Resolve payroll export errors - Xero AU

Find solutions to resolve your timesheet export errors to Xero payroll

Maud avatar
Written by Maud
Updated over a week ago

🎯 For admins using the Xero integration. If you’re new to setting up the integration, we recommend you start with the Xero setup guides: Xero integration set-up: Step 1 and Xero integration set-up: Step 2. Read the Xero integration - FAQs to find answers to common questions.

At times, you might encounter errors while exporting timesheets to Xero. However, there's no need to worry, as these issues can be resolved by updating your settings in either Planday or Xero. Below, you'll find information on the most common payroll sync errors and how to resolve them.

Timesheets could not be synced with Xero: A timesheet already exists for this employee in Xero for this pay period.

This means that the employee already has a timesheet in Xero for the pay period you’re trying to export. There are two options here.

  • Check the employee’s timesheet in Xero and if it’s correct, then you can disregard this message

  • The timesheet is incorrect and you wish to make changes. You need to delete the employee’s timesheet in Xero and sync your hours again from Planday.

To delete a timesheet in Xero,

  • Go to Payroll > Timesheets

  • Find the timesheet to delete, click on Revert to draft and then on Delete Timesheet

Timesheets could not be synced with Xero: The end date does not correspond with a pay period in Xero.

Typically, it’s because the employee’s pay calendar doesn’t match the dates of the pay run in Xero. To solve this, either:

  • Choose the right pay run in Planday > Xero payroll

  • Or change the employee’s pay calendar in Xero

  • Or create a draft pay run in Xero, corresponding to the employee’s pay calendar

Timesheets could not be synced with Xero: The employee does not have a pay run calendar in Xero.

This is because the employee hasn’t been assigned a pay run calendar in Xero. This is usually because it’s a newly created employee that you mapped from Planday to Xero. To solve this:

  • Go to Xero > Payroll > Employees

  • Edit the relevant employee > Click on the Employment tab

  • Choose the Income type and the Employment basis > Add the Pay calendar to the employee’s profile.

Alternatively, follow the instructions from Xero Central on Employee is missing from a pay run.
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It can also be because some employees are assigned to a different calendar than what the selected pay runs belong to.


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Timesheets could not be synced with Xero: Tracking categories are enabled in Xero, but currently not supported in Planday.

If you got this error message when trying to sync your hours to Xero, this is because you have enabled Tracking Categories in your Xero organisation. However, this is currently not supported in Planday, so you'll need to disable this option in Xero to continue with the Payroll synchronization.
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To do this, log into your Xero account, go to Settings > Payroll settings and in the Payroll Tracking section > Timesheet Categories > Select None in the dropdown.
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Timesheets could not be synced with Xero: The earnings rate does not exist or is not valid for timesheets in Xero.

This can occur when:

  • You’ve synced an Earnings rate that is not in the Earnings categories Ordinary Time Earnings or Overtime Earnings or that is not set as a Rate per unit or as a Multiple of an employee’s ordinary earnings rate. To solve this, you can follow these steps:

    • Go to Xero > Payroll settings > Pay items

    • Edit the relevant pay item and change the Rate type from Fixed amount to Rate per unit or to Multiple of an employee’s ordinary earnings rate

    • Or recreate the pay item with the right Earnings category and sync it with Planday (link to section of article)

  • A mapped pay item has been set as inactive or has been deleted in Xero. To see your pay items in Xero, go to Settings > Payroll settings > Pay items. Alternatively, go to Planday > Settings > Integrations > Overview > Xero (Manage) > Payroll > Edit and look at your mapped earning rates.

The Start Date for the leave request cannot be before the Employee’s Start Date.

You would get this message if you’ve set the employee’s start date in Xero to a date after the registered leave in Planday. To fix this, either change the Employment start Date in the employee’s profile in Xero or cancel the absence in Planday, resubmit it and approve it with the correct date range.

I can’t seem to see the correct date range in the Planday pay run

You need to ensure that you have created a draft pay run setup in Xero before you can see the information in the Planday dropdown. Create a draft pay run by going to Xero > Payroll > Pay employees. Click Add Pay Run > Select a pay period > press Next. Read more about this at Xero Central.

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