Procore's official Xero integration sends subcontracts, purchase orders, subcontractor invoices and vendors from Procore to Xero, and brings job costs, vendors and bill payments back. It does not carry the head contract side: Procore's support documentation says prime contracts, their change orders, invoices and payments, budgets, and timecards or timesheets do not sync with Xero. It also links one Xero organisation to one Procore account, can't sync projects created before the connection, and has cost code limits. For a builder with one entity and simple claims, the connector covers the cost side well. For anyone needing work in progress, head contract claims in Xero or more than one entity, the gap has to be filled another way. This article explains what the Procore Xero integration does and doesn't do, and the usual ways builders fill the gap.
What the Procore Xero integration does
Based on Procore's support documentation for the Xero connector:
- From Procore to Xero: commitments (subcontracts and purchase orders) and their change orders, subcontractor invoices, vendors, cost codes and new projects. Items go through an accounting approver before they reach Xero.
- From Xero to Procore: job costs (synced daily, or on demand), vendors and subcontractor invoice payments.
That handles the cost side of a job: what you've committed to subcontractors and suppliers, what they've invoiced, and what has been paid. It saves a lot of retyping on the payables side.
What it doesn't carry
Procore's documentation lists these limits. Check the current version on Procore's support site, as connectors change.
Head contract claims and payments
Prime contracts (Procore's name for your head contract with the client), their change orders, the invoices you raise against them and the payments you receive don't sync. In Australian terms, your progress claims to the client and the variations on the head contract stay in Procore. Someone has to raise them in Xero separately.
Budgets
Procore budgets don't go to Xero. Since Xero doesn't hold the budget or the revenue claimed, it can't produce work in progress, cost to complete or over and under claiming on its own.
Timesheets
Timecards and timesheets don't sync. Labour cost reaches Xero through payroll, not through Procore, so labour on a job in Procore and labour in the accounts are two different records.
One Xero organisation per Procore account
Procore says the integration is limited to one Xero organisation per Procore site (its name for your company account). Builders who run a separate entity for each project, a plant company or a related trading entity can only connect one of them.
Projects created before connecting
Projects that were in progress or created before the integration was connected can't be synced. If you connect part-way through the year, the existing jobs stay manual until they finish.
Cost code limits
Cost codes can't be longer than 30 characters. There can be at most 4,000, because Xero allows at most 4,000 products and services. Project-specific cost codes and sub-jobs aren't supported; the integration uses one company-wide cost code list.
MYOB
The official connector described here is for Xero. Procore and MYOB announced an integration with MYOB Advanced's Construction Edition, first for New Zealand. If you use MYOB, check with both vendors what is available for your MYOB product in Australia.
How builders fill the gap
There are four common approaches, from cheapest to most involved.
1. Raise head contract claims in Xero by hand
For a builder running a few jobs at a time, raising the progress claim in Xero from the Procore claim each month is manageable. Keep the claim number the same in both, and reconcile claimed amounts monthly. See progress claims and retentions in Xero.
2. Add a third-party connector
Several apps on the Xero App Store connect Procore and Xero more fully, including head contract claims, timesheets or two-way cost codes. Check exactly what each one moves, whether it handles retentions and variations, and how it deals with more than one entity.
3. Build WIP reporting from both systems
Work in progress needs the budget and revenue claimed from Procore and actual costs from Xero. Many builders do this in a spreadsheet every month. A report that reads from both automatically removes that step. See WIP reporting for builders using Xero and construction WIP reporting.
4. A custom integration
When you have several entities, projects that started before connecting, or claims, retentions and timesheets that have to land in the accounts in a particular way, a connection built around your process can carry what the official connector doesn't. See Procore integration with Xero and MYOB.
Before you connect: a short checklist
- Settle your cost codes first. Under 30 characters, one company-wide list, well under 4,000 codes.
- Decide which entity connects. Only one Xero organisation can link to your Procore account.
- Plan for existing projects. Projects started before the connection stay manual, so decide how they'll be handled until they close.
- Agree who approves. Items wait for an accounting approver, so name one and a backup.
- Decide where head contract claims are raised. Procore, Xero or both, and how the two will be reconciled.
The technical side
For whoever looks after your systems. The Procore API covers prime contracts, budgets, commitments, change orders, timesheets and cost codes, so a custom "Procore API" integration can read what the official connector leaves out and write it to the Xero or MYOB API. The usual design runs on a schedule, keeps a record of what has been sent, and flags anything that couldn't be posted (a missing contact, a cost code not in Xero) so it is fixed the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Does Procore integrate with Xero?
Yes. Procore has an official Xero integration that sends commitments, subcontractor invoices, vendors and cost codes to Xero and brings job costs and payments back. Head contract claims, budgets and timesheets aren't included.
Can Procore connect to more than one Xero organisation?
Not with the official integration. Procore's documentation says it is limited to one Xero organisation per Procore site. Builders with several entities need a different approach for the others.
Why won't my existing Procore projects sync to Xero?
Procore says projects that were in progress or created before the integration was connected can't be synced. Only projects set up after connecting, using the Xero cost code list, are eligible.
Does Procore integrate with MYOB?
Procore and MYOB announced an integration with MYOB Advanced's Construction Edition, first for New Zealand. For other MYOB products, builders usually use exports, a third-party connector or a custom integration.
Do we need a custom Procore integration?
Not always. One entity and a few jobs at a time can work well with the official connector and a monthly claim routine. Custom work makes sense with several entities, a lot of head contract claims, or WIP reporting that takes days each month.
If Procore and your accounts don't agree at month-end, book a free initial chat. We'll tell you honestly whether the official connector, an app or a custom integration fits your business. See also builder accounting software integration, construction job costing and our construction industry page.