Leap Xero Integration Guide [2026 Updated]

Connecting your Leap project management software to your Xero accounting system removes the headache of manual data entry and ensures financial accuracy. This integration links project expenses, invoices, and customer data directly to your general ledger, saving you hours of reconciliation work. This guide walks you through the different ways to connect Leap and Xero and provides a detailed, step-by-step process using the most accessible method available.

Why Integrate Leap with Xero?

For businesses that manage projects in Leap but handle their core accounting in Xero, a direct connection between the two systems is a game-changer. The primary goal is to create a single, up-to-date source of financial information. Instead of exporting CSV files or manually entering project invoices and expenses into your accounting software, an integration automates the entire process.

Here are the key benefits:

• Reduced Manual Entry: Eliminate the time-consuming and error-prone task of re-typing invoices, client details, and project bills from Leap into Xero. This frees up your team to focus on higher-value activities.
• Improved Financial Accuracy: Automation drastically reduces the risk of human error, such as typos in amounts or incorrect invoice dates. Your financial records become more reliable and accurate.
• Real-Time Financial Oversight: When project data flows instantly into your accounting system, you get an up-to-the-minute view of your company’s financial health. You can see how project costs affect overall profitability without waiting for a month-end report.
• Streamlined Invoicing and Payments: When an invoice is created in Leap, it can automatically appear in Xero, ready to be sent and tracked. When a payment is recorded, both systems can be updated, giving your project managers and accountants the same view of an invoice's status.

This integration is particularly valuable for professional service firms, agencies, and project-based businesses that need to maintain tight control over job costs and billing while using a powerful, user-friendly accounting platform like Xero.

Understanding Your Integration Options

As of late 2023, Leap does not provide a built-in, native integration for Xero. This means you cannot simply go into Leap's settings and click "Connect to Xero." However, you can achieve a seamless connection using well-established third-party tools or custom development. Here are your options, from easiest to most complex.

1. Third-Party Connector Platforms (Recommended Method)

This is the most popular and practical choice for most businesses. Automation platforms like Zapier or Make (formerly Integromat) act as a bridge between Leap and Xero. You can create automated workflows (called "Zaps" in Zapier) that watch for an event in one application and trigger an action in the other. For example: "When a new expense is created in Leap, automatically create a new bill in Xero."

• Setup Difficulty: Easy to Medium. It requires no coding, but you need to understand how to map data fields between the two systems.
• Cost: These platforms typically have free plans for low-volume use, with paid tiers based on the number of automated tasks you run per month.
• Flexibility: Very high. You can customize workflows to match your exact business processes.

2. Dedicated Integration Apps

Some software providers specialize in building connectors between different platforms. Middleware solutions might offer pre-built templates specifically for accounting and project management systems. While less common for this specific pairing, they are an option for companies needing robust, enterprise-level syncing capabilities, such as bi-directional data flow.

• Setup Difficulty: Medium. Often requires more configuration than a platform like Zapier.
• Cost: Usually involves a monthly subscription fee that is higher than general automation tools.
• Flexibility: Good, but limited to the features provided by the middleware.

3. Custom API Integration

For businesses with highly unique workflows or complex data requirements, building a custom integration using the official APIs is the most powerful option. Both the Leap API and the Xero API provide developers with the tools to build a direct connection tailored to your exact needs.

• Setup Difficulty: Complex. This requires hiring a software developer or having one on your team.
• Cost: High. Involves development, testing, and ongoing maintenance costs.
• Flexibility: Unlimited. The integration does exactly what you want it to, with no compromises.

Step-by-Step Guide: Connecting Leap and Xero with Zapier

We'll now walk through the recommended method: using Zapier to automate data flow from Leap to Xero. For this guide, we will set up two essential workflows: creating a Xero bill from a new Leap expense and adding a new Leap customer to your Xero contacts. Before you begin, you will need active accounts for Leap, Xero, and Zapier.

Step 1: Connect Leap and Xero to Zapier

First, you need to authorize Zapier to access your data in both applications.

1. Log into your Zapier account and click "My Apps."
2. Search for "Leap" and click "Connect." You will likely need to provide your Leap API credentials for authorization. Follow the on-screen instructions.
3. Next, search for "Xero" and click "Connect." Xero uses OAuth for authentication, so a new window will open asking you to log into your Xero account and grant Zapier permission to access your organization's data.

Once both apps show as connected in your "My Apps" list, you're ready to create a workflow.

Step 2: Create a Workflow (Zap) to Sync Expenses

Let's automate the creation of bills in Xero whenever an expense is logged in Leap. This is great for tracking project costs in near real-time.

Part A: Set Up the Trigger in Leap

1. In Zapier, click "Create Zap."
2. In the "Trigger" box, search for and select the Leap app.
3. For the "Event," choose "New Expense" (or the equivalent trigger available). Click "Continue."
4. Select your Leap account and click "Continue."
5. Zapier will ask to test the trigger. This step pulls in a recent expense from your Leap account to use as sample data. Follow the prompt to test it and ensure it can find a sample expense.

Part B: Set Up the Action in Xero

1. Once the trigger is set, a new "Action" box will appear. Search for and select Xero.
2. For the "Event," choose "Create Bill." Click "Continue."
3. Select the Xero account you connected earlier. Click "Continue."
4. This is the most important step: mapping the data fields. You need to tell Zapier which information from the Leap expense goes into which field on the Xero bill. It will look something like this:

• Contact Name: Click in this field and select the "Vendor Name" or "Supplier Name" from the Leap sample data.
• Date: Select the "Expense Date" from the Leap data.
• Description: Select the "Expense Description" from the Leap data.
• Quantity: Enter "1".
• Unit Price: Select the "Expense Amount" field from the Leap data.
• Account Code: Choose the appropriate Xero expense account from the dropdown list (e.g., "Cost of Goods Sold," "Subcontractor Expenses").

6. Fill out any other necessary fields, such as tax rates. Once you're done, click "Continue."

Step 3: Test and Activate Your Zap

Zapier will show you a preview of the bill it's about to create in Xero based on the sample data. Click "Test & Continue." Zapier will now attempt to create a real bill in your Xero account. Log into Xero and check your "Bills to Pay" to confirm the test bill was created correctly. If everything looks good, click "Publish Zap," and you're set! From now on, every new expense in Leap will automatically become a bill in Xero.

You can follow the same "Trigger → Action → Map Fields" process for other workflows, such as:

• Leap (New Customer) → Xero (Create Contact): Ensures your client list is always synchronized.
• Leap (New Invoice) → Xero (Create Sales Invoice): Automates your billing process from project completion to accounting.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Even with a straightforward setup, you might run into bumps along the way. Here are some common issues and their solutions.

• Authentication Failures: If Zapier reports it cannot connect to Leap or Xero, the first step is to visit the "My Apps" section in Zapier and attempt to reconnect. For Leap, this might mean generating a new API key. For Xero, it usually just requires logging in and re-authorizing the connection.
• Data Mismatches: The integration stops if required data is missing. For example, if Xero requires a vendor name for every bill but a Leap expense doesn't have one, the zap will fail. Review your data mapping in Zapier and ensure every required field in the Xero action has a corresponding piece of data from the Leap trigger. You can sometimes set up a "Fallback" value in Zapier for optional fields.
• Sync Delays: Zapier's free and lower-tier plans check for new data every 5-15 minutes, not instantly. If your data isn't showing up immediately, be patient. If long delays are a consistent problem, you might need to upgrade to a faster plan.
• Incorrect Data Formatting: Dates and numbers must be in a format that the receiving app understands. Zapier has built-in formatters you can add as an extra step in your Zap to convert data (e.g., reformatting a date) before sending it to Xero.

Best Practices for a Smooth Integration

• Start Small: Begin by activating one simple workflow, like syncing customers. Monitor it for a few days to ensure it works as expected before building more complex Zaps.
• Document Your Workflows: Make a simple document outlining what each Zap does, such as "Syncs new Leap expenses to Xero bills with Account Code 400." This helps new team members understand how the systems are connected.
• Regularly Review Logs: Check your Zap History in Zapier every so often. It's a log of all successful and failed automation runs and is the first place you should look if something seems broken.

Final Thoughts

Automating the connection between Leap and Xero bridges the gap between project management and financial accounting. By using an intuitive platform like Zapier, you can build custom workflows that eliminate manual data entry, reduce mistakes, and give you a real-time, accurate picture of your business's performance. Taking an hour to set up these automations can save your team hundreds of hours in the long run.

As you streamline data and workflows across your accounting stack, you’re better able to focus on high-value advisory work. While integrations handle data entry, complex tax research questions inevitably arise in your reporting. When you need clear, audit-ready answers without sifting through forums and outdated articles, we built Feather AI to be your AI tax research assistant. It gives you instant, citation-backed responses to complex state and federal tax questions, so you can pair clean data with accurate, confident advice.