A client you added in Xero Practice Manager (XPM) hasn't appeared in Xero, or an invoice you raised isn't showing against the job — the two aren't talking. It's almost always a name mismatch, a job state, or the connection dropping. Here's how to get contacts, invoices and the Xero ledger back in step.
The number-one cause is a name mismatch — the contact name in Xero doesn't exactly match the client name in XPM, so they won't link. Make the names identical, confirm the job is in an active state (not completed/cancelled), and re-save the invoice to re-trigger the sync. If nothing is syncing at all, reconnect the Xero organisation and check for duplicate contacts.
XPM and Xero are separate systems that share data — clients become contacts, and invoices raised in XPM appear in the Xero ledger. That link relies on the details matching exactly: the client/contact name, an active job, and a live connection between XPM and your Xero organisation. When something is slightly off — a renamed contact, a completed job, a duplicate record, or a dropped connection — the sync silently fails and records fall out of step. Sync also isn't always instant, so sometimes it just needs a moment. The steps below rule these out in order.
When XPM and Xero fall out of step, billing gets messy and someone loses an afternoon reconciling it. Our free IT Health Check reviews the systems and data flows behind your practice — app connections, sign-in security and the tools your accounting firm relies on — and shows you what to tidy so contacts, invoices and the ledger stay in sync.