Navan Integration with QuickBooks and Xero: Complete Setup Guide

Managing business travel expenses doesn't have to mean hours of manual data entry and reconciliation. Navan's seamless integration with QuickBooks and Xero eliminates duplicate work, reduces errors, and gives finance teams real-time visibility into travel spending. With automated expense sync and customizable categorization, you can transform your accounting workflow from days of manual entry to minutes of review.

Whether your company uses QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, or Xero, Navan's accounting integrations automatically sync travel expenses, receipts, and transaction data directly to your general ledger. This guide walks you through everything you need to know to set up and optimize these integrations for maximum efficiency.

💼 What is Navan Accounting Integration?

Navan's accounting integration is a bi-directional connection between your Navan travel and expense platform and your accounting software. The integration automatically exports approved expenses, travel bookings, and corporate card transactions to QuickBooks or Xero, while also syncing your chart of accounts, vendors, and expense categories back to Navan.

This two-way sync ensures that your accounting data stays consistent across platforms, eliminating the need for manual CSV exports, duplicate data entry, or complex reconciliation processes. According to Navan customers, the accounting integration reduces month-end close time by an average of 70% and virtually eliminates expense-related data entry errors.

📊 Quick Comparison

📘 QuickBooks Integration Setup Guide

Setting up Navan's QuickBooks integration is straightforward and typically takes 15-30 minutes. The integration works with both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop (via Intuit's Web Connector), though QuickBooks Online offers a simpler, more automated experience.

🔧 Step 1: Prerequisites and Requirements

Requirements:

• 🔐 Admin access to both Navan and QuickBooks
• 💼 Active QuickBooks Online subscription (Plus or higher recommended) or QuickBooks Desktop
• 📊 Configured chart of accounts with expense categories
• 👥 Vendor records created for employees (if using reimbursements)
• 🏢 Company information and bank accounts set up in QuickBooks

🔗 Step 2: Connect QuickBooks to Navan

Setup Steps:

• 🖥️ Log into your Navan admin dashboard
• ⚙️ Navigate to Settings → Integrations → Accounting
• 📘 Select "QuickBooks" and click "Connect"
• 🔐 Authenticate with your QuickBooks credentials (you'll be redirected to Intuit's OAuth page)
• ✅ Grant Navan permission to read and write data to QuickBooks
• 🔄 Wait for initial sync to complete (usually 2-5 minutes)

🎯 Step 3: Configure Field Mapping

After connecting, you'll need to map Navan expense categories to QuickBooks accounts. This ensures expenses flow to the correct general ledger accounts.

Key Mappings to Configure:

• ✈️ Travel expenses → Specific travel expense accounts (Airfare, Hotels, Meals, Ground Transportation)
• 💳 Corporate card transactions → Credit card liability account
• 💵 Reimbursable expenses → Accounts payable or employee reimbursement account
• 🏢 Department/class assignments → QuickBooks classes or locations
• 📊 Tax rates → Sales tax codes or VAT categories

⚡ Step 4: Set Sync Preferences

Sync Options:

• 🔄 Sync Frequency: Real-time (as expenses are approved) or Daily batch
• 📅 Expense Date: Transaction date, approval date, or posting date
• 📝 Memo Field: Include trip purpose, employee name, or custom notes
• 📎 Receipt Attachments: Automatically attach receipt images to QuickBooks transactions
• ✅ Approval Status: Sync only approved expenses or include pending ones

📗 Xero Integration Setup Guide

Navan's Xero integration follows a similar setup process to QuickBooks but leverages Xero's unique features like tracking categories and bill approvals. The integration is particularly popular with international companies that appreciate Xero's multi-currency capabilities.

🔧 Step 1: Prerequisites for Xero

Requirements:

• 🔐 Admin or Standard user access in Xero
• 💼 Active Xero subscription (any tier works, but Premium recommended for tracking categories)
• 📊 Chart of accounts configured with expense accounts
• 💳 Bank accounts and credit card accounts set up in Xero
• 👥 Contact records for employees (for expense claims)

🔗 Step 2: Connect Xero to Navan

Setup Steps:

• 🖥️ Access Navan admin dashboard → Settings → Integrations
• 📗 Select "Xero" from the accounting integrations list
• 🔐 Click "Connect to Xero" and authenticate with your Xero login
• 🏢 Select the appropriate Xero organization (if you have multiple)
• ✅ Grant permissions for reading/writing transactions, contacts, and accounts
• 🔄 Initial sync will pull your chart of accounts and contacts (2-5 minutes)

🗺️ Step 3: Configure Expense Mapping

Key Mappings:

• 🏨 Hotel expenses → Travel - Accommodation account
• ✈️ Flight expenses → Travel - Airfare account
• 🍽️ Meal expenses → Travel - Meals & Entertainment account
• 🚗 Ground transport → Travel - Ground Transportation account
• 📊 Tracking categories → Department, project, or location tracking
• 💳 Payment accounts → Corporate card or expense reimbursement accounts

⚙️ Step 4: Advanced Xero Settings

Advanced Options:

• 🌍 Multi-Currency: Configure currency handling for international travel expenses
• 🧾 Tax Rates: Map expense tax categories to Xero tax rates (VAT, GST, etc.)
• 📋 Tracking Categories: Auto-assign departments, projects, or cost centers to expenses
• ✅ Approval Workflow: Create expenses as "Draft" or "Awaiting Approval" in Xero
• 📎 File Attachments: Sync receipt images as Xero file attachments

🔄 Data Sync Capabilities and Frequency

Understanding what data syncs between Navan and your accounting software is crucial for setting up accurate workflows and maintaining clean financial records.

Data Synced to QuickBooks/Xero:

• 💳 Approved expense reports with line-item details
• ✈️ Travel bookings (flights, hotels, car rentals) as expenses
• 📎 Receipt images and attachments
• 👤 Employee information (as vendors or contacts)
• 📅 Transaction dates, amounts, and descriptions
• 🏢 Department codes, project codes, and custom fields
• 💵 Multi-currency transactions with exchange rates

Data Synced from QuickBooks/Xero:

• 📊 Chart of accounts and expense categories
• 👥 Vendor/supplier lists
• 🏢 Classes, departments, locations, or tracking categories
• 🧾 Tax rates and tax codes
• 💰 Budget information (for spending controls)

Sync Frequency: Navan offers flexible sync options. Real-time sync pushes expenses immediately upon approval, while daily batch sync consolidates all approved expenses once per day (typically overnight). Most companies choose real-time sync for better cash flow visibility and faster month-end close.

🗂️ Expense Categorization and Mapping

Proper expense categorization ensures accurate financial reporting and simplifies tax preparation. Navan provides intelligent categorization that learns from your mappings and suggests the correct categories for future expenses.

Recommended Category Structure:

• ✈️ Airfare: Direct mapping to Travel - Airfare account
• 🏨 Lodging: Hotels, Airbnb, extended stays → Travel - Accommodation
• 🍽️ Meals: Restaurants, room service, catering → Travel - Meals
• 🚗 Ground Transportation: Taxis, rideshares, rental cars → Travel - Ground Transport
• 🅿️ Parking & Tolls: Parking fees, highway tolls → Travel - Parking & Tolls
• 📱 Communications: International roaming, WiFi charges → Travel - Communications
• 📦 Other: Catch-all for miscellaneous travel expenses

🔧 Troubleshooting Common Integration Issues

While Navan's accounting integrations are generally reliable, occasional issues can arise. Here are the most common problems and their solutions.

⚠️ Sync Errors and Failed Transactions

Common Issues:

• ❌ Missing account mapping: Expense category not mapped to accounting account → Solution: Review field mappings in integration settings
• ❌ Authentication expired: OAuth token expired → Solution: Reconnect the integration from Navan settings
• ❌ Duplicate transactions: Expense synced multiple times → Solution: Check for duplicate approval workflows, manually delete duplicates
• ❌ Permission errors: User lacks necessary permissions → Solution: Verify admin access in both systems
• ❌ Date range issues: Transactions outside fiscal period → Solution: Adjust sync date settings or manually post to correct period

🔍 Data Mismatch and Reconciliation

Solutions:

• ✅ Run weekly reconciliation reports comparing Navan and QuickBooks/Xero totals
• ✅ Use Navan's "Sync Status" dashboard to identify failed transactions
• ✅ Enable email notifications for sync errors
• ✅ Keep a sync log spreadsheet for tracking and resolving issues
• ✅ Schedule monthly integration health checks with your finance team

🏆 Comparison with Other TMPs' Accounting Integrations

Navan's accounting integration stands out for its native support and ease of setup, but how does it compare to other travel management platforms? Here's a detailed comparison.

Navan vs TravelPerk: TravelPerk relies heavily on third-party integration platforms like Zapier or Workato for QuickBooks/Xero connectivity, which adds complexity and cost. Navan's native integration offers better reliability and doesn't require middleware.

Navan vs SAP Concur: SAP Concur offers robust accounting integrations but requires significantly more setup time (2-4 hours vs. 15-30 minutes for Navan). Concur excels for complex enterprise requirements like multi-entity consolidation, while Navan prioritizes simplicity and speed.

Navan vs Brex: Brex offers similarly seamless accounting integration with real-time sync, but Brex is primarily a corporate card and spend management platform rather than a comprehensive travel solution. Navan combines travel booking with expense management and accounting integration in one platform.

🚀 Next Steps: Optimize Your Accounting Integration

Successfully integrating Navan with QuickBooks or Xero transforms your travel expense management from a manual, error-prone process to an automated, efficient workflow. With proper setup, field mapping, and ongoing maintenance, you can reduce month-end close time by 70% while improving accuracy and compliance.

Ready to find the perfect travel management platform with robust accounting integrations? Take our interactive questionnaire to get personalized recommendations based on your company's specific needs, accounting software, and travel volume. In just 7 questions, you'll discover which platforms offer the best integration capabilities for your business.