Integration
How to get the job site address from ServiceM8 into Xero
ServiceM8 does not send the job or site address to Xero. It sends the client's billing address, which becomes the Xero contact's postal address. To show the site, put it in the PO number so it lands in Xero's Reference field, add it to a line item description, or use the Client Sites add-on for head office billing.
Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
What syncs, and when
| What | Direction | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Client billing address | ServiceM8 to Xero, then both ways | First approved invoice, then changes within 30 minutes | Becomes the contact's Postal Address in Xero. This is the only address ServiceM8's help centre says goes across. |
| Job address (site) | Not sent | None | Stays on the ServiceM8 job card and your ServiceM8 invoice PDF only. |
| PO number | ServiceM8 to Xero | With the invoice | Lands in Xero's Reference field when the ServiceM8 job number is used as the Xero invoice number (the default). |
| Job number | ServiceM8 to Xero | With the invoice | Is the Xero invoice number by default. If you let Xero issue invoice numbers, the job number goes in Reference instead and the PO number does not. |
| Line item descriptions | ServiceM8 to Xero | With the invoice, and again if an edit changes the total | Sent as written on the job, so a site line travels with the invoice. |
| Site under a head office (Client Sites add-on) | ServiceM8 to Xero | With the invoice | The invoice goes to Xero under the head office's name and billing contact. The site name stays in ServiceM8, which can produce statements by site. |
What does not sync
- The job address field, in any form.
- Site contacts under Client Sites. Sites have no billing contact of their own.
- The PO number, when Xero issues your invoice numbers (Reference then carries the job number).
Set it up
- Decide which customers need the site shown: usually real estate agencies, strata managers, builders and franchise head offices.
- Check Settings, Preferences, Invoicing, Xero, Xero invoice number. Keep the ServiceM8 job number as the invoice number if you want to use the PO number as the site carrier.
- For those customers, type the site address or site code into the job's PO number field when booking the job. If they also issue real purchase orders, use the format 'PO 1234, 10 Smith St Ipswich' and keep it short.
- Or add a first line item with the site address as its description, so it prints on the Xero invoice body.
- For customers with many permanent sites billed centrally, activate Client Sites and add each site under the head office client (Clients, Open Client, Sites, New Site).
- Approve one test invoice and check the Xero invoice, the Reference column and the customer's statement before rolling it out.
What ServiceM8 actually sends
ServiceM8 calls them Clients and Xero calls them Contacts, and the only address that crosses between them is the billing address. ServiceM8's help centre answers the question directly: a client's billing address in ServiceM8 translates to the contact's postal address in Xero. The job address, which is where your tech actually worked, is not part of the sync.
For a homeowner that is fine, because the billing address and the job address are the same house. It breaks down with property managers, builders and anyone who pays for work at many addresses. Their accounts team opens a Xero statement with twelve invoices on it and no way to tell which unit each one was for, so they hold the whole statement until someone rings you.
Three ways to carry the site
The PO number. With the default setting, where the ServiceM8 job number becomes the Xero invoice number, Xero's Reference field is filled from the ServiceM8 PO number. So a site typed into the PO field arrives in Xero next to the invoice number without anyone retyping it. It is the lightest option, but it relies on the office filling the field on every job, and it disappears if you ever switch to letting Xero issue invoice numbers, because Reference then carries the job number.
A line item description. Line descriptions go to Xero exactly as written on the job. A first line reading 'Site: Unit 4, 22 Brisbane St Ipswich' prints in the body of the Xero invoice and survives any numbering setting. If you book these customers from a job template, add the line to the template so staff only fill in the address.
Client Sites. For customers with permanent locations billed centrally, the Client Sites add-on is ServiceM8's own answer. Each site sits under a head office, invoices go to Xero under the head office's name and billing contact, and ServiceM8 can generate statements by site.
Which one to choose
Use the PO number when only a handful of customers need it and your office is disciplined about the field. Use a line item when the site must appear on the invoice itself, whatever Xero's settings. Use Client Sites when a customer has a fixed list of locations and wants one account, because it also stops each property turning into its own Xero contact. Test on one invoice before you change the way the whole office books jobs.
Sources
- ServiceM8 uses the term Client and Xero uses Contact; a client's billing address in ServiceM8 translates to the contact's postal address in Xero. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- When the ServiceM8 job number is the Xero invoice number, the Xero Reference field shows the ServiceM8 PO number; when Xero generates the invoice number, Reference shows the ServiceM8 job number. The option is in Settings, Preferences, Invoicing, Xero invoice number. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- By default ServiceM8 job numbers become the invoice number in Xero. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Approved invoices over $0 sync to Xero with line items, description, client details and recorded payments. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- With the Client Sites add-on, invoices for all sites are sent to the accounting package under the head office name, sites have no billing contact of their own, and statements can be generated by site. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- New sites are added from the head office client via Clients, Open Client, Sites, New Site, with a site contact but no billing contact. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.