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Connect Accounting

This guide explains how to link your accounting software to TaxConnect. You can connect Xero or QuickBooks via secure OAuth, or import invoices manually using CSV and Excel files. Each method is covered in detail below.

Xero connection

Connecting Xero to TaxConnect uses OAuth 2.0 — TaxConnect never sees or stores your Xero login credentials. Follow these steps to set up the connection:

  1. From the TaxConnect sidebar, open the Connections page.
  2. Find the Xero card (or the Connect button in the sidebar if you are already inside a tenant context). Click Connect.
  3. A new browser tab or pop-up opens asking you to sign in to Xero. Enter your Xero credentials and authorize the connection.
  4. Review the scopes TaxConnect is requesting — read-only access to invoices, contacts, accounts, and tax rates. Approve the scopes to proceed.
  5. You are redirected back to TaxConnect automatically.
  6. Check the Connections page. The Xero card should display an Active status with a green indicator.

Once connected, TaxConnect pulls your invoices, chart of accounts, contacts, and tax rates from Xero. You do not need to export or upload anything — the data syncs on demand when you open the Invoices page.

Connection ownership. Each organization can hold only one active provider connection at a time. If you need to switch accounting software, you must disconnect the current provider first. See the notes section below.

QuickBooks connection

The QuickBooks connection also uses OAuth 2.0 via Intuit's secure gateway. The steps are similar to Xero:

  1. Go to the Connections page from the TaxConnect sidebar.
  2. Click Connect on the QuickBooks card. You can also use the sidebar's Connect button if you are viewing a specific tenant.
  3. You are taken to Intuit's sign-in page. Authenticate with your QuickBooks Online credentials.
  4. If your Intuit account has access to multiple company files, pick the one you want to link to this TaxConnect organization.
  5. After authorizing, Intuit redirects you back to TaxConnect.
  6. Confirm the connection by checking for a green indicator on the QuickBooks card in the Connections page.

QuickBooks connections sync the same data set: invoices, accounts, customers, and tax codes. TaxConnect reads the data and translates it into the FBR e-invoicing schema during validation.

Important notes about connections

One primary data source per tenant

Each organization can have at most one connected provider at any time. You cannot connect both Xero and QuickBooks to the same organization. If you need data from both sources, create two separate organizations.

Disconnect before switching providers

To switch from Xero to QuickBooks (or vice versa) inside the same organization, you must disconnect the current provider first. Click the Disconnect button on the active provider's card, then follow the connection steps for the new provider.

Disconnecting clears tokens

When you disconnect a provider, TaxConnect immediately clears the stored OAuth tokens and refresh tokens from its database. In some cases, TaxConnect also sends a token revocation request to the provider (Xero and QuickBooks both support this). After disconnecting, the provider will no longer be able to push data updates to TaxConnect.

No data loss. Disconnecting a provider does not delete any invoices, tax mappings, or configuration you have already set up. It only removes the live sync capability. You can reconnect the same provider later without losing your settings.

CSV / Excel import

If your organization does not use Xero or QuickBooks, you can import invoices manually using CSV or Excel files. This is also useful for testing specific invoice scenarios before going live with a provider.

Getting started

  1. Create an organization. If you have not already, go to the Organizations page and click Add Organization. This creates a CSV tenant — a container designed for file-based import.
  2. Open the Invoices page inside that organization.
  3. Click Import from CSV/Excel and select your file.

Template rules

Your import file must follow these rules to pass validation:

  • One row per line item. If an invoice has three line items, it occupies three rows. The system groups rows by invoice number automatically.
  • Required fields per row: invoiceNumber, invoiceDate, buyerName, buyerNTN, description, quantity, rate, taxAmount, taxType, and totalAmount.
  • Fields you should NOT include (they are populated automatically): seller_name, seller_ntn, scenarioId, saleType. If you include any of these columns, the import will ignore or reject them depending on the validation rule.

Tax type matching

The taxType value in your CSV or Excel file must correspond to an existing tax mapping in your TaxConnect configuration. For example, if you map the FBR scenario SR1501202501 to a tax type called Sales Tax 18%, your import file should use Sales Tax 18% as the taxType value. If the tax type does not match any mapping, the invoice will fail validation.

You can create and manage tax mappings from the Tax Mapping page before importing. Refer to the Tax Mapping guide for detailed instructions.

File format tips

  • Use .csv (UTF-8) or .xlsx format. Older .xls files are not supported.
  • The first row must be a header row with column names. Column names are case-insensitive.
  • Dates should be in YYYY-MM-DD format.
  • Amount columns should be plain numbers without currency symbols or thousand separators.