Connecting QuickBooks Online or Xero

Esqase can send your billing to QuickBooks Online or Xero, so your books stay current without keying invoices in twice. Once your firm connects one of them, Esqase sends your clients, finalized invoices, cleared payments, and issued credit notes to it, automatically as they change and whenever you ask.

This page explains who can connect accounting software, how to connect it, how to choose where each record goes, what syncs and when, how to read the sync history and fix a record that did not go through, what is not synced yet, and how to reconnect or disconnect.

Before you begin

• The connection belongs to the whole firm. Unlike your email, calendar, and meeting connections, accounting is connected once for everyone. Whoever connects it, the whole firm's billing syncs to the same QuickBooks company or Xero organisation.
• One connection per firm. Your firm can connect QuickBooks Online or Xero, not both at once. To switch, disconnect the one you have first.
• Who can connect and manage it. Firm owners, and members whose role includes Update access for Accounting sync settings, can connect, change the settings, start a sync, and disconnect. By default that is the Owner and Administrator roles. A member with View access can open the accounting settings and read them, but cannot change anything. See Roles and permissions.
• Sync runs one way. Esqase is the source of truth. It sends records to QuickBooks or Xero, and nothing you change there comes back into Esqase.
• Set up your books first. After connecting, you choose the accounts, tax rates, and (for QuickBooks) the service item Esqase should use. Create any that are missing in QuickBooks or Xero before you start, so they are there to pick.

Connect QuickBooks Online or Xero

1. In the sidebar, click Integrations.
2. Under Accounting, find the QuickBooks or Xero card and click Connect.
3. A dialog opens (Connect QuickBooks Online or Connect Xero) and explains what Esqase will send, what it will read, and that the connection is shared by your whole firm, with a link to the Privacy Policy. Read it, then click Continue to Intuit or Continue to Xero (or Cancel to stop).
4. Sign in on the Intuit or Xero screen, choose the company or organisation you want to connect, and approve the access Esqase asks for.
5. If you use Xero and allowed Esqase into more than one organisation, Esqase asks Choose your Xero organisation. Pick one in the Organisation field and click Continue.
6. When the connection finishes, you see a message such as QuickBooks connected to followed by your company name. Click Accounting settings to set up the mappings, or Back to integrations to return to the cards.

Once connected, the card shows a Connected badge and a more options (⋯) menu. The menu shows the Connected organisation and offers Sync settings (opens the accounting settings), Sync now, and Disconnect.

Open the accounting settings

Everything about the connection lives on one page with four tabs.

1. In the sidebar, open Settings.
2. Under Firm, click Accounting. (You can also click Sync settings in the connected card's menu on the Integrations page.)
3. You land on the Connection tab. The other tabs sit just beneath Accounting in the settings sidebar, and Mappings and Preferences each save on their own with their own Save changes button:
   • Connection: the connected company, its status, and the Sync now, Reconnect, and Disconnect buttons.
   • Mappings: where Esqase records income, deposits, and tax.
   • Preferences: what Esqase sends and when.
   • History: every sync, and the records that need attention.

If your firm has not connected accounting software yet, the page says No accounting software connected with a Go to Integrations button.

The Connection tab lists the Provider, the Status (Connected, Choose organisation, or Needs reconnecting), the Organisation (your QuickBooks company or Xero organisation), the login used to connect, the Base currency of your books, who connected it and when, when it Last synced, and the Last error if there is one.

Map your accounts and taxes

Mappings tell Esqase where each record belongs in your books. Nothing syncs until the required mappings are saved, and the top of the tab names anything still missing (for example, Choose the operating bank account before Esqase can sync).

1. Open the Mappings tab. Its heading reads Account mappings.
2. Under Accounts, choose:
   • Income account (Xero only): the account invoice and credit note lines post to. Required before invoices and credit notes sync to Xero.
   • Operating bank account: where cleared payments are deposited. Required before payments sync.
   • Trust bank account: where payments made from trust are deposited. Leave it on None to deposit them to the operating bank account.
   • Default service item (QuickBooks only): the product or service every invoice line uses. QuickBooks needs one on every line, and the lines post to the income account set on this item. Required before invoices and credit notes sync to QuickBooks.
3. Under Tax rates, match each of your Esqase tax rates to a QuickBooks or Xero tax rate. An invoice that uses an unmatched tax above zero percent is skipped until you match it. Lines with no tax sync as untaxed.
4. Click Save changes. You see Account mappings saved.

Choose what syncs and when

1. Open the Preferences tab. Its heading reads Sync preferences.
2. Sync automatically: with this on, Esqase sends new and changed records as they happen and checks for anything missed every 15 minutes. With it off, records sync only when someone clicks Sync now.
3. Under What Esqase sends, turn each kind of record on or off:
   • Contacts: creates and updates the clients on synced invoices as customers (contacts in Xero). With it off, Esqase only matches customers that already exist in QuickBooks or Xero, by name or email. When Esqase finds an existing customer in QuickBooks or Xero with the same email address but a different name, it links to that customer and leaves its name unchanged.
   • Invoices: sends finalized invoices.
   • Payments: sends cleared payments against their invoices.
   • Credit notes: sends issued credit notes.
4. Sync records from: invoices, payments, and credit notes dated before this day are not sent. Leave it empty to send everything, or click Clear date to empty it again.
5. Click Save changes. You see Sync preferences saved.

What syncs and when

• Each invoice keeps its Esqase invoice number in QuickBooks or Xero, and its line items, discounts, late fees, taxes, and notes go with it.
• When a synced invoice is canceled in Esqase, Esqase voids it in QuickBooks or Xero. When a synced payment is voided, Esqase removes it there.
• Card and bank payments your clients make through LawPay or Confido Legal sync like any other payment, as cleared payments on your operating bank account mapping. A card payment is sent as soon as it is taken, because it clears straight away. A bank payment is sent when it clears, usually 3 to 5 business days later. See Taking card and bank payments with LawPay or Confido Legal.
• With Sync automatically on, Esqase sends a record shortly after it changes (for example, when an invoice is finalized or a payment is cleared), and every 15 minutes it checks for anything else that changed, such as a new credit note, a canceled invoice, or a client's new address.
• A single sync handles up to 500 records. Anything beyond that goes in the next sync.

Sync now

To send everything that is waiting without waiting for the next check:

1. On the Connection tab, click Sync now. (Or open the connected card's more options (⋯) menu on the Integrations page and click Sync now.)
2. You see QuickBooks sync started (or Xero sync started). The sync appears on the History tab.

Only one sync runs at a time. If one is already running, Esqase asks you to wait for it to finish. Sync now also takes another look at every skipped record and retries every record QuickBooks or Xero refused, so it is the quickest way to retry after you fix a mapping or a record.

Check the sync history and fix problems

Open the History tab to see what Esqase has sent.

Sync history lists every sync, newest first, with when it Started, its Trigger (Manual for Sync now, Automatic for a record sent as it changed, Scheduled for the 15-minute check), its Status (Queued, Running, Succeeded, Partial, or Failed), who requested it, and how many records were Created, Updated, Failed, and Skipped. Click Details on a row to open Sync details, which breaks the counts down by contacts, invoices, payments, and credit notes, and lists why each failed or skipped record did not go through.

Records that need attention lists every record that failed or was skipped, with its Record type, the Record, its Status, the Last error, the number of Attempts, and the Next attempt.

Failed and skipped records

• Failed means QuickBooks or Xero refused the record or could not be reached. When trying again can help (for example, the service was briefly unavailable), Esqase retries automatically, waiting a little longer each time, and Next attempt shows when. When it shows Not scheduled, something needs changing first; the Last error says what, and Esqase tries again the next time the record changes in Esqase or when you click Sync now.
• Skipped means Esqase chose not to send the record, and the Last error explains why: a mapping is missing, a tax is not matched, the currency does not match your books, the record is dated before Sync records from, or it is something Esqase does not sync yet (see below).

To retry a skipped or refused record:

1. Fix what the Last error describes. For a missing account or tax, update the Mappings tab (click Refresh accounts first if you just created it in QuickBooks or Xero) and save.
2. Click Sync now. It re-checks every skipped record and retries every refused one straight away.

You do not have to click Sync now: after you change the mappings or preferences, the automatic checks re-check skipped records on their own. Without a settings change, the automatic checks leave skipped records alone until the record itself changes.

What is not synced yet

Some records are not sent in this version. They are listed as skipped with a note, so you can enter them by hand:

• Anything from QuickBooks or Xero. Sync runs one way. Invoices, payments, and edits made there never come back into Esqase.
• Refunds and reversals. A refunded payment or invoice is skipped. Record the refund in QuickBooks or Xero yourself. This includes refunds made through LawPay or Confido Legal, and bank payments or card payments the processor reversed after they cleared (a returned bank payment or a chargeback).
• Processing fees. LawPay and Confido Legal take their fees from your operating account as a separate debit. Esqase does not record or send those fees, so enter them in QuickBooks or Xero yourself.
• Write-offs. Writing off an invoice that was already sent is not copied over. Record the write-off yourself.
• Withholding tax. An invoice with withholding tax is skipped. Enter it by hand.
• Other currencies. An invoice, payment, or credit note in a currency other than your books' base currency is skipped when multicurrency is turned off in QuickBooks or Xero.
• Drafts and invoices in review. Only finalized invoices are sent. Drafts, invoices in review, declined invoices, and proforma invoices stay in Esqase.
• Pending payments. A payment is sent only once it is cleared.
• Later edits to payments and credit notes. A payment or credit note is sent once. If you change it in Esqase afterwards, the change stays in Esqase; update QuickBooks or Xero yourself. A voided credit note must also be voided there by hand.
• Tax on credit notes. Credit notes are sent without tax.
• Cleared contact details. Removing a client's email or phone in Esqase does not remove it from the QuickBooks customer.

Reconnect when QuickBooks or Xero stops accepting the sign-in

QuickBooks and Xero can stop accepting the sign-in Esqase saved, for example when someone removes Esqase from the company's connected apps. When that happens, syncing pauses, the Connection tab shows the status Needs reconnecting, and the card on the Integrations page reads QuickBooks no longer accepts the saved sign-in. Reconnect QuickBooks to resume syncing.

1. On the Connection tab, click Reconnect. (Or open the card's more options (⋯) menu on the Integrations page and click Reconnect.)
2. Sign in to Intuit or Xero again and approve the access.
3. Choose the same company or organisation as before. Your mappings, preferences, and history are kept, and syncing picks up where it stopped.

Disconnect

1. On the Connection tab, click Disconnect. (Or open the card's more options (⋯) menu on the Integrations page and click Disconnect.)
2. Confirm in the Disconnect QuickBooks? (or Disconnect Xero?) dialog.

Esqase stops syncing for your whole firm and revokes its access with Intuit or Xero. Records already in QuickBooks or Xero stay where they are.

If you connect the same QuickBooks company or Xero organisation again later, Esqase continues where it left off: your mappings, preferences, and sync history come back, records it already sent are not sent again, and anything that changed while you were disconnected goes in the next sync. Connecting a different company or organisation starts a fresh connection, as described in Reconnect when QuickBooks or Xero stops accepting the sign-in.

Troubleshooting

• The Connect button is greyed out and the card says only firm owners and administrators can connect. Your role does not include Update access for Accounting sync settings. Ask a firm owner to connect, or to give your role that access.
• The card says to disconnect QuickBooks to connect Xero (or the other way round). Your firm already has the other one connected. Only one can be connected at a time.
• The card shows Coming soon. Accounting sync is not switched on for your account yet. There is nothing to set up until it is.
• You see "Linking is not available right now" or "Accounting sync is not available right now". Esqase cannot work with QuickBooks or Xero for your firm at the moment. Try again later.
• Invoices are skipped with "Map the income account" or "Map the default service item". Set the missing account or item on the Mappings tab and save, then click Sync now.
• A new account, item, or tax rate is missing from the Mappings lists. Click Refresh accounts.
• Invoice numbers in QuickBooks do not match Esqase. Turn on Custom transaction numbers in your QuickBooks sales settings so QuickBooks keeps the number Esqase sends. Very long invoice numbers keep their last 21 characters, the most QuickBooks allows.
• A credit note shows Failed after it was created in QuickBooks. If Automatically apply credits is on in QuickBooks, QuickBooks may already have applied the credit to an invoice. Check the invoice in QuickBooks.
• Your QuickBooks company is outside the United States and QuickBooks refuses invoices with untaxed lines. Add a 0% tax rate in Esqase, match it to your zero-rated QuickBooks tax on the Mappings tab, and use it on lines that carry no tax.

Common questions

• Does every member have to connect QuickBooks or Xero? No. The connection is firm-wide. One person connects it for everyone.
• Can we connect both QuickBooks and Xero? No. A firm can have one accounting connection at a time.
• Why did an invoice not reach QuickBooks or Xero? Open the History tab and find it under Records that need attention. The Last error says why. Drafts, invoices in review, and proforma invoices are never sent, and nothing is sent until the required mappings are saved.
• If we disconnect and connect the same company again, will everything be sent twice? No. Esqase continues where it left off with the same company or organisation, so records it already sent are not sent again.
• I fixed the client, but the invoice is still skipped. Why? An invoice skipped because its client could not be sent is retried when the invoice changes, when you click Sync now, or after you change the accounting settings, not when the client alone is fixed. Click Sync now.
• Will my older invoices be sent? Yes, unless you set Sync records from. Invoices, payments, and credit notes dated before that day are not sent.
• Does turning off Sync automatically stop the connection? No. It only stops automatic sending. The connection stays active, and Sync now still works.
• Do changes I make in QuickBooks or Xero come back to Esqase? No. Sync runs one way, from Esqase to your accounting software.

Related

• Integrations overview
• Creating and sending invoices
• Recording and managing payments
• Credit notes, write-offs, and discounts
• Tax rates
• Roles and permissions