Xero Sync Configuration — Which Switch Controls What

On the Finance Integrations page, the Sync Configuration card is a row of on/off switches, one per type of record that can move between Deep Space and Xero. A switch that is off blocks that record type in both directions — the nightly sync, the Sync Now button, and a Push to Xero button on a single record. This guide shows where the switches live, what each one controls, which switch a given action needs, and how to clear the error “Xero sync is disabled for this sync type”.

Module: Admin → Finance → Finance Integrations (Xero). Audience: workspace administrators, commercial and finance managers. Describes Deep Space as at October 2026.

1The 60-second brief

Three rules explain almost everything on this card.

Every record type has its own switch, and off means off in every direction.

Purchase orders, subcontract claims, head contract claims, payments, client invoices and contacts each have a switch. When a switch is Disabled, Deep Space will not push that type to Xero and will not pull its status back — not overnight, not from Sync Now, and not when someone clicks Push to Xero on one record. The push answers with “Xero sync is disabled for this sync type: …” and nothing reaches Xero.

A switch only takes effect after Save Changes.

Flipping a switch turns the card orange and shows an Unsaved Changes badge. Until you scroll down and click Save Changes, Xero still runs on the old settings. Leaving the page throws the change away.

Contacts is the master switch.

Every other sync needs suppliers, subcontractors and clients matched to Xero contacts, so switching Contacts off switches everything else off with it, and switching anything on switches Contacts on.

A new Xero connection starts with every switch off

When a workspace is first connected to Xero, all eight switches are Disabled and the frequency is Manual Only. Nothing moves until an administrator turns on the types the business uses and saves. The most common support call — “Push to Xero on a payment schedule says sync is disabled” — is this step having been skipped for Subcontract Claims. Section 6 walks through the fix.

2Opening Sync Configuration

You need a workspace administrator login (the one that can see the Admin group in the left menu). Changes apply to the whole workspace, every project included.

Deep SpaceOpen Finance Integrations

Left menu → Admin → Finance → Finance Integrations. The page opens on the Xero tab; MYOB and QuickBooks are marked Coming Soon.
Deep SpaceCheck the connection

The Organisation Configuration card at the top names the connected Xero organisation and the Xero tab shows an Active chip. If the page instead shows Xero Integration Setup Required, connect first: Admin → Integrations → Xero → Configure, then come back. If it shows Create Advanced Config, click it once — it creates the settings record with every switch off.
Deep SpaceScroll to the Sync Configuration card

The page is a stack of cards: Organisation Configuration, Integration Status, Default Account Mapping, Mapping Configuration, Second Tracking Category, Sync Configuration, Activity Log. Sync Configuration is the second-last card, just above the Activity Log.

Left menu with the Admin group expanded, showing the Finance group and the Finance Integrations entry — **Left menu.** Finance Integrations sits in the Finance group under Admin, next to Financial Model, Labour Rates and Delegation of Authority.

Finance Integrations page header with the Xero tab active and the Organisation Configuration card — **Finance Integrations page header.** The Xero tab carries an Active chip (MYOB and QuickBooks are Coming Soon). The Organisation Configuration card shows the connected Xero organisation, its organisation ID and the Disconnect from Xero button.

The full Sync Configuration card with its eight switches, sub-settings, Sync Frequency and save button — **Sync Configuration card.** Eight switches — Contacts, Client Invoices, PO Supplier Invoices, Payments, Purchase Orders, Reverse sync payments to Purchase Orders, Subcontract Claims, Head Contract Claims — each labelled Enabled or Disabled. Purchase Orders, Subcontract Claims and Head Contract Claims carry an “Upload linked files to Xero” sub-switch (Files On); Subcontract Claims also has “Connect existing Xero bills” and Head Contract Claims has “Send invoices to Xero as” (Approved or Draft). Below them: Sync Frequency and the save button reading “No Changes to Save”.

3Turning a sync type on and saving

The same steps turn a type off. The only part people miss is the last one.

Deep SpaceFlip the switch

Find the row — for subcontractor payment schedules it is Subcontract Claims — and click the toggle on the right. The label flips from Disabled to Enabled. If Contacts was off, it switches on too and a black notice explains why (section 7).
AutomaticThe card turns orange

An Unsaved Changes badge appears next to the card title and the card border goes orange. On the Integration Status card above, that row’s dot and Sync Now button already reflect the new setting — but Xero does not, yet.
Deep SpaceSet the sub-settings you want

Optional. Upload linked files to Xero (Files On / Files Off), Connect existing Xero bills (On / Off) and Send invoices to Xero as (Approved / Draft) are saved with the same button. Section 4 explains each one.
Deep SpaceScroll to the bottom and click Save Changes

Below Sync Frequency, the orange Save Changes button is enabled only while something is unsaved. Click it. A black toast reads Sync settings saved successfully, the badge disappears and the button reverts to No Changes to Save. Changed your mind? Discard Changes puts every switch back to its saved state after a confirmation.
AutomaticDone when

The row shows Enabled with no orange anywhere on the card, and the matching Sync Now button on the Integration Status card is blue.

Sync Configuration card title with an orange Unsaved Changes badge — **After flipping a switch.** The card title gains an orange Unsaved Changes badge and the card border turns orange. Nothing has been sent to Xero yet.

Subcontract Claims row with its main switch showing Disabled and its two sub-switches — **Subcontract Claims row while switched off.** The main toggle reads Disabled; below it, Upload linked files to Xero (Files On) and Connect existing Xero bills (Off) are the row’s sub-settings. In this state every Push to Xero on a subcontractor payment schedule is refused.

Bottom of the Sync Configuration card with Sync Frequency, Save Changes and Discard Changes — **Bottom of the card with unsaved changes.** Sync Frequency (Manual Only), the orange Save Changes button, the grey Discard Changes button and the notice “You have unsaved changes in your sync configuration”.

Leaving the page loses unsaved switches

The browser warns “You have unsaved changes” if you navigate away or close the tab with the card still orange. Choosing to leave discards the change; Xero keeps running on the last saved settings.

4What each switch controls

Direction matters. A push creates or updates a record in Xero from Deep Space; a pull reads Xero and updates Deep Space. Three switches push; the rest only pull.

Switch	Direction	What moves while it is on	What stops while it is off
Contacts	Both ways	Suppliers, subcontractors and clients from Deep Space appear as Xero contacts; Xero contacts are imported into the company directory. Matched by tax number.	Everything — every other switch is turned off with it (section 7).
Client Invoices	Pull only	Sales invoices raised in Xero are pulled into the Deep Space Client Invoices register, with their status.	Xero-raised sales invoices stop appearing in Deep Space. It never pushes a Deep Space invoice to Xero.
PO Supplier Invoices	Pull only	For supplier invoices pushed to Xero from the Invoice Register, the Xero bill’s fully-paid status is written back onto the supplier claim and the register row.	Supplier invoices in the Invoice Register stop turning Paid. The register’s own Push to Xero keeps working — this switch only reads payment status back.
Payments	Pull only	Payment records from Xero are linked to the matching invoices, payment schedules and purchase orders in Deep Space.	Payment records stop coming in. Invoice details show a greyed “Payment Sync Disabled” chip instead of “Pending Xero Payment”.
Purchase Orders	Both ways	New Deep Space purchase orders are pushed to Xero as purchase orders; purchase orders raised in Xero (with project tracking on their lines) are pulled into Deep Space. Head contract purchase orders are excluded.	No purchase order moves either way. The per-order Push to Xero button answers “Purchase Orders sync is disabled”.
Reverse sync payments to Purchase Orders through claim and invoice auto-generation	Pull only	A paid Xero supplier bill that quotes exactly one Deep Space purchase order number generates that order’s supplier claim and payment schedule in Deep Space, with the Xero payment linked. Default off.	Bills paid in Xero against a Deep Space purchase order no longer create actuals automatically. Nothing in Xero is ever written by this sync either way.
Subcontract Claims	Push, then pull Paid	Certified subcontract claims with an Accepted payment schedule are pushed to Xero as bills, built from the schedule’s approved values. When the bill is paid in Xero, the claim and its payment schedule both become Paid in Deep Space.	Every push of a subcontractor payment schedule is refused — Accept & Push to Xero, the Push to Xero button, and the automatic push when an approval workflow completes. Paid status stops flowing back.
Head Contract Claims	Push, then pull Paid	Certified head contract claims are pushed to Xero as sales invoices by the nightly sync or Sync Now; when paid in Xero, the claim becomes Paid.	The nightly and Sync Now pushes stop, and Paid status stops flowing back. Send to Xero on a single head contract invoice still works (section 5).

Sub-settings under a switch

Sub-setting	Under	Default	What it does
Upload linked files to Xero (Files On / Files Off)	Purchase Orders, Subcontract Claims, Head Contract Claims	Files On	With Files On, the record’s linked documents and attachments are uploaded onto the Xero bill, invoice or purchase order when it is pushed, and topped up on later syncs. Files Off pushes the money only.
Connect existing Xero bills (On / Off)	Subcontract Claims	Off	When a bill with the same supplier, the same invoice number and a matching amount already exists in Xero, link the claim and payment schedule to it instead of refusing. Anything less than a certain match is still blocked with an error, and nothing in Xero is modified.
Send invoices to Xero as (Approved / Draft)	Head Contract Claims	Approved	What Send to Xero on a head contract invoice leaves behind. Approved approves the invoice in Xero; Draft leaves it in Xero as a draft for the finance team to check, and Deep Space shows the invoice as “Draft in Xero” until they do.

5Which switch a Deep Space action needs

Use this table when a button refuses or a status never arrives. Each row names the switch to check and the exact message you see while it is off.

You are trying to…	Switch that must be on	What you see while it is off
Push a subcontractor payment schedule to Xero as a bill — Accept & Push to Xero, the Push to Xero button on an Accepted schedule, or the automatic push when its approval workflow completes	Subcontract Claims	Toast: Xero push failed: Xero sync is disabled for this sync type: subcontract_claims. The schedule is still accepted; no bill is created.
Run Sync Now for any row on the Integration Status card	That row’s switch	The Sync Now button is greyed out and cannot be clicked; the row’s dot is grey.
Push one purchase order to Xero from the order’s details	Purchase Orders	Toast: Purchase Orders sync is disabled. Please enable it in Finance Integrations to sync this purchase order to Xero.
Have Deep Space purchase orders pushed, and Xero purchase orders pulled, overnight	Purchase Orders (and Daily frequency)	Nothing happens; the Activity Log shows no purchase_orders run.
Send to Xero on a head contract invoice	None — this button goes straight to Xero	No switch message. It can still refuse for other reasons: the claim is not Certified, the client has no Xero contact, or the HC Invoice Revenue account is not set in Default Account Mapping.
Have certified head contract claims pushed overnight or by Sync Now, and see them turn Paid	Head Contract Claims	Sync Now greyed out; claims never turn Paid on their own.
Push to Xero on a supplier invoice in the Invoice Register	None — the register push does not use a switch	No switch message. It refuses only for its own reasons (not converted, no Xero contact for the supplier, duplicate invoice number).
See an Invoice Register supplier invoice turn Paid after Xero pays it	PO Supplier Invoices	The row stays at its pushed status forever.
See a subcontract claim and its payment schedule turn Paid after Xero pays the bill	Subcontract Claims	Both stay at Certified / Accepted.
See payment records on invoices, schedules and purchase orders	Payments	Invoice details show the “Payment Sync Disabled” chip.
Accept & Push to Xero on a credit note	None — credit-note pushes are always allowed	No switch message.

Why some buttons ignore the switches

Pushes that a person triggers on a head contract invoice, an Invoice Register supplier invoice or a credit note are treated as deliberate and go straight to Xero. The subcontract payment schedule push is the exception: it reuses the Subcontract Claims sync and therefore obeys that switch. If your finance team wants subcontractor bills in Xero at all, the Subcontract Claims switch must be on.

6Fixing “Xero sync is disabled for this sync type”

This is the message behind most “Push to Xero is broken” calls. It means exactly one thing: the switch for the record type named at the end of the message is off, or was switched on but never saved. Nothing was sent to Xero.

Xero push failed: Xero sync is disabled for this sync type: subcontract_claims

The last word is the internal name of the switch. Translate it with this table, then turn that switch on.

Name in the message	Switch on the Sync Configuration card	Where the error usually appears
`subcontract_claims`	Subcontract Claims	Subcontractor payment schedule — Accept & Push to Xero, Push to Xero, approval auto-push
`purchase_orders`	Purchase Orders	Purchase order details — Push to Xero (the page also warns before sending)
`head_contract_claims`	Head Contract Claims	Activity Log, after a scheduled run
`contacts`	Contacts	Activity Log
`invoices_to_client`	Client Invoices	Activity Log
`supplier_claims`	PO Supplier Invoices	Activity Log
`payments`	Payments	Activity Log
`reverse_payment_claims`	Reverse sync payments to Purchase Orders	Activity Log

Worked example: a subcontractor payment schedule

Deep SpaceRead the message

The commercial manager accepts a payment schedule with Accept & Push to Xero. A green toast says Payment schedule accepted successfully, then an orange one says Xero push failed: Xero sync is disabled for this sync type: subcontract_claims. The acceptance stands; only the bill is missing.
Deep SpaceTurn on Subcontract Claims and save

Admin → Finance → Finance Integrations, scroll to Sync Configuration, flip Subcontract Claims to Enabled, scroll down, Save Changes, wait for Sync settings saved successfully. If the row already reads Enabled and the card is orange, the switch was flipped earlier but never saved — just save.
Deep SpacePush the schedule again — do not re-accept it

Open the accepted payment schedule and click Push to Xero in its footer. The toast reads Payment schedule pushed to Xero as a draft bill. Alternatively, Sync Now on the Subcontract Claims row of the Integration Status card pushes every certified claim with an accepted schedule that is not yet in Xero.
AutomaticDone when

The schedule shows it is in Xero, and the Activity Log on the Finance Integrations page shows a Success row for sync (subcontract claims). The earlier refusal is still visible there as a Failed row — that is history, not a problem to fix.

An accepted subcontractor payment schedule opened from the Payment Schedules (Issued) register, with the Push to Xero button in its footer — **Accepted payment schedule, not yet in Xero.** Opened from Commercial → Subcontractors → Payment Schedules (Issued): the status chips read Accepted and Not in Xero, and the footer carries the Push to Xero button. This is the retry after the Subcontract Claims switch has been turned on and saved — the schedule is never re-accepted.

Still refused after the switch is on and saved?

Then the switch was not the only issue. The same push can be refused because the schedule is not Accepted, the subcontractor is not linked to a Xero contact in the company directory, the supplier invoice number is already used by another bill in Xero, or the claim is already in Xero (the toast then says it was already there, which is a success). Each of those comes with its own message; none of them mention “sync is disabled”.

Automatic pushes fail quietly

When a payment schedule is accepted by an approval workflow rather than by a person, the push to Xero happens in the background. With the switch off there is no toast — the refusal is recorded on the schedule’s activity timeline as “Xero push on approval failed: Xero sync is disabled for this sync type: subcontract_claims” and as a Failed row in the Activity Log. Turn the switch on, save, and push from the schedule.

7Contacts is the master switch

Every push and pull needs the supplier, subcontractor or client matched to a Xero contact, and Contacts sync is what keeps those matches current. Deep Space therefore keeps the switches consistent for you:

Switch Contacts off and every other switch flips to Disabled at the same time. A black notice reads “Disabling Contacts sync will disable all other syncs as they depend on contact data”. Save, and the whole integration is paused.
Switch any other type on while Contacts is off, and Contacts flips to Enabled with it. The notice reads “Contacts sync has been automatically enabled as it’s required for other syncs”.
Turning Contacts back on does not restore the switches it turned off. Re-enable each type you need, then save.

Order of the first sync

The Integration Status card carries the tip sync Contacts before Purchase Orders. The same applies to claims: run Sync Now on Contacts once after connecting, so suppliers and subcontractors are matched before the first bill is pushed.

8Sync Frequency — Daily or Manual Only

The Sync Frequency drop-down under the switches decides whether the enabled types run on their own.

Setting	What happens
Daily	When you save, Deep Space creates (or re-enables) a scheduled automation named Xero Sync – Daily on the workspace’s Daily Integration Sync trigger, with one step per enabled switch. It runs every night at 12:00 AM Australia/Brisbane time. You can see it and fine-tune each step — skip a type, make purchase orders push-only, narrow the date window — on Admin → Automation.
Manual Only	The nightly automation is switched off (not deleted — switching back to Daily re-enables it with any customisations intact). Records move only when someone clicks Sync Now or a Push to Xero button. This is the default for a new connection.

Manual Only means Paid status does not come back on its own

A bill paid in Xero only turns the claim and payment schedule Paid when the Subcontract Claims sync runs. On Manual Only that is whenever someone clicks Sync Now. Most workspaces that push bills should run Daily.

Switches and schedule are saved together

Changing a switch after the Daily bundle exists updates the bundle on save: a newly enabled type gets its step, a disabled type’s step is skipped. There is nothing to edit on the Automation page for a plain on/off change.

9Sync Now and the Integration Status card

The Integration Status card near the top of the page lists the same eight types with a Sync Now button each. It is the manual counterpart of the nightly run and the quickest way to confirm a switch is saved.

A green dot and a blue Sync Now mean the switch is on. A grey dot and a greyed-out button mean it is off — the button cannot be clicked, which is why the “sync is disabled” message only ever appears from a Push to Xero on a record.
last synced 6d ago · Success / Failed next to a row is the most recent run of that type, from the Activity Log.
The ⓘ next to each name opens a short What syncs / Conditions note for that type.
Sync Now runs that one type immediately and may take 3–5 minutes. Failures show a red banner on the row with View details listing each record that was refused and why.
Before a Head Contract Claims run, Deep Space checks Default Account Mapping: no HC Invoice Revenue account is a hard stop (Revenue account required); no Retention Receivable account shows Retention account not configured with a Sync anyway option. Subcontract Claims shows the same retention warning for Retention Payable. See the Xero Default Accounts & Retention Lines guide for those settings.

Integration Status card listing the eight sync types with Sync Now buttons — **Integration Status card.** One row per sync type with a green dot when its switch is on, the “last synced … ago” time and Success chip for Subcontract Claims and Head Contract Claims, and a blue Sync Now button. The Reverse sync payments row is off: grey dot, greyed-out Sync Now.

Subcontract Claims row on the Integration Status card with a grey dot and a greyed-out Sync Now button — **Subcontract Claims row while its switch is off.** Grey dot, the last successful run still shown, and Sync Now greyed out and unclickable. The row looks like this the moment the switch is flipped, even before saving.

The information popover for Subcontract Claims on the Integration Status card — **The ⓘ note for Subcontract Claims.** What syncs: certified claims are pushed to Xero as bills built from the approved payment schedule values, and a bill marked Paid in Xero makes the claim and its accepted payment schedule Paid. Conditions: the claim must be Certified with an Accepted payment schedule and the subcontractor must have a linked Xero contact.

10Questions we get asked

I turned the switch on but Push to Xero still says sync is disabled.

Scroll to the bottom of the Sync Configuration card. If the button reads Save Changes in orange, the change is not saved — click it. The switch takes effect the moment the toast Sync settings saved successfully appears; there is no delay and no need to reload.

Does switching a type off delete anything in Xero or Deep Space?

No. It only stops future pushes and pulls of that type. Bills and invoices already in Xero stay there and stay linked. Switching back on resumes where things were — the next run picks up records that were never pushed.

Why were all the switches off when we connected Xero?

A new Xero connection is created with every switch off and the frequency on Manual Only, so nothing moves until an administrator chooses what the business wants synced. Turn on the types you use, set Daily if you want it unattended, and save.

Which switch do subcontractor invoices use — Subcontract Claims or PO Supplier Invoices?

Subcontract Claims covers subcontract claims and their payment schedules (the Subcontract module). PO Supplier Invoices only reads paid status back for supplier invoices that were pushed from the Invoice Register against purchase orders. They are different records and different switches.

Does the Head Contract Claims switch stop “Send to Xero” on an invoice?

No. Send to Xero on a head contract invoice goes straight to Xero regardless of the switch. The switch controls the overnight and Sync Now pushes of certified claims and whether Paid status comes back.

Where do I see what the sync did?

The Activity Log card at the bottom of Finance Integrations shows the last ten runs with Success or Failed; a Sync Now failure also shows a banner with per-record details on the row. For one payment schedule, open it and read its activity timeline — pushes and refusals are recorded there with the reason.

Someone switched Contacts off and now nothing syncs.

That is by design (section 7). Switch on each type you need — Contacts comes back on automatically with the first one — then Save Changes.