Staff: Xero Payroll Set Up

Use this guide to connect Discover to Xero, configure the payment integration, and set up Xero Payroll timesheet exports. The payment connection is completed first because Discover must be linked to the correct Xero organisation before payroll information can be mapped and exported.

Before You Start: Connect Discover to Xero

1.    Go to Centre Setup > Centre Settings > Payments - Xero Integration.

2.    Select Connect to Xero.

3.    Log in to Xero and allow Discover to access your Xero data.

Access note: You need Centre Administrator access to view Centre Settings.

Multiple-centre note: If you have multiple centres in Discover or multiple organisations under one Xero login, review the Xero FAQ before connecting.

Configure Discover for Xero Payments

1.    Go to Centre Setup > Centre Settings.

2.    Complete the details in the Payments - Xero Integration section.

Select the Xero account codes Discover should use when collecting payment information. Exclude accounts that relate to items such as MOE funding, capital receipts, WINZ, or other non-parent payment sources. If an account does not appear in the Xero Account Code field, check that it is classed as a Revenue account in Xero. Further guidance is available in the Xero FAQ.

Select Save at the bottom of the screen.

Optional: If you enable the Xero feed, Discover will pull reconciled payments from the selected Xero account codes each night. You will receive a summary email showing processed payments and any unmatched transactions that need manual reconciliation.

Recommendation: Use manual uploads for several weeks first. Once you are confident that payment descriptions are set up correctly in Xero, you can switch on the automatic Xero feed.

Payment exclusions: Payments named Work and Income or EFTPOS are automatically excluded.

•    It's best practice to input EFTPOS payments into Discover at the time of the transaction.

•    WINZ will often make a bulk payment for several children in one lump sum, so WINZ payments should be either input manually, or automatically input using the WINZ feature (see Centre Settings -> Payments - WINZ Options)

Discover uses the Description and Reference fields in Xero to identify who a payment has come from. These details must be unique, such as the child’s first name, last name, and date of birth. You can also create a Unique Bank Reference code for the Bill Payer and use this code in Xero.

Important: Choose payment descriptions and reference codes carefully. If the same description is used for payments intended for different people, Discover may allocate those payments to the same person.

Xero Payroll Setup Workflow

Once the Xero payment integration has been connected and saved, complete the payroll-specific setup in the order below.

Step 1: Prepare Xero Payroll

Before adding payroll details into Discover, complete the required payroll setup in Xero:

1.    Create a Payroll Calendar. You can have multiple payroll frequencies if required.

2.    Set up your Admins and Teachers as employees in Xero.

3.    Create draft timesheets for your staff. These do not need to be filled out; Discover will populate the information when you export.

4.    Add custom earnings if required.

Step 2: Gather Employee and Earnings Rate GUIDs from Xero

You will need two types of Xero GUIDs before the payroll integration can be completed in Discover:

•    Employee GUIDs — added to each staff member’s Payroll ID field in Discover.

•    Earnings Rate GUIDs — added to each relevant roster task or shift type in Discover.

To find the Employee GUIDs:

1) Open Xero's API Explorer using this link, and log in with your Xero credentials.

2) Click 'Connect your Xero organisation ' (if you're already connected to another organisation, click disconnect in the top right, then click 'Connect your Xero organisation').

3) Select the organisation from the dropdown list, and click 'Allow Access'

4) Ensure "Get Employees" is selected in the Operation dropdown.

4) Click the "Make Request" button at the bottom right of the screen.

5) In the box that is generated underneath, click on the "Pretty Print" tab.

6) Scrolling through, you will find the names of your employees. Copy the code that appears above their name (see below). This is the Employee's GUID. You will not need the inverted commas on either side (").

7) In Discover, navigate to the Staff Profile > select the Staff member > Payroll tab. Paste the code in to the Payroll ID field.

To find the Earnings GUIDs: 

1) Follow steps 1-3 as outlined above.

2) Ensure "Get Earnings Rates" is selected in the Operation dropdown. 

3) Click the "Make Request" button at the bottom right of the screen.

4) In the box that is generated underneath, click on the "Pretty Print" tab.

5) Scrolling through, you will find the names of your Earnings rates. Copy the code that appears above rate (see below). This is the Earnings Rate GUID. You will not need the inverted commas on either side ("). 

6) In Discover, navigate to Centre Settings > Roster tab. Click on the relevant existing task, or 'Create New', and paste the Earnings Rate GUID in the Payroll ID field and Save (for more information on creating Roster tasks, please see our article here).

Exporting your Roster information to your Xero Timesheets

1) Create your Roster as you normally would, using the tasks/shift types that have the Xero Payroll GUID attached to them.

2) When your Roster has been finalised, navigate to the left side menu > Payments > Integrations > Xero Payroll tab.

3) Select your Payroll Calendar from the dropdown.

4) Select your Timesheet dates from the dropdown (*If you can't see the correct dates, please be sure you have created draft timesheets in Xero, as below).

5) Select your Staff Member from the dropdown.

6) Click 'Review Information'.

7) Once you have reviewed the information and confirmed it is correct, click 'Push to Xero' (if the information is incorrect, make your changes in the roster then repeat the steps above).

8) Repeat this process for each Staff Member.

*Timesheets in Xero: