# Teams Tracking Categories in Xero

Source: https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/integrations/xero-integration/teams-tracking-categories-in-xero

> Assign Xero tracking categories to teams so charges are tagged by the delivering team.

## Overview

Astalty can add Xero tracking categories to individual invoice lines. A team mapping uses the team of the worker who delivered the task, shift, or travel. The Xero connection must be active, the team must have a complete **Tracking category** and **Tracking option** mapping, and the worker must belong to that team.

This page covers tracking on accounting invoices. Xero Payroll timesheet tracking uses a separate cost-code-to-payroll-tracking-option mapping.

## Tracking Categories in Xero

Create the tracking categories and options in Xero before mapping them in Astalty. Xero's current instructions use **Accounting > Accounting settings > Tracking categories > Add Tracking Category**. See [Set up tracking categories and options](https://central.xero.com/0/article/Set-up-tracking-categories). Xero controls the available categories, options, screen labels and limits, so follow its current instructions if the screens differ from the example below.

![The Tracking categories page in Xero with the Accounting menu open and Accounting settings highlighted. A Region tracking category is highlighted, with the options Eastside, North, South and West Coast.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/tracking-categories.png)

## Teams Setup in Astalty

1. In Astalty, open **Settings** and select **Users**.
2. In **Teams**, create a team or open the three-dot menu for an existing team and select **Edit**.
3. Under **Tracking**, select a **Tracking category** and **Tracking option**, then save the team. These fields appear only while Xero is connected.
4. Open the team's three-dot menu, select **Manage Members**, and assign the workers whose invoice lines should use that option.

> **Users can only be assigned to one team**
>
> Each user can belong to only one team at a time. Moving a user to another team changes which team mapping is used for later invoice lines.

![The Users settings page in Astalty, with Settings highlighted in the main menu and Users highlighted in the settings menu. In the Teams card, the three-dot menu for QLD Team is highlighted and open, and an arrow points to Edit, above Manage Members.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/tracking.png)

![The Update Team drawer for QLD Team with the Tracking section highlighted, showing Tracking category set to Region and Tracking option set to Eastside.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/tracking-2.png)

## Which Mapping Wins

Astalty can resolve up to two tracking dimensions for an invoice line:

- **Dimension 1:** a complete cost code mapping takes priority. If there is none, Astalty uses the Charge Item's complete tracking mapping.
- **Dimension 2:** a complete cost code mapping takes priority. If there is none, Astalty uses the delivering worker's team mapping.

A mapping must contain both a category name and an option. Astalty ignores an incomplete mapping and uses the next available source for that dimension. A team mapping never supplies dimension 1, and a Charge Item mapping never supplies dimension 2.

For a scheduled support line, Astalty uses the team of the worker attached to that shift or travel. A manually added support charge has no worker of its own, so Astalty uses the rostered workers' team mapping only when every rostered worker has the same complete mapping. A group support uses the workers on the group roster. Astalty leaves dimension 2 blank when the workers have different mappings, when any worker has no mapping, or when the shift is unassigned.

> **Existing Xero invoices are not changed**
>
> Tracking is set when Astalty first creates the invoice in Xero. Updating a team or mapping does not change an invoice that has already synced. Correct the tracking in Xero, or void and re-invoice it if your workflow requires a new invoice.

### Example - Invoicing Tasks and Teams Tracking Categories

In the following example, the teams have tracking categories from Xero and users are assigned to their respective teams.

To demonstrate how tracking category information can flow from Astalty to Xero, the 2 users sit within different teams (Eastside and South). Both these users have created billable tasks.

![The Tasks Report for 10 - 15 Sep 2026, filtered to Participant Lexus White, with 13.5 Total Billable Hours. Two billable tasks are highlighted: Submit NDIA review for Lexus by Alexzander Nader (7.50) and Submit S48 by Rozella Russel (6.00).](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/tracking-4.png)

Once invoiced, you can navigate to the invoice in Xero by selecting the View in Xero button from the Invoice in Astalty.

![An invoice drawer in Astalty for invoice I-90011-90026 to Lexus White, with its two task lines, Submit NDIA review for Lexus and Submit S48, highlighted, and an arrow pointing to the View in Xero button at the top left.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/tracking-5.png)

When viewing the invoice in Xero, each invoice line uses the resolved mappings above. In this example, the worker's team supplies the second tracking dimension, such as a region, because no cost code mapping overrides it.

![The Edit invoice screen in Xero for an example Draft invoice, with the Region column highlighted. The first line shows Eastside and the second line shows South.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/tracking-3.png)