Expense Management

This guide covers how to create, sync, and manage expenses in Sync2Books.

Overview

The expense management flow consists of three main steps:

Create Expense - Submit expense data to Sync2Books
Automatic Sync - Sync2Books automatically syncs to the connected accounting system
Monitor Status - Track sync progress and handle any errors

Core Flow

┌─────────────┐      ┌──────────────┐      ┌─────────────────┐
│ Your App   │─────▶│ Sync2Books   │─────▶│ Accounting      │
│            │      │ API          │      │ System (QBO)    │
└─────────────┘      └──────────────┘      └─────────────────┘
     │                      │                       │
     │ 1. POST /expenses    │                       │
     │─────────────────────▶│                       │
     │                      │                       │
     │ 2. syncBatchId       │                       │
     │◀─────────────────────│                       │
     │                      │                       │
     │                      │ 3. Sync to QBO         │
     │                      │──────────────────────▶│
     │                      │                       │
     │ 4. GET /sync/batches │                       │
     │─────────────────────▶│                       │
     │                      │                       │
     │ 5. Status response   │                       │
     │◀─────────────────────│                       │

Prerequisites

Before creating expenses, ensure you have:

✅ API Key - Your application's API key
✅ Connection ID - A connected accounting system (QuickBooks, Xero, or Sage)
✅ Account IDs - Valid account IDs from the accounting system
✅ Tax Rate IDs - Valid tax rate IDs (if applicable)

Creating an Expense

Endpoint

POST /expenses/{connectionId}

Request Body

{
  "id": "expense-001",
  "type": "Payment",
  "issueDate": "2024-01-15T00:00:00Z",
  "currency": "USD",
  "currencyRate": 1,
  "merchantName": "Office Supplies Co",
  "contactRef": {
    "id": "supplier-id",
    "type": "Supplier"
  },
  "bankAccountRef": {
    "id": "bank-account-id"
  },
  "lines": [
    {
      "netAmount": 100.00,
      "taxAmount": 10.00,
      "taxRateRef": {
        "id": "tax-rate-id"
      },
      "accountRef": {
        "id": "expense-account-id"
      },
      "trackingRefs": [
        {
          "id": "tracking-category-id",
          "dataType": "trackingCategories"
        }
      ],
      "invoiceTo": {
        "id": "customer-id",
        "type": "Customer"
      }
    }
  ],
  "notes": "Office supplies for Q1 2024",
  "postAsDraft": false
}

Field Descriptions

Field

Type

Required

Description

id

string

✅

Unique identifier for the expense (UUID format recommended)

type

string

✅

Expense type: "Payment" or "DirectCost"

issueDate

string (ISO 8601)

✅

Date when the expense was incurred

currency

string

✅

Three-letter currency code (e.g., "USD", "GBP")

currencyRate

number

✅

Exchange rate (usually 1 for base currency)

merchantName

string

✅

Name of the merchant/vendor

contactRef

object

❌

Reference to a supplier/customer

bankAccountRef

object

❌

Reference to the bank account used

lines

array

✅

Array of expense line items

notes

string

❌

Additional notes about the expense

postAsDraft

boolean

❌

If true, creates as draft in accounting system

Expense Lines

Each expense line item requires:

netAmount (number, required): Net amount before tax
taxAmount (number, required): Tax amount
taxRateRef (object, required): Reference to tax rate
accountRef (object, required): Reference to expense account

Optional fields:

trackingRefs (array): Tracking categories for reporting
invoiceTo (object): Customer to invoice (for billable expenses)

Example: Simple Expense

curl -X POST "https://api.sync2books.com/v1/expenses/{connectionId}" \
  -H "X-API-Key: sk_live_your_api_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "id": "exp-001",
    "type": "Payment",
    "issueDate": "2024-01-15T00:00:00Z",
    "currency": "USD",
    "currencyRate": 1,
    "merchantName": "Amazon",
    "lines": [
      {
        "netAmount": 50.00,
        "taxAmount": 5.00,
        "taxRateRef": { "id": "tax-10-percent" },
        "accountRef": { "id": "office-supplies-account" }
      }
    ]
  }'

Example: Multiple Expenses (Batch)

You can create multiple expenses in a single request:

curl -X POST "https://api.sync2books.com/v1/expenses/{connectionId}" \
  -H "X-API-Key: sk_live_your_api_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '[
    {
      "id": "exp-001",
      "type": "Payment",
      "issueDate": "2024-01-15T00:00:00Z",
      "currency": "USD",
      "currencyRate": 1,
      "merchantName": "Amazon",
      "lines": [...]
    },
    {
      "id": "exp-002",
      "type": "Payment",
      "issueDate": "2024-01-16T00:00:00Z",
      "currency": "USD",
      "currencyRate": 1,
      "merchantName": "Staples",
      "lines": [...]
    }
  ]'

Response

{
  "syncBatchId": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
  "totalExpenses": 1
}

The syncBatchId is used to track the sync status.

Data Model

Expense Entity

{
  id: string;                    // Unique identifier
  type: "Payment" | "DirectCost";
  issueDate: string;              // ISO 8601 date
  currency: string;               // Currency code
  currencyRate: number;
  merchantName: string;
  contactRef?: {
    id: string;
    type: "Supplier" | "Customer";
  };
  bankAccountRef?: {
    id: string;
  };
  lines: ExpenseLine[];
  notes?: string;
  postAsDraft?: boolean;
}

Expense Line

{
  netAmount: number;
  taxAmount: number;
  taxRateRef: {
    id: string;
  };
  accountRef: {
    id: string;
  };
  trackingRefs?: Array<{
    id: string;
    dataType: "trackingCategories";
  }>;
  invoiceTo?: {
    id: string;
    type: "Customer";
  };
}

Getting Account and Tax Rate IDs

Before creating expenses, you need valid IDs from your accounting system:

QuickBooks Online

Use the QuickBooks API or UI to find:
- Account ID: Chart of Accounts → Account → ID
- Tax Rate ID: Tax Rates → Tax Rate → ID
- Supplier ID: Vendors → Supplier → ID
- Customer ID: Customers → Customer → ID
Or use Sync2Books reference endpoints (coming soon)

Xero

Similar process using Xero's API or UI.

Tracking Sync Status

After creating an expense, use the syncBatchId to monitor progress:

curl -X GET "https://api.sync2books.com/v1/sync/batches/{syncBatchId}" \
  -H "X-API-Key: sk_live_your_api_key"

See Sync & Monitoring for detailed status tracking.

Querying Expenses

Get a Single Expense

curl -X GET "https://api.sync2books.com/v1/expenses/{expenseId}" \
  -H "X-API-Key: sk_live_your_api_key"

Get Expenses by Connection

curl -X GET "https://api.sync2books.com/v1/expenses/connection/{connectionId}" \
  -H "X-API-Key: sk_live_your_api_key"

Error Handling

Validation Errors

If required fields are missing or invalid:

{
  "statusCode": 400,
  "message": ["id should not be empty", "currency must be a string"],
  "error": "Bad Request"
}

Sync Errors

If the sync fails, check the sync batch status for error details. See Sync & Monitoring for error handling.

Best Practices

Use UUIDs for expense IDs - Ensures uniqueness across your system
Batch multiple expenses - More efficient than individual requests
Poll sync status - Check every 2-3 seconds until complete
Handle errors gracefully - Implement retry logic for transient failures
Validate data before sending - Ensure all required fields are present

Next Steps

Sync & Monitoring - Learn how to track sync status
Attachments - Upload files to expenses
Link Integration - Connect accounting systems

PreviousGetting Started NextSync & Monitoring

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hashtagOverview

hashtagCore Flow

hashtagPrerequisites

hashtagCreating an Expense

hashtagEndpoint

hashtagRequest Body

hashtagField Descriptions

hashtagExpense Lines

hashtagExample: Simple Expense

hashtagExample: Multiple Expenses (Batch)

hashtagResponse

hashtagData Model

hashtagExpense Entity

hashtagExpense Line

hashtagGetting Account and Tax Rate IDs

hashtagQuickBooks Online

hashtagXero

hashtagTracking Sync Status

hashtagQuerying Expenses

hashtagGet a Single Expense

hashtagGet Expenses by Connection

hashtagError Handling

hashtagValidation Errors

hashtagSync Errors

hashtagBest Practices

hashtagNext Steps

Overview

Core Flow

Prerequisites

Creating an Expense

Endpoint

Request Body

Field Descriptions

Expense Lines

Example: Simple Expense

Example: Multiple Expenses (Batch)

Response

Data Model

Expense Entity

Expense Line

Getting Account and Tax Rate IDs

QuickBooks Online

Xero

Tracking Sync Status

Querying Expenses

Get a Single Expense

Get Expenses by Connection

Error Handling

Validation Errors

Sync Errors

Best Practices

Next Steps