility into payment status
- Eliminate manual reconciliation between accounting and project tools
- Trigger downstream workflows when payment milestones are hit
Use case
Project Budget and Cost Reporting
tray.ai can pull project cost data from Harvest — including tracked hours against budget thresholds — and push summary reports or journal entries into Xero for accurate cost-of-goods-sold and project profitability accounting. Finance leaders get a clear picture of project margins without exporting and manipulating spreadsheets. Automated reporting schedules keep data current at month-end close.
- Improve project profitability visibility in real time
- Speed up month-end close with automated cost entries
- Reduce reliance on manual spreadsheet exports and reconciliations
Use case
Expense Sync from Harvest to Xero
Expenses logged against projects in Harvest are automatically pushed to Xero as billable expense line items or purchase records, so out-of-pocket costs land in your accounting system without delay. Each expense is attached to the correct client, project, and tax category. Finance teams can review and approve expense records in Xero without chasing team members for documentation.
- Capture every billable expense without manual re-entry
- Ensure correct tax treatment and categorization of project expenses
- Reduce month-end close time by keeping expense records current
Use case
Automated Overdue Invoice Alerts and Follow-Ups
When an invoice in Xero hits a defined overdue threshold, tray.ai checks the corresponding project record in Harvest and triggers automated alerts to the account manager, or sends a payment reminder directly to the client. Finance teams don't have to monitor aging reports manually. Teams can customize thresholds and escalation paths to match their collections process.
- Reduce days sales outstanding with proactive payment reminders
- Keep account managers informed about at-risk client accounts
- Automate collections workflows without additional headcount
Challenges Tray.ai solves
Common obstacles when integrating Harvest and Xero — and how Tray.ai handles them.
Challenge
Mapping Harvest Line Items to Xero Account Codes
Harvest organizes billable time by task and project, while Xero requires revenue to be posted to specific chart-of-accounts codes. Without a mapping layer, invoice line items can land in the wrong account, causing misreported revenue and headaches at audit time.
How Tray.ai helps
tray.ai's data transformation tools let teams define flexible mapping rules between Harvest task types and Xero account codes. Those mappings can be updated without code changes and apply consistently across every invoice sync.
Challenge
Avoiding Duplicate Clients and Invoices
When finance and project teams create records independently in Xero and Harvest, duplicates pile up fast — double-billing risks, confused clients, and accounting reports that take hours to untangle.
How Tray.ai helps
tray.ai checks for existing records in Xero before creating new contacts or invoices. Matching runs on email addresses, client names, and reference numbers, with conflict resolution rules that teams can configure to fit their process.
Challenge
Handling Multi-Currency Billing Accurately
International clients may be invoiced in different currencies in Harvest, and those currency settings have to match precisely in Xero for accurate foreign exchange accounting and reporting. Mismatches produce incorrect revenue figures and compliance problems.
How Tray.ai helps
tray.ai maps currency codes from Harvest invoices directly to the corresponding currency settings in Xero, so exchange rate handling and multi-currency reporting stay accurate. The platform also supports conditional logic for edge cases where currencies differ from the default.
Harvest Invoice to Xero Invoice Sync
Harvest 
Xero Automatically creates a fully itemized invoice in Xero whenever an invoice is generated or approved in Harvest, mapping client details, line items, hours, rates, and tax codes without manual intervention.
New Harvest Client to Xero Contact Creator
Harvest Xero When a new client is added in Harvest, this template automatically provisions a matching contact in Xero with all relevant billing and contact details, keeping your accounting records in sync from day one.
Xero Payment Received to Harvest Invoice Status Update
Xero Harvest Monitors Xero for fully paid invoices and automatically updates the corresponding invoice status in Harvest, giving project teams real-time visibility into client payments without leaving their project management tool.
Harvest Expense to Xero Purchase Record Sync
Harvest Xero Pushes approved project expenses from Harvest into Xero as purchase transactions or expense line items, so complete cost records are maintained in your accounting system automatically.
Monthly Project Cost Summary to Xero Journal Entry
Harvest Xero At the end of each month, this template aggregates tracked hours and costs by project from Harvest and pushes summarized journal entries into Xero for accurate project profitability reporting and cost accounting.
Overdue Xero Invoice Alert with Harvest Project Context
Xero Harvest Monitors Xero for invoices past their due date and enriches the alert with project and client context from Harvest before notifying the responsible account manager to take action.
How Tray.ai makes this work
Harvest + Xero runs on the full Tray.ai platform
Intelligent iPaaS
Integrate and automate across 700+ connectors with visual workflows, error handling, and observability.
Learn more →Agent Builder
Build AI agents that read, write, and take action in Harvest and Xero — with guardrails, audit, and human-in-the-loop.
Learn more →Agent Gateway for MCP
Expose Harvest + Xero actions as governed MCP tools — observable, rate-limited, authenticated.
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