The built-in simPRO to Xero and AroFlo to Xero links (and simPRO's MYOB link) send invoices, credit notes, supplier invoices, payments and contacts across, so nobody retypes them. What they don't do is reconcile the two systems for you. Some details are reported to come across in a different shape: timesheet corrections that never reach Xero, one payment split into several, supplier invoice lines at quantity 1, credits left unallocated, and tracking that only works when names match exactly. For a small business with a simple setup, the built-in link is usually fine. Once you have several cost centres, a payroll system in the middle or more than one entity, month-end needs a checklist, and sometimes more than that.
What the simPRO and AroFlo integrations actually send
Both links are accounting links. They start at the invoice, not at the quote or the job.
- simPRO to Xero or MYOB sends customer invoices, credit notes, supplier invoices, payments, contacts and (in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland) timesheets to Xero. Each cost centre on an invoice becomes a line carrying its own account code.
- AroFlo to Xero pushes contacts, purchase orders, invoices, credit notes and payments, and pulls payments, account codes and tax codes back. AroFlo's tracking centres (labour, materials, freight, expense) map to Xero tracking categories.
That covers the day-to-day flow. The trouble is in the detail.
Where simPRO and AroFlo to Xero reconciliation goes wrong
These are the problems businesses and integrators report most often. Not every business will see all of them, and vendors change their links, so check the current behaviour in the simPRO or AroFlo help guide for your own setup.
Timesheets are sent once
Integrators working with the simPRO link report that the timesheet export is a one-off transfer. If a supervisor corrects hours in simPRO after the export has run, Xero keeps the original hours. Unless someone notices, the pay run uses the wrong figures.
One payment across several invoices
If a customer pays three invoices with one transfer and you apply it in simPRO, it is reported to arrive in Xero as three separate payments. The bank feed shows one deposit, so bank reconciliation becomes a matching exercise.
Supplier invoice lines at quantity 1
Supplier invoices from the simPRO link are reported to post each line with a quantity of one, whatever the quantity in simPRO. AroFlo is reported to do the same on invoice lines, moving the real quantity into the description to avoid rounding differences. The dollar totals are right, but any report in Xero that relies on quantities is not.
Credits that don't allocate themselves
Credits from simPRO are reported to arrive in Xero as standalone credit notes. They are not applied to the invoice they relate to, so someone has to allocate them by hand. If nobody does, the customer looks like they owe money they don't.
Tracking and cost centre names must match exactly
simPRO's tracking to Xero relies on the tracking options having exactly the same names in both systems. simPRO's MYOB help says names in MYOB are case-sensitive and must match exactly to avoid duplicates. A renamed cost centre or a new region in one system and not the other quietly breaks the coding.
Mapping mistakes are hard to undo
If an account is mapped wrongly at setup, every invoice from then on posts to the wrong place. Finding and fixing months of miscoded transactions after the fact is a large job. This is the strongest reason to check the mapping early and often.
A month-end reconciliation checklist
Work through this before the books are closed. It takes less time each month once it becomes routine.
- Invoices: compare the count and total of invoices raised in simPRO or AroFlo this month with the invoices in Xero or MYOB for the same period. Any difference means something failed or was raised directly in the accounts.
- Failed transfers: check the integration's error or pending list. Clear every item, not just the recent ones.
- Payments: match each bank deposit to the payments that arrived from the job system. Look for one deposit split across several payments.
- Credits: list unallocated credit notes in Xero or MYOB and allocate each one to its invoice.
- Supplier invoices: compare supplier invoice totals in both systems. If you report on quantities, don't use Xero's line quantities for it.
- Timesheets: compare hours paid with the final approved hours in the job system for each pay period. Look for corrections made after the export.
- Tracking and accounts: run a profit and loss by tracking category in Xero and compare it with cost centre totals in the job system. Check any new cost centre, account or tracking option was set up in both places.
- Work in progress: if you claim progressively, reconcile the job system's WIP report to what the accounts show as revenue. That step usually happens in a spreadsheet; see WIP reporting for builders using Xero.
When the built-in link is enough
Be honest about your size before spending money. If you have one entity, a handful of cost centres, customers who pay one invoice at a time and payroll that is checked by a person every week, the built-in link plus this checklist is enough. Spend the time getting the mapping right instead.
When a custom integration or a clean-up is worth it
The case for more than the built-in link gets stronger when:
- Payroll runs in a separate system with award interpretation, so hours pass through three systems instead of two.
- You run several entities, each with its own Xero or MYOB file, and someone builds the combined picture by hand.
- Month-end keeps slipping because the reconciliation above takes days rather than hours.
- The history is already wrong. Months of miscoded invoices, duplicate contacts and unallocated credits need a one-off clean-up before any new connection will help.
A custom integration can do what the link doesn't: send corrected timesheets again, keep payments together, carry real quantities, and produce a daily list of anything in the job system that isn't in the accounts. Sometimes the right answer is a clean-up and a better setup of the existing link rather than new software. See Xero and MYOB integration repair and third-party software integration.
The technical side
For whoever looks after your systems. simPRO has a large documented API, and some areas need paid simPRO modules. AroFlo has an API too, with rate limits and some older parts of the interface for things like custom fields; check the current AroFlo documentation before planning a build. "simPRO API" and "AroFlo API" integrations usually read jobs, invoices, payments and timesheets from the job system and write to the Xero or MYOB API, keeping a log of what was sent so the two sides can be compared every day.
Frequently asked questions
Does simPRO sync payments to Xero?
Yes. Payments recorded in simPRO are sent to Xero. A single payment applied to several invoices is reported to arrive as separate payments, which can make bank reconciliation slower.
Why do my AroFlo invoices show quantity 1 in Xero?
AroFlo is reported to send invoice lines with a quantity of one and put the real quantity in the description, to avoid rounding differences. Totals are correct; quantity reporting in Xero isn't. Check AroFlo's help guide for the current behaviour.
Can simPRO send timesheets to Xero payroll?
Yes, in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland. Corrections made in simPRO after the export are reported not to update Xero, so compare paid hours with approved hours every pay run.
Does simPRO work with MYOB?
Yes. simPRO has an MYOB accounting link. Names must match exactly between the two systems, including capital letters, or you can end up with duplicates.
Do we need a custom integration?
Not always. Small, simple setups do well with the built-in link and a monthly checklist. A custom integration or clean-up is worth looking at when payroll, several entities or a backlog of miscoded transactions are involved.
If month-end between your job system and Xero or MYOB keeps dragging, book a free initial chat. We'll look at what your link is doing and tell you honestly whether it needs a clean-up, a better setup or a custom integration. For builders, see also builder accounting software integration.