Xero and UPS integration

What moves between them

Purchase orders from Xero flow into UPS to create shipments and request ratings. Tracking events from UPS poll back into Xero through the Quantum View feed on a regular cadence tied to your shipping calendar. Shipment status updates augment Xero invoice and payment records so your financial records reflect delivery milestones. The flow is bidirectional for reference data such as address validation and contact information, allowing Xero contacts to be validated against UPS address standards before shipment.

How ml-connector handles it

ml-connector maintains OAuth2 tokens for both Xero and UPS, refreshing Xero tokens every 20 minutes before expiry and tracking UPS token request counts to avoid hitting the daily limit of 250 requests. Each Xero organization requires its own tenant ID header, which ml-connector stores and presents on all Xero API calls. UPS shipments are created from Xero purchase orders by mapping line items to weight and destination; UPS requires an optional account number header for merchant account association, which ml-connector passes if configured. Tracking data is polled from UPS Quantum View on a schedule that avoids rate limits, and events are written back to Xero as Manual Journal entries or annotations on the related purchase order. Track Alert subscriptions are renewed every 12 days to stay within the 14-day validity window. Every shipment carries an audit trail linking the Xero purchase order ID to the UPS tracking number.

A real-world example

A small parcel fulfillment business uses Xero for accounting and UPS for shipping. Before integration, the shipping team created shipments in UPS, then manually transcribed tracking numbers into Xero purchase orders at the end of each day, and the finance team had no visibility into delivery status when reconciling invoices or handling customer disputes. With Xero and UPS connected, each purchase order triggers a shipment creation in UPS automatically, tracking events populate Xero in real time, and the finance team can see which invoices relate to delivered packages. Month-end reconciliation is faster because shipment costs and delivery status are already in the ledger.

What you can do

• •Create UPS shipments from Xero purchase orders and request ratings without manual data entry.
• •Poll UPS tracking events and status updates back into Xero on a regular schedule.
• •Map Xero contacts and line items to UPS address validation and shipment dimensions.
• •Manage OAuth2 token lifecycle and renewal on both sides, respecting UPS token request limits.
• •Link Xero purchase order IDs to UPS tracking numbers with a full audit trail for every shipment.

Questions

Which direction does data move between Xero and UPS?

Purchase orders flow from Xero into UPS to create shipments and request ratings. Tracking events and status updates flow from UPS back into Xero to keep your financial records current with delivery milestones. Reference data such as contacts and addresses are validated in both directions.

How does ml-connector handle the different token lifetimes on each side?

Xero access tokens expire after 30 minutes, so ml-connector refreshes them every 20 minutes using the 60-day refresh token. UPS tokens last approximately 4 hours and are subject to a daily limit of 250 token requests, so ml-connector reuses tokens aggressively and monitors request counts to avoid hitting the limit.

What happens if a UPS Track Alert subscription expires?

Track Alert subscriptions are valid for 14 days and must be renewed. ml-connector renews subscriptions every 12 days automatically to stay within the validity window and ensure tracking events continue to flow from UPS back into Xero.