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Deputy and Xero UK Integration FAQs

Eden Pigram
  • Updated

This guide is written for system administrators configuring the integration between Deputy and Xero UK. Many of the topics in this article refer to the effects of toggling Auto Sync Employees and Xero Pay Templates ON or OFF. These toggles may be found in Deputy at Locations> Edit Settings> Payroll once you have connected to Xero :

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Connecting

Data sync

Deputy is my data source of truth

Xero is my data source of truth

Errors or problems

 

Connecting

How do I connect my Deputy and Xero accounts?

Please refer to Setting up Xero UK to start the integration process

 

Can I connect my accounts if I am already using Deputy and Xero separately?

Yes, we have built this integration to be flexible enough for you to turn it on at any point in your Deputy and Xero journey. To ensure you don’t duplicate efforts of data entry, you can choose which system you manage your employee information from as the 'Source of Truth', either Deputy or Xero, and be comfortable knowing that the information will appear in both systems automatically.

 

Data sync

What data is synced between Xero and Deputy?

If you choose to turn ON Auto Sync Employee in Deputy, the following information will be shared between Deputy and Xero:

  • Basic Details
  • First name + Last name
  • Email
  • Mobile Number
  • Address (Default for empty)
  • Date of birth
  • Gender

Employment Details

  • Hire date
  • Payroll Calendar (First entry on Xero’s payroll calendar list)
  • NI Category (Options: A, J, X; Default value we use: A)
  • Employee Number (Deputy employee ID)

If you choose to turn ON Xero Pay Templates Deputy will automatically pull salary, wages base pay and pay template entries from Xero and set it as the employee’s new pay rate in Deputy.

 

Is the sync 2-way?

There are two stages in the process for auto syncing employee and pay rate information - creating the sync and updating the sync.

Using the Auto Sync Employees toggle:

Condition Auto Sync Employees On Auto Sync Employees Off
Employee data exists in Xero only

Syncs employee data from Xero into Deputy when you first create the sync but if employee details (such as email addresses) are changed in Xero then they will need to be updated manually in Deputy

 Employee data is not synced from Xero to Deputy
Employee data exists in Deputy only Syncs employee data from Deputy to Xero

Employee data remains in Deputy and does not sync to Xero
Employee data exists in both Deputy and Xero

Syncs employee data from Deputy to Xero

  Employee data remains the same in Xero and Deputy

Note: Employee data includes leave balances in the above scenarios.

Using the Xero Pay Template Toggle :

Condition

Xero Pay Templates

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Xero Pay Templates

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Pay rates set in either Xero or Deputy Pay rates are sync'd from Xero to Deputy

 

Pay rates are sync'd from Deputy to Xero

 

If my Auto Sync Employees is turned off, what information will be shared between Xero and Deputy?

Nothing, all sharing of data between the platforms will then require a manual process.

 

Can I track and see Annual Leave balances in both platforms?

Yes. Annual leave is kept up to date across Deputy and Xero as long as employee syncing is enabled.

 

I have discarded or deleted an employee from Xero, will this be reflected in Deputy and if Auto Sync Employees is turned on, what will happen?

If Auto Sync Employee is turned ON between Xero and Deputy and you delete an employee from Xero then you will need to manually delete this employee from Deputy also.

If Auto Sync Employee is turned OFF you will also have to manually delete from both platforms.

 

I record my leave in days in Deputy, but Xero only records in hours. How can I be sure that it will appear correctly synced between the two platforms?

Deputy will convert leave balance from days to hours when sending the information to Xero and will convert the hours to days when the leave balance appears back in Deputy.

 

What if I only want to sync certain employees with Xero?

With this version you can choose to either sync all employees from Deputy or all employees from Xero but can not select specific employees to sync.

If you have a requirement to only sync certain employee records, let us know so we can add it to our feature request.

 

How often does the Auto Sync Employees sync occur when switched on?

Every 15 minutes.

 

Deputy is my data source of truth

What happens if an employee changes their email address in Deputy?

Deputy is always the source of truth for ongoing updates of employee details, so as long as the email address changes in Deputy, it will be updated in Xero automatically.

If it gets updated in Xero, you will need to manually update it in Deputy as well.

 

I choose to manage my pay rates in Deputy, how do I ensure that Xero pay rate information won’t overwrite the Deputy pay rate during timesheet export?

Choose Deputy as the source of truth during integration set up - toggle off Xero pay rates. 

 

Xero is my data source of truth

Will Deputy recognise my complex Xero pay rates including overtime rates for Hourly and Salaried staff?

Yes - If you choose Xero as the source of truth for your pay rates

 

I choose to manage my pay rates in Xero, how do I ensure that Deputy pay rate information won’t overwrite the Xero pay rate during timesheet export?

Choose Xero as the source of truth during integration set up.

 

How do I get the pay rates I have set up in Xero to sync with Deputy during an employee sync?

Toggle ON Xero Pay Rates.

 

Errors or problems

If/when a timesheet export fails, how do I know what caused the issue?

You will get a detailed error message in Deputy during export (a dialogue box will appear)

 

Will I get a notification if an employee record fails to sync? Where will I see this notification?

The system manager will receive a notification in the global notification on the main navigation bar in Deputy stating the reason for the failure.

 

What happens if no gender or “rather not say” is selected in Deputy, how will that be reflected in Xero?

The sync will fail every time you sync the employee. You will only see a choice to set up employees as male or female in Xero.

 

I seem to be getting an incorrect leave balance for my employees when I switch between hours and days, why?

When switching from hours to days, we temporarily show 0 days balance until next sync. Sync occurs every 15 mins.

 

Why is my leave balance not displaying on the People tab in Deputy?

Leave balance does not display on People tab if it’s using Xero rate, even if there is a leave balance (when you look at the employee’s profile view).

 

The sync time seems long when syncing my employees

Due to a limitation on our API, the first time you set up the Xero integration it can take extended periods of time (possibly hours) for all employees to show up in Deputy, this is particularly apparent for organisations with more than 11 employees.

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