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How to connect Sage Intacct to Instrumentl Spenddown

Learn how to set up the Sage Intacct integration for Instrumentl Spenddown.

Written by Trevor Ackerman

Connecting Sage Intacct enables Instrumentl to sync posted expenses into your grant budgets through a secure, one-way integration.

This keeps your Budget vs. Actuals view up to date without manual exports, while your Finance team retains full control of the general ledger.

Note: This integration is relevant to organizations using Sage Intacct with Instrumentl Spenddown enabled. The Sage Intact integration is available starting on the Full Lifecycle Plan. Refer to the Pricing page and Our Plans collection for more details around feature availability.

What to expect

Connecting Sage Intacct requires a Sage administrator and typically takes 30–45 minutes to complete. The configuration is completed once and will continue syncing automatically unless your Sage environment changes.
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Before starting, ensure the following are in place:

  • Sage administrator access

  • A grant-tracking dimension configured in Sage (Project, Class, or User-Defined)

  • A Finance stakeholder is available during setup

During setup, you will:

  1. Create a read-only role in Sage

  2. Create a Web Services user

  3. Authorize Instrumentl in Sage

  4. Configure a webhook for automatic updates

  5. Complete the connection inside Instrumentl

❗ Note: Instrumentl does not reconcile accounting discrepancies or correct tagging errors. Confirm that your grant-tracking dimension is consistently applied in Sage before connecting.

Step 1: Create a read-only role in Sage

First, create a role that gives Instrumentl limited, read-only access to your Sage data.

  1. In Sage, navigate to Company → Admin → Roles.

  3. Click + Create in the top right corner.

  4. Name the role: Instrumentl User Role.

    Optional: Add a role description such as: “Provides the Instrumentl integration with read-only access to required data in our system."

4. Click Save in the top-right corner.
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Configuration Permissions

This role must have Read-only permissions for:

  • General Ledger

  • Cash Management

  • Accounts Payable

  • Accounts Receivable

  • Purchasing

  • Expenses

  • (The relevant module that represents grant objects in Sage)

    • These could be modules such as Project, Company, Contracts, Accounts Payable, Inventory Control, Fixed Assets, etc.

To set permissions on the next page:

  1. Find the relevant module (for example, General Ledger).

  2. Select Permissions on the right-hand side.

  3. Choose 'Read only' in the top right corner, then click Save.

  4. Repeat for each required module.

When finished setting permissions across all modules, click Save again in the top right corner.
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This role allows Instrumentl to view necessary financial data but does not permit any changes within Sage.

Step 2: Create a Web Services user

Next, create a Web Services user that Instrumentl will use to securely connect to Sage.
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For the new user in Sage, you may use a new or existing email address for this account. This user will authenticate the connection between Sage and Instrumentl.

  1. Navigate to Company → Admin → Web Services Users.

  2. Click + Create in the top right corner.

  3. Fill out the following user details:

    • User ID: instrumentl-user (case sensitive), can be set to something else if your organization has required naming conventions for user IDs

    • Username: can be set to anything you choose

    • Account email address: needs to be a deliverable email; we recommend an IT email or shared inbox

    • Status: Active (default)

    • Contact Name: Pick someone or create a new contact

  4. Configure the user with the following settings:

    • User type: Business

    • Admin privileges: Limited

    • Role: Instrumentl User Role

  5. Save the user by selecting Create.

Note on user charges: When creating a Web Services user, Sage will display this standard default warning about user charges. Sage confirms Web Services users are system users and do not count toward billable user licenses, but billing structures can vary by account. If you are unsure, confirm with your Sage administrator or Sage support before proceeding.

Step 3: Authorize Instrumentl in Sage

Now authorize Instrumentl to access your Sage Intacct account.

  1. Navigate to Company → Setup → Company

  2. Select the Security tab.

  3. Click Edit in the top right corner.

  4. Scroll down to Web Services Authorization, and click Add

  5. Enter the following information:

    • Sender ID: InstrumentlMPP

    • Description: Instrumentl Web Services Authorization

    • Status: Active

  6. Click Save.
    ​

  7. On the same Security page, locate Authorized Client Applications and click Add.

    • Enter:

      1. Client ID: 791e255979894857aee2.app.sage.com

      2. Description: Instrumentl web services client application

      3. Web Services user ID: instrumentl-user (or your integration user ID from Step 2)

      4. Status: Active

  8. Click Save.

Instrumentl is now authorized to securely communicate with your Sage account.

Step 4: Set up automatic updates (webhook configuration)

This step allows Sage to notify Instrumentl whenever relevant transactions are created, updated, or deleted.

  1. Navigate to Company → Platform Services → Objects

  2. Find and click GL Entry on the page.

  3. At the top of this page, click Triggers → New Trigger.
    ​

  4. Configure the trigger with the following fields, and leave all other fields as they are:

    • Trigger Type: HTTP Post

      • Click Next

    • Check Trigger Activation: After Create, After Update, After Delete

    • Trigger Name: Instrumentl GL Webhook

    • Check Run offline

    • Select Use webhook delivery

    • Client ID: 791e255979894857aee2.app.sage.com

    • Encoding: JSON

    • Target URL: https://www.instrumentl.com/api/v1/webhooks/sage_intacct

  5. Under Document Template, click the green plus icon ➕ to create a new template

    • Template Name: GL Entry Template

    • Leave the other options the same.

    • ❗ Important: Leave the free text field empty for now. You will complete this in Step 5.

  6. Click Save, then click Save again in the parent window.

This ensures Instrumentl receives updates automatically — no manual refresh required.

Step 5: Finish connecting in Instrumentl

Now, complete the setup inside Instrumentl.

  1. Navigate to Company → Setup → Company

  2. Find and copy the Company ID under Company Information

  3. Navigate to:
    ​https://www.instrumentl.com/integrations/

  4. Log in to Instrumentl, or ask your Instrumentl account owner to invite you if you don’t have an account

    • You can also have your Instrumentl account owner login instead

  5. Locate Sage Intacct and click Log in to Sage Intacct.

  6. Enter the following:

    • Web Services Username: instrumentl-user (or your integration user ID set in step 2)

    • Company ID: Paste in ID found in Sage under Company → Setup → Company → Company Information

      1. Ensure there are no additional spaces or characters. The ID must be pasted in exactly as it appears in Sage.

  7. Click Connect.

If the connection is successful, you will see a green confirmation banner. If not, review the previous steps carefully or contact hello@instrumentl.com.

Select Your Grant Tracking Dimension

After connecting, select the Sage dimension where your organization tracks grants (Standard or User-Defined).

❗ Note: This must match how your organization tracks grants in Sage. Selecting the wrong dimension will prevent proper expense mapping. If you track grants in a custom location, contact hello@instrumentl.com before proceeding.

Complete the webhook template

  1. Copy the JSON snippet provided in Instrumentl on your configuration page. It should look something like the code below:

  2. Return to Sage to complete the webhook configuration. Navigate to Platform Services → Objects → GL Entry.
    ​

  3. Locate your webhook trigger under the Triggers section and click Edit.
    ​

  4. Under Document Template, click the pencil icon ✏️ to edit the template created in Step 4.
    ​

  5. Paste the JSON snippet provided in Instrumentl on your configuration page and into the previously empty free-text field. It should look something like the code below:

    ​Note: The account_id and access_key values will be unique to your account.
    ​

  6. Click Save, then click Save again in the parent window.

Your webhook is now fully configured.

All set! 🎉

Your grant financials now sync automatically from Sage Intacct to Instrumentl — ensuring your award data is accurate and up to date without extra effort.

Troubleshooting

If the connection fails:

  • Confirm your Web Services user role permissions

  • Confirm Sender ID and Client ID were entered correctly

  • Confirm the correct Company ID was used

  • Confirm your webhook JSON was pasted exactly as provided

If issues persist, contact hello@instrumentl.com.

What Happens Next?

Connecting Sage Intacct is only the first step. Expenses will not appear in Spenddown until the following are completed:

  • Grant and GL account mapping in Instrumentl

  • Budget phases include both start and end dates

  • Transactions in Sage are tagged with the selected grant tracking dimension

If expenses are not appearing, review these items first.
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Your next step:

→ How to Map Grants and GL Accounts in Instrumentl Spenddown

Contact us

Reach out to our friendly Support team if you have any questions about our Sage Intacct Integration! Message us via the chat bubble when you're logged in, or email us at hello@instrumentl.com.

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