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Financial Operations Integration

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Overview

Financial Operations Integration connects your time tracking, invoicing, and accounting into one automated system. Track billable hours, generate invoices from escrow releases or time entries, and sync everything to Xero - so you spend less time on paperwork and more time building your venture.

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Step-by-Step Guide

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Tracking Time on a Job

  1. Start timing your work - Navigate to your active job and click “Start Timer”. The timer begins counting immediately and displays elapsed time in real-time.
  2. Stop the timer when done - Click “Stop Timer” to automatically create a time entry. The system records duration, job association, and timestamp.
  3. Add manual entries - If you forgot to start the timer, click “Add Time Entry”. Specify date, duration, description, and mark whether the time is billable.
  4. Review your timesheet - Access /timesheet to view entries grouped by day or week. Edit unbilled entries if you spot errors. Once an entry is billed, it locks to prevent changes.

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Connecting Xero

  1. Access connection settings - Go to /admin/xeroconnection and click “Connect to Xero”.
  2. Authorize access - You’ll redirect to Xero’s authorization page. Sign in and grant permission to sync data between platforms.
  3. Confirm connection - After authorization, you return to Fiftyknots. The connection status shows “Connected” with your organization name and last sync time.
  4. Monitor sync health - Check connection details to track sync status. If Xero revokes access, the system alerts you to reconnect.

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Generating Invoices

From escrow release (fixed-price work):
  1. Release escrow - When you release escrow to an expert via /escrowdashboard, the system auto-generates an invoice.
  2. Review invoice details - The invoice includes job details, payment amounts, and taxes calculated based on client location.
  3. Sync to Xero - Invoices automatically sync to Xero. When Stripe confirms payment, Xero marks the invoice paid with payment reference.
From time entries (hourly work):
  1. Select unbilled time - Admins navigate to /invoices and select unbilled time entries for a specific job.
  2. Generate invoice - Each time entry becomes a line item showing date, description, hours, and rate. Select which experts’ time to include if multiple people worked on the job.
  3. Finalize and send - Once finalized, source time entries mark as “billed” and lock from further edits. Send the invoice to the client through the platform.

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Creating Client Quotes

  1. Draft the quote - From a job without funding, admins create a quote specifying line items, quantities, rates, and validity period.
  2. Sync to Xero - The quote appears in Xero as a draft linked to the client contact.
  3. Client accepts - Clients view and accept quotes through the platform. Accepted quotes convert to invoices.
  4. Handle expiration - If the validity period expires before acceptance, clients see an expiration message and must request a new quote.

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Monitoring Financial Dashboard

  1. View overview - Access the financial dashboard to see total outstanding invoices, overdue amounts, and recent activity at a glance.
  2. Track revenue - Review revenue breakdown by daily, weekly, or monthly periods.
  3. Reconcile discrepancies - The dashboard highlights items needing attention when platform and Xero records don’t match.

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Common Questions

What happens if I forget to start the timer? Add a manual time entry by clicking “Add Time Entry” on your job page. Specify the date, duration, description, and whether the time is billable. Manual entries function identically to timer-created entries. Can I edit time after I’ve submitted it? You can edit any unbilled time entry. Once an invoice includes that time entry, it locks permanently to maintain billing integrity. The entry displays a clear “billed” status so you know it’s locked. What if I hit Xero’s daily rate limit? Xero allows 5,000 API calls per day. If you reach this limit, the platform queues pending sync operations and automatically retries during the next available window. You’ll see queued items in the connection status. How does tax calculation work for international clients? The system calculates taxes based on client location at invoice creation time. Tax rates lock when the invoice generates, so mid-invoice rate changes don’t affect existing invoices. Different tax jurisdictions apply appropriate rules automatically. What happens if my browser crashes while the timer is running? Timer state persists on the server, not just in your browser. When you return and log back in, the timer resumes from where it left off. You won’t lose any tracked time due to browser or connection issues.

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Troubleshooting

Connection shows “Disconnected” after working fine Xero authorization tokens expire periodically. The platform refreshes tokens automatically, but if Xero revokes access manually, you’ll need to reconnect. Click “Connect to Xero” in /admin/xeroconnection and re-authorize. Invoice won’t sync to Xero Check that your Xero connection status shows “Connected” with a recent sync time. If the connection is healthy but specific invoices won’t sync, verify the client contact exists in Xero. Missing contacts block invoice sync. Time entries not appearing in invoice generation Only unbilled time entries marked as “billable” appear when generating invoices. Check the timesheet to confirm entries have billable status enabled. Also verify you’re selecting the correct job and date range. Client says quote link doesn’t work Quotes expire after their validity period. If a client tries to accept an expired quote, they’ll see an expiration message. Create a new quote with an updated validity period and send the fresh link. Escrow Dashboard (/escrowdashboard) - Manage job funding and escrow releases. When you release funds, the system automatically generates invoices that sync to Xero, creating a seamless payment-to-accounting flow. Payment History (/paymenthistory) - Review all payment transactions across your jobs. See which invoices are paid, pending, or overdue - giving you full financial visibility alongside your time tracking. Transaction History (/transactionhistory) - Track detailed financial movements including escrow holds, releases, refunds, and invoice payments. Use this to reconcile platform activity with your Xero records.