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Tribe's Xero integration connects your CRM directly to one of the world's leading cloud-based accounting platforms, allowing customer, supplier, and invoice data to flow automatically between the two systems. This is particularly useful for businesses that manage sales activity in Tribe and handle invoicing or accounting in Xero, as it removes the need for manual data re-entry. By following this guide, you will be able to activate the integration, configure your settings, and keep your financial and contact data in sync across both platforms.
Table of Contents
What functionalities does the integration with Xero have?
Prerequisites
How do I activate Xero?
Deactivating and deleting data
How does synchonisation work?
What data is synchronised?
Troubleshooting
What Functionalities Does the Integration With Xero Have?
The Xero integration consists of two components:
Relationship synchronisation
Invoice synchronisation
Relationship Synchronisation
When the integration is activated, during the initial synchronisation, customers and suppliers from Xero are automatically loaded into Tribe CRM. A duplicates check is performed on the existing relationships in Tribe CRM. This check is based on a unique ID from Xero. If this is not found, an additional check is performed based on the debtor or creditor number.
After the initial synchronisation, new relationships and changes in existing relationship data are automatically updated. This applies both from Tribe CRM to Xero and vice versa. The synchronisation is based on the unique ID in Xero.
A new customer or supplier always receives a debtor or creditor number in Tribe. If Xero generates a debtor or creditor number, the number in Tribe is overwritten with the debtor or creditor number assigned by Xero.
Invoice Synchronisation
When an invoice status is changed to "Sent", it will automatically synchronise it as a booked invoice to Xero. We ensure that you have all the necessary information complete by adding all relevant information to the booked invoice, such as date, invoice and product lines.
Note: This integration supports multiple currencies. Read here for more information on using multiple currencies.
Prerequisites
User must be Admin in Tribe and in Xero.
Make sure you are already logged into your Xero account before going through the activation steps below.
The Sales pack must be activated in your Tribe CRM instance.
VAT groups and chart of accounts must be configured in both Tribe and Xero, as these will need to be mapped during setup
Note: Missing VAT or chart of accounts mappings will cause invoice synchronisation to fail. Ensure both are fully configured before proceeding.
How Do I Activate Xero?
Activate the integration by clicking "Activate."
Click on "Log in to Xero."
Click on "Authorise." This connects your Xero account to Tribe via Chift to integrate the two systems.
Select the VAT group(s) and General ledger accounts.
Select the entities that need to be synced in Other settings.
Deactivating and Deleting Data
Over time, you may need to clean up your relationship or product data.
Deleting Data
If you delete data from Tribe, it's important to know that the integration will never delete data from Xero. The same applies in the opposite direction. When you delete data from Xero, it will never be removed from Tribe CRM.
Deactivating Data
When you deactivate a relationship in Xero, it is processed in Tribe CRM with the status "former."
How Does Synchronisation Work?
Once the integration is active, data is kept in sync through several mechanisms:
Initial sync runs automatically when you complete the setup and save your configuration, covering all existing entities.
Changes made in Tribe are pushed to Xero in near real-time via Chift.
Changes made in Xero are picked up through a configurable polling interval.
What Data Is Synchronised?
Tribe Entity | Xero Entity | Tribe → Xero | Xero → Tribe |
Organisation (customer) | Contact (Customer) | ✓ | ✓ |
Person (customer) | Contact (Customer) | ✓ | ✓ |
Organisation (supplier) | Contact (Supplier) | ✓ | ✓ |
Invoice + Lines | Invoice | ✓ | ✓ |
Invoice (payment status) | Payment | — | ✓ |
General Ledger Account | Chart of Accounts | — | ✓ |
VAT Group | VAT Rate | — | ✓ (mapping only) |
Troubleshooting
Invoices are not synchronising
Check that all VAT groups and general ledger accounts have been mapped correctly in the connector setup. Any missing mapping will prevent invoice sync from completing.
Data from Xero is not appearing in Tribe
The polling interval determines how frequently Xero is checked for updates. If data is delayed, this is expected behaviour. Wait … for the sync.
Quick Summary
The Xero integration in Tribe allows customer, supplier, and invoice data to synchronise automatically between your CRM and your Xero accounting environment. Activation is completed through the Marketplace and requires VAT and general ledger mappings to be configured before the initial sync can run. Once set up, the integration reduces manual data entry and keeps your financial records consistent across both platforms.