BambooHR (HR & Payroll) and Wave (Accounting) are commonly run side-by-side. When teams operate both, the question that follows is always how to keep the two in sync without re-entering data twice.
What people typically integrate
- Push payroll runs as journal entries into the right departments
- Sync employee records so 1099/W-2 reporting stays consistent
- Map benefits deductions to the correct accounting categories
- Reconcile payroll tax payments to GL automatically
How the integration works
There are usually a few paths to choose from, depending on stack and budget:
- Native integration (one or both vendors offer first-party support)
- rest-api" class="glossary-link text-db-cyan hover:text-db-cyan-dark underline decoration-dotted underline-offset-2" title="Representational State Transfer - an architectural style for building web services....">REST API + scheduled sync (build once, run on cron)
- Webhook-driven sync (real-time, event-based)
- Zapier / Make / n8n (low-code, fast to ship, ongoing per-task fees)
- Custom Python / ORM, admin interface, authentication, and 'batter...">Django adapter (full control, no per-task fees, requires engineering)
What flows between the systems
Common records that move back and forth:
- employees
- payroll runs
- deductions
- tax filings
Complexity
This integration is typically simple. Both tools have native or first-party support for each other, and a working integration is mostly configuration rather than custom development.
Need help building this?
Purcell Analytics builds custom integrations between BambooHR and Wave for businesses that want this running reliably without DIY headaches. Schedule a consultation to talk through your specific use case.