ServiceM8 how-to

How do ServiceM8 Xero tracking categories work, and how fast do they sync?

The Xero Tracking Categories add-on lets you set a tracking category on a ServiceM8 job card, which is sent to Xero with that job's invoice, per ServiceM8's help centre. New or changed categories created in Xero take up to 24 hours to sync back and appear as options in ServiceM8, not instantly.

Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.

Yes, natively

Yes, as an add-on: turn on Xero Tracking Categories, choose a value per job, and it is sent to Xero with that job's invoice. New categories created in Xero can take up to 24 hours to sync back before you can select them in ServiceM8.

Step by step

In Xero, create or check your Tracking Category and its option values, for example a category named Job Type with values like Install, Repair and Maintenance, before touching ServiceM8. ServiceM8 only displays categories Xero already has.
In ServiceM8, go to Settings, then ServiceM8 Add-ons.
Scroll to the Xero Tracking Categories add-on and click its switch to activate it.
Open a job card. The tracking category field now appears with the job's main details.
Choose the tracking category value for that job before it is invoiced, so the selection is attached when the invoice reaches Xero.
Approve the job to Xero as usual. The tracking category selection goes across with the job's invoice.
If you want ServiceM8's own Job Categories to line up with your Xero tracking categories, name the values the same in both systems. ServiceM8 has no automatic mapping between the two.

Gotchas

Xero Tracking Categories only sync to ServiceM8 once a day, so a category or value you just added or changed in Xero can take up to 24 hours to appear as an option in ServiceM8, per ServiceM8's help centre.
ServiceM8's own Job Categories and Xero's Tracking Categories are two unrelated fields that happen to sound alike. Job Categories drive ServiceM8's own reports, filters and Staff Schedule colours. Tracking Categories exist only to carry a value through to Xero. Setting one does not set the other.
The tracking category values themselves are created and edited in Xero, not ServiceM8. If a value is missing, check Xero's tracking category settings, then wait for the daily sync, not the other way around.
Selecting a tracking category on a job after it has already been approved and sent to Xero will not retroactively update the invoice already in Xero. The selection needs to be made before approval.
Profit reporting by tracking category happens in Xero's own reports once invoices carry the value, not inside ServiceM8. ServiceM8's Custom Reports can filter and total by ServiceM8's own Job Category, but not by a Xero tracking category.

What the official help article misses: It covers activation and the once-a-day sync in three short paragraphs, but does not explain that Job Categories and Tracking Categories are separate fields, does not suggest matching the naming between them, and does not mention that profit-by-category reporting happens in Xero, not ServiceM8. Read ServiceM8's article.

What the add-on does

Switching on the Xero Tracking Categories add-on adds tracking category fields to a job's main details, visible when you create or open a job. You choose the tracking category value for that job, and when you approve the job's invoice to Xero, that selection goes across with it, so Xero can report on it there.

That is a different field from ServiceM8's own Job Categories, set in Account, Settings, Job Categories, and used to organise, filter and colour code jobs, plus segment ServiceM8's own reports and exports. The two happen to sound alike, but setting one does not set the other.

Setup and mapping to job types

Activate the add-on from Settings, ServiceM8 Add-ons, then find and switch on Xero Tracking Categories. The category and its option values themselves are created and managed in Xero, not ServiceM8: ServiceM8 only displays whatever Xero already has and lets you pick a value per job.

There is no built-in feature to map a tracking category to a ServiceM8 job type automatically. The practical setup most businesses use is to name the Xero tracking category values the same as their ServiceM8 Job Categories or job types, so staff choose the matching value by eye on each job card, keeping the two systems in step by convention rather than automation.

Sync timing and profit reporting

Xero Tracking Categories only sync over to ServiceM8 once a day, so a category or value you have just added or changed in Xero can take up to 24 hours to appear as an option in ServiceM8. If a value seems to be missing, check Xero first, then allow for that daily sync before assuming something is broken.

Profit reporting by tracking category happens on the Xero side, once invoices carrying the value have landed there, not inside ServiceM8. ServiceM8's own Custom Reports, part of the Advanced Reporting Pack, can filter and total by ServiceM8's Job Category, Job Status, Job Badge or Staff Member, but not by a Xero tracking category.

Sources

Switching on the Xero Tracking Categories add-on makes tracking category fields available with a job's main details, and the category value chosen on the job card is sent to Xero with that job's invoice. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
Xero Tracking Categories only sync over once a day, so changes made in Xero can take up to 24 hours to appear in ServiceM8. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
The Xero Tracking Categories add-on is activated from Settings, ServiceM8 Add-ons, by switching it on. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
ServiceM8's own Job Categories are created and edited separately, in Account, Settings, Job Categories, and are used to organise, filter and colour code jobs, and to segment ServiceM8's own reports and exports. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
Custom Reports, part of the Advanced Reporting Pack add-on, can filter and total ServiceM8 job data by fields such as Job Status, Job Category, Job Badge and Staff Member. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.