How to Track Software Costs into the Right XPM Jobs

Most accounting firms aren’t tracking software costs properly in Xero Practice Manager.

Some try, but it means exporting invoices, cleaning spreadsheets, figuring out the right job, and hoping the import doesn’t fail. Others don’t even start, because it’s too time-consuming.

That’s how disbursements get missed. That’s how jobs look more profitable than they really are. One firm found they had missed over $40,000 in software charges by relying on guesswork and memory.

Practice Connect from Rechargly solves this. It sends software costs straight into the correct XPM job automatically. No admin. No uploading. No gaps.

Why most firms struggle to track software costs in Xero Practice Manager

If you’ve ever tried uploading costs from tools like Xero, Dext or Employment Hero into XPM, you know the process is painful. First, someone needs to locate and download each invoice. Then clean it up. Then match it to the correct client. Then find the open job. Then upload it into XPM using their strict template. And cross your fingers.

Jobs get closed without warning. Clients are mapped inconsistently. The import fails, or worse, it works but drops the cost in the wrong place. So most firms give up. Or do it once a year. Or hand it off to admin who can’t tell if something’s already been billed. That’s how software charges go unrecorded. And how job profit reports stop reflecting reality.

What happens when software costs aren’t tracked properly

When costs don’t get into XPM, you lose visibility. You can’t tell if a job is actually profitable. WIP is overstated. Partner reporting is off. It’s not about overbilling, it’s about accuracy.

In one firm’s case, it was $40,000 in charges they assumed had been recovered. They hadn’t.

Without clean software cost tracking, you risk missing recoveries or absorbing expenses that should have been charged. It quietly hits your bottom line.

What Rechargly’s Practice Connect does to automate cost tracking in XPM

Practice Connect makes sure software costs land in the right job, every time, without you lifting a finger.

Once invoices flow into Rechargly from your vendors, Practice Connect checks your existing client mapping and pushes the charges into the correct XPM job.

If the job is open and clearly named, the cost is assigned automatically. If something’s off (like a closed job or missing code) it flags it so you can fix it before anything syncs.

You can also choose to have Practice Connect create standardised software jobs for each client. Use whatever naming convention you like. For example, “Subscriptions FY25”. It can pull in the right manager and partner from XPM, and apply tags or categories you already use.

Everything is reviewable. You’ll see the full list of pending charges, approve or adjust them, then sync. Once approved, Rechargly sends the costs into XPM at one per second. No spreadsheet required.

If you’re only using Xero, this entire flow can run automatically. If you’re using other tools, all you need to do is upload a single CSV to Rechargly.

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