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Legacy Xero-Sourced Setup

Importing Smart Formulas from Xero is still supported, but it is considered the legacy setup path. Use this path when your organisation already defines Smart Formula rules as formatted pay items in Xero and assigns them through employee pay templates. For new setups, use Configure Smart Formulas in UpSheets.

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How the Legacy Setup Works

With the Xero-sourced setup:
  1. You create specially named pay items in Xero.
  2. You assign those pay items to employee pay templates in Xero.
  3. UpSheets refreshes those pay items into Smart Formulas.
  4. UpSheets applies the formulas when importing timesheet data.

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Set the Source to Xero

In UpSheets:
  1. Select Smart Formulas > Assign.
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Set Smart Formula Source to Xero.
  4. Close or save the settings.
When the source is Xero, the Assign page shows the refresh controls for Xero-sourced formulas.

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Set Up Pay Items in Xero

In Xero, go to Settings > Payroll Settings > Pay Items.
For the full Xero setup walkthrough, including weekly overtime, start and end period rules, minimum shift gap, public holidays, and full configuration examples, see Xero Setup Details.
To enable a pay item as a Smart Formula, the name uses this format:
Example:
The parts of the name define when and how the pay item applies.
  • Number: A three-character priority number, such as 001, 010, or 100.
  • Name: The pay item name. Keep the full pay item name within Xero’s character limit.
  • Day: The day or days the rule applies to, such as MON, WEEKDAY, WEEKEND, or EVERY.
  • Period: A time period such as 0800-1600, or an hour range such as 7.6~9.

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Common Period Examples

Use a time period for rules based on the time of day:
Use an hour range for daily overtime:
Use WOT for weekly overtime:

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Assign Pay Items to Employees in Xero

Before refreshing formulas into UpSheets:
  1. Open the employee in Xero.
  2. Set the employee’s ordinary earnings rate.
  3. Add the relevant Smart Formula pay items to the employee’s pay template.
  4. Save the employee in Xero.
Only pay items assigned to employee pay templates can be refreshed into UpSheets for those employees.

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Refresh Smart Formulas in UpSheets

In UpSheets:
  1. Select Smart Formulas > Assign.
  2. Click Refresh Now.
  3. Wait for the refresh to finish.
  4. Review the employee table to check that formulas appear for the expected employees.
Refresh again whenever you change:
  • The formatted pay item names in Xero.
  • Pay items assigned to employee pay templates in Xero.
  • Employee ordinary earnings rates that affect the formulas.

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Import a File Using Xero-Sourced Smart Formulas

Your import file usually needs:
  • Employee name or another mapped employee identifier.
  • date
  • start_time
  • end_time
If your file has only total hours, set a default start time so UpSheets can generate start and end times for the calculation.

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Allowances, Breaks, and RDO

Xero-sourced formulas can include allowances, automatic break removal, and RDO rules through formatted pay item names. For new formulas, prefer the UpSheets editor because it lets you configure these rules without hand-writing the formula syntax. See:

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Troubleshooting Missing Formulas

If formulas do not appear in UpSheets:
  • Check that Smart Formula Source is set to Xero.
  • Check the pay item name format in Xero.
  • Check that the pay item is on the employee’s Xero pay template.
  • Click Refresh Now again after making changes in Xero.
  • Check that the selected organisation in UpSheets is the same Xero organisation you updated.

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Move to the UpSheets Setup

If you want to move away from the legacy Xero-sourced setup:
  1. Recreate or copy the formula in Smart Formulas > Configure.
  2. Simulate the output.
  3. Publish the formula.
  4. Change Smart Formula Source to UpSheets.
  5. Assign the published formula to employees from Smart Formulas > Assign.