---
name: xero
description: |
  Xero integration via Apideck's Accounting unified API — same methods work across every connector in Accounting, switch by changing `serviceId`. Use when the user wants to read, write, or reconcile invoices, bills, payments, ledger accounts, and journal entries in Xero. Routes through Apideck with serviceId "xero".
license: Apache-2.0
alwaysApply: false
metadata:
  author: apideck
  version: "1.0.0"
  serviceId: xero
  unifiedApis: ["accounting"]
  authType: oauth2
  tier: "1a"
  verified: true
  difficulty: moderate
  partnershipRequired: true
  sandboxAvailable: true
---

# Xero (via Apideck)

Access Xero through Apideck's **Accounting** unified API — one of 34 Accounting connectors that share the same method surface. Code you write here ports to Access Financials, Acumatica, banqUP and 30 other Accounting connectors by changing a single `serviceId` string. Apideck handles auth, pagination, rate limiting, and retries so you don't write per-tenant Xero plumbing.

## Quick facts

- **Apideck serviceId:** `xero`
- **Unified API:** Accounting
- **Auth type:** oauth2
- **Gotchas:** [page](https://developers.apideck.com/apis/accounting/xero/gotchas)
- **Xero docs:** https://developer.xero.com
- **Homepage:** https://www.xero.com/

## At a glance

- **Implementation difficulty:** moderate — Self-Service OAuth + App Partner Certification Required to Scale
- **Vendor partnership required:** yes ([Xero App Partner Program](https://developer.xero.com/documentation/xero-app-store/app-partner-guides/pathways-to-grow)) — App Partner Program certification is mandatory from the Plus tier and to list on the Xero App Store; Starter and Core tiers need no approval.
- **Apideck-managed credentials:** not available
- **Account type required:** Any active Xero subscription
- **Consumer access level:** Standard or Adviser level user (Admin recommended for full data access)
- **Sandbox:** available ([signup](https://developer.xero.com/)) — Free via Xero Developer Portal (demo company included).
- **Costs:** Free Starter tier; Core ~$22, Plus ~$152, Advanced ~$895 USD/month by connection count; Enterprise custom; plus per-GB egress overage. Effective March 2, 2026.
- **Rate limits:** 60 calls/minute and 5 concurrent calls per organisation; daily cap of 1,000 calls on Starter and 5,000 on Core and above; 10,000 calls/minute app-wide.
- **Authentication:** Authorization Code flow.
- **Webhooks:** Native — invoice and bill events (created and updated).

**Important to know:**

- Connection caps are tier-based: 5 active connections on the free Starter tier, 50 on Core, and more only from Plus upward. Certification unlocks the higher tiers but itself requires at least 10 active customer connections, so start the process before you hit the cap.
- Refresh tokens expire after 60 days if unused — consumer must re-authorise.
- Consumers can install a maximum of 2 uncertified apps — if at the limit they must remove another uncertified app first.
- Certification compliance requires hiding the Apideck callback — a custom Vault domain must be configured before certification.
- From March 2, 2026 the Journals API is gated to the Advanced tier and new apps must use granular OAuth scopes; older apps must migrate by September 2027. General-ledger reads need accounting.journals.read, which Apideck no longer requests by default; manual journals still work.

> Facts synced from Apideck's connector metadata API — `GET /connector/connectors/xero` (`overview` field) is the live, authoritative version.

## When to use this skill

Activate this skill when the user explicitly wants to work with **Xero** — for example, "create an invoice in Xero" or "reconcile payments in Xero". This skill teaches the agent:

1. Which Apideck unified API covers Xero (Accounting)
2. The correct `serviceId` to pass on every call (`xero`)
3. Xero-specific auth and coverage caveats

For the full method surface (parameters, pagination, filtering), use your language SDK skill:

- [`apideck-node`](../../skills/apideck-node/), [`apideck-python`](../../skills/apideck-python/), [`apideck-dotnet`](../../skills/apideck-dotnet/), [`apideck-java`](../../skills/apideck-java/), [`apideck-go`](../../skills/apideck-go/), [`apideck-php`](../../skills/apideck-php/), or [`apideck-rest`](../../skills/apideck-rest/)

For the raw OpenAPI spec:

- **Accounting:** [https://specs.apideck.com/accounting.yml](https://specs.apideck.com/accounting.yml) · [API Explorer](https://developers.apideck.com/api-explorer?id=accounting)

## Minimal example (TypeScript)

```typescript
import { Apideck } from "@apideck/unify";

const apideck = new Apideck({
  apiKey: process.env.APIDECK_API_KEY,
  appId: process.env.APIDECK_APP_ID,
  consumerId: "your-consumer-id",
});

// List invoices in Xero
const { data } = await apideck.accounting.invoices.list({
  serviceId: "xero",
});
```

## Portable across 34 Accounting connectors

The Apideck **Accounting** unified API exposes the same methods for every connector in its catalog. Switching from Xero to another Accounting connector is a one-string change — no rewrite, no new SDK.

```typescript
// Today — Xero
await apideck.accounting.invoices.list({ serviceId: "xero" });

// Tomorrow — same code, different connector
await apideck.accounting.invoices.list({ serviceId: "access-financials" });
await apideck.accounting.invoices.list({ serviceId: "acumatica" });
```

This is the compounding advantage of using Apideck over integrating Xero directly: code against the unified Accounting API once, gain access to every connector in it. New connectors Apideck adds become available to your app without code changes.

## Xero via Apideck Accounting

Xero is a widely-used cloud accounting platform, strong in UK/AU/NZ markets. Apideck covers the core financial entities.

### Entity mapping

| Xero entity | Apideck Accounting resource |
|---|---|
| Invoice (ACCREC) | `invoices` |
| Bill (ACCPAY) | `bills` |
| Payment | `payments` |
| Manual Journal | `journal-entries` |
| Account (chart of accounts) | `ledger-accounts` |
| Contact (customer or supplier) | `customers` / `suppliers` |
| Item | `items` |
| TaxRate | `tax-rates` |
| P&L, Balance Sheet | `profit-and-loss`, `balance-sheet` |

### Coverage highlights

- ✅ Full CRUD on invoices, bills, payments, customers, suppliers
- ✅ Manual journals
- ✅ Financial reports (P&L, Balance Sheet, Aged Receivables/Payables)
- ✅ Multi-currency on invoices/bills
- ⚠️ Tracking categories / cost centers — surfaced as custom fields
- ❌ Payroll — separate Xero Payroll API; use Proxy

### Auth

- **Type:** OAuth 2.0, managed by Apideck Vault
- **Tenant selection:** Xero users can belong to multiple organizations. The user picks which org to authorize during the Vault flow; one Apideck connection = one Xero org.

### Example: create an invoice

```typescript
const { data } = await apideck.accounting.invoices.create({
  serviceId: "xero",
  invoice: {
    customer_id: "xero-contact-uuid",
    invoice_date: "2026-04-18",
    due_date: "2026-05-18",
    line_items: [
      { description: "Consulting", quantity: 10, unit_price: 150, account_id: "sales-revenue" },
    ],
    currency: "GBP",
  },
});
```

## Escape hatch: Proxy API

When an endpoint isn't covered by the Accounting unified API, use Apideck's Proxy to call Xero directly — Apideck injects auth headers and handles token refresh. Set `x-apideck-downstream-url` to the target endpoint on Xero's own API:

```bash
curl 'https://unify.apideck.com/proxy' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${APIDECK_API_KEY}" \
  -H "x-apideck-app-id: ${APIDECK_APP_ID}" \
  -H "x-apideck-consumer-id: ${CONSUMER_ID}" \
  -H "x-apideck-service-id: xero" \
  -H "x-apideck-downstream-url: <target endpoint on Xero>" \
  -H "x-apideck-downstream-method: GET"
```

See [Xero's API docs](https://developer.xero.com) for available endpoints.

## Sibling connectors

Other **Accounting** connectors that share this unified API surface (same method signatures, just change `serviceId`):

[`access-financials`](../access-financials/) *(beta)*, [`acumatica`](../acumatica/) *(beta)*, [`banqup`](../banqup/) *(beta)*, [`campfire`](../campfire/) *(beta)*, [`clearbooks-uk`](../clearbooks-uk/) *(beta)*, [`digits`](../digits/) *(beta)*, [`dualentry`](../dualentry/), [`exact-online`](../exact-online/), and 25 more.

## See also

- [Accounting OpenAPI spec](https://specs.apideck.com/accounting.yml) · [API Explorer](https://developers.apideck.com/api-explorer?id=accounting)
- [`apideck-connector-coverage`](../../skills/apideck-connector-coverage/) — programmatic coverage checks
- [`apideck-best-practices`](../../skills/apideck-best-practices/) — architecture, Vault, pagination, error handling
- [`apideck-node`](../../skills/apideck-node/) — TypeScript / Node SDK patterns
- [Xero official docs](https://developer.xero.com)