Xero Tracking Category and Client Naming Tip

Xero Tracking Category Sync Issue with Rave

When using Xero’s tracking category option, documents can occasionally fail to send to Xero due to a mismatch with the tracking category setup in Xero.

Why This Happens:

When you first set up a project and send a document to Xero with tracking categories enabled, Xero automatically creates a tracking category using the project reference from Rave.

If the project reference in Rave is later updated, Xero does not automatically update its corresponding tracking category name. This mismatch can cause document sync failures.

Temporary Fix:

To resolve this issue manually:

1. In Xero, navigate to Accounting - Accounting Settings - Tracking Categories.

2. Locate the category option that matched your project when it was first created and the first document sent to Xero. 

3. Update the name in Xero to match the current project reference in Rave.
   (Tip: Copy and paste the reference directly from Rave to Xero to avoid typos.)

4. In Rave, re-pull your tracking categories from Xero and re-match any that haven't auto-matched. 

5. Re-enable automatic tracking 

6. Now push the Send to Xero option on the document again and it will send. 

This will restore the link and allow documents to send successfully.

Upcoming Permanent Solution

Rave is developing a system update to automatically synchronise project reference changes with Xero tracking categories as this issue hasn't been approved to fix on Xeros end
This feature is expected to be released in January 2026.

Xero Contact Creation and Client Name Updates in Rave

When you first set up your clients in Rave and send your first invoice to Xero, that client is automatically created in Xero as a new contact.

If you later update the client name in Rave — for example, changing it to a company, trust, or simply correcting the spelling — and then send another invoice to Xero, Xero will interpret this as a new contact.

As a result, a second contact record will be created in Xero for the same client.

How to Fix This

If this happens, you’ll need to:

1. Log into Xero.

2. Locate both contact records (the original and the newly created one).

3. Merge the old contact into the new one to consolidate all invoices and documentation under a single client record.

Best Practice to prevent duplicate contacts, we recommend that you:

• Confirm and finalise the client name in Rave before creating or sending the first invoice to Xero.
  This ensures the correct contact is created from the start.

Upcoming Permanent Solution

Rave is currently developing a permanent fix that will link the client ID in Rave to the contact ID in Xero.
Once implemented, any client name changes in Rave will automatically update in Xero without creating a new contact.
This feature is currently in development for release in January 2026.