What syncs
Every approved timesheet is split into pay types first (regular, overtime, double time, holidays, break premiums, time off), using each site’s rules. Here’s where each lands in Xero Payroll.
| ClockLap | Sent as | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Regular hours | Your ordinary earnings rate | Listed from Xero |
| Overtime, double time | Overtime earnings rates | – |
| Holiday hours worked | Any earnings rate you map | – |
| Hours per day | Timesheet lines (one number per day) | – |
| The pay period | Timesheet start and end date | From the employee’s payroll calendar |
Pay codes are Xero earnings rates, read from your organisation, so you choose from your own list.
How it works
- Sign in with XeroPick the organisation. ClockLap connects with the secure PKCE flow.
- Choose your payroll countryAustralia, United Kingdom or New Zealand: Xero Payroll works differently in each.
- Match employeesBy email or employee number.
- Map earnings ratesOne per pay type you use.
- Approve in XeroTimesheets arrive as drafts for you to approve before the pay run.
Schedules and review
Choose when hours go to Xero Payroll. Whatever you pick, nothing is sent twice: each period has one send, and anything after it is a correction.
I’ll send each period myself
Nothing goes until an admin presses Send. The default.
When the pay period is locked
Locking the period in Timesheets starts the send.
When every timesheet is approved
The last approval in the period starts the send.
On a schedule
A set number of days after the period ends (0 to 14), at a local time you pick.
- Which timesheets. Approved only (default), or approved and submitted.
- Rounding. Hundredths of an hour (default) or quarter hours.
- Split by. None, location, project or department, each mapped to the payroll system’s department or cost centre code.
- Holiday hours worked. As their own pay type (default) or folded into regular hours.
- Empty lines. People with no hours in the period are skipped.
- Unmatched people. Skip them and warn (default), or block the whole send until they’re matched.
Corrections, as changes
Fixed a missed clock-out after payroll went? Send the period again and ClockLap works out what changed since the last send.
A correction replaces the person’s draft timesheet for the period with the new hours.
People
Matched by email or employee number, and remembered for the next period.
People who can’t be matched are listed in the preview: skip them with a warning (default) or block the send until they’re matched.
What you need
- Xero Payroll in Australia, the UK or New Zealand
- Employees on a payroll calendar that matches ClockLap’s pay period
- An adviser or admin who can connect apps
Every run keeps a history: who and what was sent, per-line results, plain-language errors with a fix, and a redacted request log for admins. Webhooks fire on payroll.run_ready, payroll.run_sent, payroll.run_failed.
Questions
Is Xero Payroll in Canada or the US supported?
ClockLap connects to Xero’s Australian, UK and New Zealand payroll APIs. For other countries, use the custom payroll file.
Are timesheets approved automatically?
No. They arrive as drafts so your payroll admin approves them in Xero.
Is the Xero Payroll connection included in the price?
Yes. Payroll and HR connections are part of every ClockLap plan: $1 per staff member and $2 per manager or admin a month, with no add-ons.
Is ClockLap affiliated with Xero Payroll?
No. ClockLap connects to Xero Payroll using its published API; it isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by Xero Payroll. The connection is in beta while we verify it with live accounts.