Xero job costing integration for construction

Xero works for accounting, but not for job management. Planyard bridges the gap by automating cost tracking, eliminating spreadsheets, and giving you real-time visibility into your project finances.

Free 14-day full-featured trial. No credit card required.

Trusted by construction companies globally

The problem - why Xero alone isn't enough for job costing

Xero wasn’t built for detailed project cost tracking. Manually entering purchase orders, invoices, and expenses into spreadsheets leads to wasted time, duplication, and errors.

“To understand the financial position of a single project, I used to spend 2-3 days exporting data from Xero and matching it in spreadsheets—only to find I wasn’t even sure the numbers were right.”
— Jason Escobar, Project Manager, The Keane Group

Read the case study

Xero provides an overview of financials but lacks job-level cost tracking. By the time reports are compiled, it’s often too late to react to budget overruns.

“Without real-time cost tracking, it’s easy to mistake being busy for being profitable. We needed a system that told us which projects were actually making money before it was too late.”
— Sam Jarman, Director, Rosetta Contracting

Read the case study

Xero’s purchase order system isn’t designed for the way construction businesses operate. Tracking subcontractor commitments, progress claims, and overbilling risks is nearly impossible without a specialized tool.

“Before Planyard, we relied on Excel for subcontractor payment tracking. It was time-consuming and prone to mistakes—overbilling risks were a constant issue.”
— Claire Hill, Quantity Surveyor, Brown & Bancroft

Read the case study

The solution - Planyard + Xero

Unlike other construction software that syncs data back and forth with Xero - leading to confusion - Planyard ensures all job costing and project financials happen in one place. Only approved invoices are sent to Xero with all necessary accounting details, so the finance team doesn't need to guess where costs belong.

Job costs stay in Planyard, accounting stays in Xero

Planyard is built for project teams, while Xero is designed for accounting. Costs, budgets, and commitments are managed in Planyard, and only pre-approved, correctly categorized invoices are sent to Xero.

No duplicate data

Only approved and finalized costs reach Xero

No budget mismatches

Project financials are controlled in one system and by the PMs

No unnecessary discussions

A clear one-way process ensures clarity between project teams and accounting

One source of truth

Project teams track costs in Planyard, accountants finalize books in Xero

Connect your budget line-items with your Xero accounts

No more guesswork for accountants

Instead of sending raw invoices to Xero and forcing accountants to figure out project costs manually, Planyard ensures every invoice is pre-processed before it reaches Xero.

Chart of accounts

Each invoice in Xero has the chart of accounts assignments already done

Linked supplier details

Since the info is already there with the context, it makes for easy verification

Project-related context

Each invoice comes with job, cost code, and responsible project manager attached

Original invoice document

The original invoice and a Planyard report are sent to Xero for complete transparency

Upload your project budget and follow the financial progress in real-time

No credit card required. No sales or IT support needed.

Planyard project budget overview with committed costs and job phase profitability

Eliminate spreadsheet reconciliation

Many construction teams still extract reports from Xero and manually match them to projects. Planyard eliminates this by keeping job costs live and accurate so you always know where you stand.

Real-time cost tracking

Without waiting for reports from the project teams or invoices from accounting

Automatic actuals

All costs get approved in Planyard - the actuals get automatically reported

No monthly adjustments

No need for monthly spreadsheet adjustments since the system does it for you

Prevent human errors

The costs are linked to projects at the source and entered just once

Prevent overbilling and catch cost discrepancies early

Planyard helps prevent overbilling errors and ensures all project costs are validated before payments are made.

Subcontractor invoices

Invoices are matched to purchase orders and subcontracts before approval

Overbilling prevention

Planyard flags invoices exceeding agreed values

Track pending commitments

You always see the committed amounts so you can prevent budget surprises

Automatic alerts

If costs exceed planned or revised budgets, you'll be notified by the system

Upload your project budget and follow the financial progress in real-time

No credit card required. No sales or IT support needed.

Product picture from Planyard financial managment software visualising contract overview and ongoing payment application.

Automate subcontractor and supplier payments

Managing subcontractor claims and supplier invoices manually can lead to delays and mistakes. Planyard streamlines the process with automated tracking and approvals.

Reports submitted by subs

No back-and-forth emails or papers - they can just submit the work done this month

Pre-checked invoices

Invoices are compared to the contracts and get checked before reaching Xero

Automatic retainages

Retention amounts are calculated automatically and reduce risks for errors

Faster processing

Invoices only go one way and don't get lost - avoiding fees for delays

Product picture from Planyard construction job costing software visualising project portfolio overview.

Real-time financial reporting without the hassle

Most construction teams rely on manual financial reports that are outdated by the time they’re compiled. With Planyard, financial reporting is live and up to date.

Instant visibility

Into the costs of any project that's ongoing or in the warranty phase

Automatic variance tracking

You can see budget vs. actuals at any time and react to cash flow problems if needed

Portfolio-wide insights

You can see the financial status of your whole portfolio in one dashboard

No more reporting

No more manual exports to do - the data is always accurate in Planyard

Keep job costing smart. Keep pricing simple.

Planyard keeps job costing in one place, ensuring project teams manage budgets while accountants get clean, pre-approved invoices in Xero.

USD
EUR
GBP
AUD
CAD

Estimating

$52
/ month / project manager
 

Cost estimating

Try for free

Essential

$105
/ month / project manager
$43
for supporting staff
Perfect for support roles or stakeholders—gain access to essential project features and view key financial data without full platform permissions, enabling users to stay informed and contribute without hands-on tasks.

Usually selected for: site engineers, clients, estimators or auditors.

Estimating and budget control

  • Everything in Estimating
  • Track budgets and actual spend
  • Manage purchase invoices automatically
  • Reuse active project cost data for estimating
  • Sync invoices to Xero and QuickBooks
Try for free

Professional

$158
/ month / project manager
$43
for supporting staff
Perfect for support roles or stakeholders—gain access to essential project features and view key financial data without full platform permissions, enabling users to stay informed and contribute without hands-on tasks.

Usually selected for: site engineers, clients, estimators or auditors.

Estimating, cost control and purchase orders management

  • Everything in Essential
  • Issue and manage purchase orders
  • Track committed cost on the budget
  • Forecast project profitability in real-time
  • Create cashflow forecasts
  • Manage client contracts and progress reports
Try for free

Ultimate

$210
/ month / project manager
$43
for supporting staff
Perfect for support roles or stakeholders—gain access to essential project features and view key financial data without full platform permissions, enabling users to stay informed and contribute without hands-on tasks.

Usually selected for: site engineers, clients, estimators or auditors.

Full functionality

  • Everything in Professional
  • Automate subcontractor and vendor quoting
  • Track subcontracts and progress
  • Manage subcontractor change orders
  • Collect subcontractor payment applications
Try for free

Read success stories from our customers

See how Planyard helps businesses like yours succeed - read their stories in our blog.

"Planyard's integration with Xero has streamlined our project financials, providing clear insights and saving us valuable time. It's easy to use and keeps all commitments organized for seamless financial tracking."

Read more
Sharon Brown, Financial Controller, Dublin, Ireland

"Planyard saves us 3-4 days per project by simplifying financial tracking and cutting out double data entry. It’s user-friendly and lets us focus on our main tasks."

Read more
Jason Escobar, Project Manager, Oxenfrod, Australia

"Planyard is basically a live CVR and saves time by making Excel unnecessary. Once a project’s set up, I can rely on Planyard to stay organized without spreadsheets."

Read more
Claire Hill, Quantity Surveyor, Bolton, UK

"If there’s some problem with the budget, it just tells you what you need to fix and you’ll be fine. It really just kind of thinks a step ahead for you."

Read more
Jordan Cohen, Project Director & Partner, Florida, US