When a company’s books are in Xero, Tax Optimiser syncs its trial balance straight from Xero. That link doesn’t last forever. When it lapses, a sync can’t reach Xero until someone reconnects. Reconnecting takes a couple of minutes, and nothing you have already done in Tax Optimiser is lost.
Why you need to reconnect
You’ll need to reconnect when:
- The connection hasn’t been used for a week. Xero limits how many organisations an app can hold open at once, so Tax Optimiser automatically lets go of a Xero connection that hasn’t been used for 7 days. This is the most common reason, and it’s expected. Most companies only need Xero at year end.
- Access was removed in Xero. Someone disconnected Tax Optimiser under Connected apps in Xero’s settings, or the Xero user who made the connection lost access to the organisation.
- Xero’s permission expired. Xero sign-ins time out if they go unused for a long time.
How you’ll know
If Xero has let go while it still says Xero, opening the Trial Balance for a period that hasn’t been synced shows this warning: “We couldn’t sync from Xero. The connection may have expired or been removed”. It has a Reconnect to Xero button beside it.
If the connection was released after a week unused, the organisation stops showing as connected to Xero. The Trial Balance start screen then offers the Connect to Xero button again, as it did the first time. Any figures you synced before are still there.
A sync started from the Trial Balance’s Actions menu stops with a message asking you to reconnect your Xero account. The steps below fix all of these.
Reconnect to Xero
Use whichever of these is in front of you. They all start the same sign-in:
- the Reconnect to Xero button in the warning, or the Connect to Xero button on the Trial Balance start screen
- on a Trial Balance that already has figures: Actions → Connect to Xero
- from the sidebar, Organisation (accountants: the organisation’s Details): the System & Defaults tab, then Connect to Accounting System → Connect to Xero
Then:
- Sign in to Xero. You’re taken to Xero’s own login page. Sign in with a Xero login that can see the company’s organisation. That’s usually the business owner’s or the accountant’s, and Xero may ask for your two-step authentication code.
- Choose the organisation and allow access. If your login can see more than one Xero organisation, pick this company’s, then click Allow access.
- Confirm the Xero company. Back in Tax Optimiser, the Confirm Xero Account page lists the Xero organisations you allowed. Make sure the one selected is this company, not another business on the same Xero login, then click Confirm.
That’s it. Tax Optimiser refreshes the company name and lock date from Xero and syncs the first period that isn’t complete, then returns you to the organisation’s page. The System & Defaults tab now shows the Xero organisation and its Period Lock Date.
After reconnecting
Open the Trial Balance for the period you’re working on. A period with nothing synced yet pulls its balances in automatically. For one that already has figures, use Actions → Sync with Xero to bring in anything that has changed. Actions → Sync Date Range syncs different dates from the period’s own, for example a short first period.
The connection now stays open while it’s being used. If you come back after a quiet spell and it has lapsed again, reconnect the same way.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose my figures or journals if the connection lapses?
No. A lapsed connection only stops new syncs. The trial balance you already synced, your journals, the accounts and the Corporation Tax computation all stay as they are until you sync again.
Why does Xero keep disconnecting?
Xero caps the number of organisations one app can keep connected, so Tax Optimiser releases connections that haven’t been used for 7 days to leave room for companies that are being worked on. It’s normal for a company that only syncs at year end to need reconnecting each time.
Who has to sign in to Xero, me or my accountant?
Anyone with a Xero login that can see the company’s organisation. If your accountant prepares your accounts in Tax Optimiser, they can usually reconnect with their own Xero login.
I connected the wrong Xero organisation. How do I fix it?
Reconnect and pick the right company on the Confirm Xero Account page. Then sync the Trial Balance again so the figures come from the right books.
Can I switch from Xero to QuickBooks?
Yes. Choose Connect to QuickBooks from the same menus and sign in to QuickBooks. The organisation then syncs from QuickBooks instead. See Reconnect Tax Optimiser to QuickBooks.
Related: Getting your figures in: Simple Entry, import, connect or manual entry.