Puzzle ERP Integration

OverviewUnderstanding authentication and connection pathsSetting up the Puzzle integrationConfiguring default GL accounts and fieldsRefreshing your Puzzle data in BrexAutomatically sync your Brex data to PuzzleDisconnecting PuzzleTroubleshooting

Overview

Connecting your Brex account to Puzzle streamlines accounting by letting you provision (or connect) a Puzzle company from within Brex, map your GL accounts, and export prepared expenses with minimal manual work.

Key benefits include:

  • One‑click provisioning: Create a Puzzle company from Brex and connect it automatically.
  • Accurate data transfers: Export card expenses and reimbursements from Brex to Puzzle, ready for review and posting.
  • Reduced manual work: Default mappings and automations help categorize transactions and move compliant items from Review > Export.
  • Clear reconciliation: Brex exports accounting records; Puzzle can match them to bank‑feed transactions for transparency.


Understanding authentication and connection paths

Brex supports two ways to connect to Puzzle, depending on whether you’re creating a new company or linking an existing one.

  • Provisioning a new Puzzle company (one‑click): During initial company creation, requests use a secure shared‑key flow to set up your company and seed accounting data (e.g., chart of accounts), then transition to OAuth 2.0 for ongoing access.
  • Connecting an existing Puzzle company: We use OAuth 2.0 for authorization and ongoing data sync.


Setting up the Puzzle integration

An account admin, bookkeeper, or any user with the specific product capability for Accounting integrations can complete the setup.

Provision a new Puzzle company (one‑click)

Follow the steps below if your company doesn't have a Puzzle account.

Step 1: In your Brex dashboard, go to Accounting and click ‘I don't have accounting software’.

Puzzle ERP 1

Step 2: Select who will set up the integration and click Continue.

Puzzle ERP 2

Step 3: Select Puzzle and click Continue.

Puzzle ERP 3

Step 4: Create your new Puzzle company. Confirm your company name, email, and base currency (you can edit these later in Puzzle) to log in. Make sure to read and accept the Puzzle's terms of service.

Puzzle ERP 4

Step 5: Select your company in the dropdown, and click Connect.

Puzzle ERP 5

Step 6: Review the default export settings and preliminary mappings Brex will apply to minimize setup.

Connect an existing Puzzle company

Follow the steps below if your company has a Puzzle account to connect with Brex.

Step 1: In Accounting, click ‘Connect’, select Puzzle, and click Continue to connect your existing account.

Puzzle ERP 6

Step 2: When prompted, sign in to Puzzle and grant Brex access by clicking on Activate.

Step 3: Follow the workflow steps and, after the initial sync completes (chart of accounts, classifications), open Puzzle settings to map accounts.


Configuring default GL accounts and fields

After connecting, review where Brex sends each type of transaction when you export to Puzzle.

Step 1: Go to Accounting > Puzzle settings.

Step 2: In Entity settings, choose the default GL accounts for exports, following the instructions below:

  • Accounts payable: Expenses on your Brex card that you are liable for will be credited here (e.g., Brex Card Liability).
  • Manual payments: Payments made outside of Brex, including Brex card statement payments and employee reimbursements, will be credited here.
  • Personal expense receivable: Used to track personal or non-business expenses owed back by employees.
  • Rewards: Redeemed Brex rewards will be credited to this account (e.g., Rewards income).
  • Reimbursement liability: Amounts owed to employees for reimbursements will be credited here (e.g., Employee reimbursements payable).

These defaults reduce rework and help automations export cleanly.

Step 3: Go to Accounting > Fields Library. Configure fields (e.g., departments, classes) to tag transactions before export. Brex fetches Puzzle GL accounts for mapping.

Step 4: Click ‘Save’.

Tip: Keep mappings simple at first (e.g., broad expense categories). You can refine rules as your chart of accounts evolves.

Your Puzzle setup is now complete. Brex will export your transactions according to the mappings you’ve configured. To learn more about the available features on the accounting page, click here.


Refreshing your Puzzle data in Brex

If you add or change accounts or classifications in Puzzle, refresh them in Brex.

Step 1: Go to Accounting > Puzzle settings.

Step 2: Click the overflow menu () and choose ‘Refresh’ to pull the latest Data from Puzzle.

Note: If new fields or accounts don’t appear after refresh, ensure your Puzzle user has permission to view them, then try again.


Automatically sync your Brex data to Puzzle

The new Puzzle accounts created from the integration come preconfigured with a standard Brex Category → Puzzle GL Account mapping. Your account is also set to automatically export compliant transactions to Puzzle. You can customize these mappings and control exports anytime from the Brex dashboard.

Only transactions that meet your compliance settings are exported automatically. To ensure accurate reporting, keep your mappings updated when you add new categories or GL accounts.

Note: You can manually export transactions at any time, even if automated exports are enabled.

Customize your category-to-GL mappings

Step 1: In the Brex dashboard, go to Manage automation > Mappings.

Step 2: Review the default Brex Category > Puzzle GL Account mapping.

Step 3: Edit any mappings you want to change, then save.

Manage automatic exports to Puzzle

Step 1: To stop automated exports and push transactions manually, go to Manage automation > Workflows.

Step 2: Disable the ‘Export compliant transactions to Puzzle’ workflow.

Step 3: When needed, manually export transactions from your workflow.

If you’re already a Puzzle customer

If you connected Brex to an existing Puzzle account, you’ll need to set up mappings and workflows to enable automatic exports:

  • Go to Manage automation > Mappings to create or adjust your Brex Category > Puzzle GL Account mappings.
  • Go to Manage automation > Workflows to add and enable the ‘Export compliant transactions to Puzzle’ workflow.

Disconnecting Puzzle

You can disconnect Puzzle if you no longer want to export directly from Brex.

Step 1: In the dashboard, go to Accounting > Puzzle settings.

Step 2: Click the overflow menu () and select ‘Disconnect’.

Step 3: Confirm to stop future exports.

Note: If you reconnect to the same Puzzle company later, Brex attempts to reuse your existing mappings when accounts still match, so you don’t have to rebuild from scratch.


Troubleshooting

I can’t sign in to Puzzle during connection.

Use an admin account in Puzzle to approve OAuth access. 

Why are my GL accounts (your company’s chart of accounts) or classifications (e.g., department, location, project) missing in Brex?

Open Accounting > Puzzle settings and click ‘Refresh’ to pull the Chart of Accounts and Classifications from Puzzle. Verify your Puzzle user has permission to view them.

Exports are failing due to unmapped categories.

Finish GL mappings in Puzzle settings and re‑export. Default mappings are intended to reduce these errors, but any unmapped category will be flagged during review.

I don’t see my Brex business account (bank) transactions in the Accounting tab.

Brex Accounting supports card and reimbursements for direct export. Connect your bank feed in your ERP to bring business‑account transactions into Puzzle.

Was this article helpful?