The Relay bank feed in Xero refreshes automatically every three hours, but you can trigger a manual sync at any time from Settings → Integrations.
Before you start
An active Relay account
A Xero organization already connected to Relay
Desktop access (bank feed management is not supported in the Relay mobile app)
When should you manually sync your Xero bank feed?
Manual syncs are optional. The Relay bank feed refreshes every three hours starting at 2:00 a.m. ET, so most Relay customers never need to trigger one. Sync manually when you need transactions to land in Xero right away, for example before closing the books, running a reconciliation, or generating a report for a client.
How do you manually sync all Xero bank feeds?
Follow these six steps from a desktop browser.
Sign in to your Relay account.
Open Settings, then Integrations.
Click Manage on the Xero tile to open the integration panel.
Select Sync now in the top right to trigger a sync across all enabled bank feeds.
Wait for the confirmation banner. Transactions typically appear in Xero within one to two minutes.
Log in to Xero to confirm the new transactions have landed in the correct accounts.
Only settled transactions sync to Xero. Pending items stay in Relay until they settle.
How do you sync only Bill Pay or Expense Management data?
Use the area-specific refresh instead of a full sync. From the Bill Pay or Expense Management section in Relay, click Refresh Xero in the top right. That option pulls fresh data only for that area, which is faster than a full sync when you are already mid-workflow.
What data syncs from Relay to Xero?
Only settled transactions. Pending transactions, holds, and in-flight payments stay in Relay until they settle. Once a transaction settles on the Relay side, the next sync (automatic or manual) pushes it into your Xero bank feed.
Common issues
Sync now is greyed out. Your Xero connection may be broken. Check the integration status in Settings → Integrations. If the connection shows an error, reset the bank feed using the steps in the related article below.
Transactions have not appeared after five minutes. Confirm the transaction is settled in Relay rather than pending. Pending transactions do not sync.
A transaction is missing entirely. Manual syncs cover activity in the current sync window. If a transaction is more than a few days old and never appeared in Xero, resetting the bank feed will backfill it.
The mobile app does not show Sync now. Bank feed management is desktop-only. Open Relay in a browser to trigger a sync.
How often should you sync manually?
Rarely. The three-hour automatic refresh handles most workflows. Frequent back-to-back manual syncs offer no benefit and can slow down the Xero side. Save manual syncs for moments where a few extra hours of freshness matter, such as month-end close or a same-day client reconciliation.
Related articles
Talk to our Customer Experience team
If this article did not fully answer your question, our Customer Experience team is here to help.