Convert a PDF bank statement and import it into Xero

Can you import a PDF bank statement into Xero?

Not directly. Xero gets transactions from bank feeds, or from statement files you import yourself — and those files are data files such as CSV, OFX, QFX or QIF. A PDF statement is a printed document, so its transactions have to be turned into one of those files first.

You typically need this when the bank feed doesn't reach back far enough, when you're catching up a new client from their conversion date, when an account is closed, or when the bank has no feed at all. In each case the PDF statement is the only complete record, and converting it is faster and safer than typing lines in by hand.

How to import a bank statement into Xero

1. Convert the statement and choose Export → Xero CSV.
2. In Xero, go to Accounting → Bank accounts and find the account the statement belongs to.
3. Open Manage account and choose Import a statement.
4. Browse to the CSV and select Import.
5. Check the column assignments: *Date to the transaction date, *Amount to the amount, and the Payee, Description and Reference columns to the matching fields. Tell Xero to skip the first line, which holds the column headings.
6. Save. The lines appear on the account's Reconcile tab, ready to match or create transactions.

Xero only creates statement lines here — nothing is posted to your accounts until you reconcile each line. That's what makes importing a converted statement low-risk: you still review every line.

Xero bank statement CSV format

The Xero CSV uses the column layout of Xero's own statement import template, so the headings match what Xero looks for. Columns that start with an asterisk are required.

Dates must match your Xero organisation's region: DD/MM/YYYY in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, MM/DD/YYYY in the US. If imported lines land in the wrong month, the date format is the cause.

Avoid duplicate transactions in Xero

Duplicates come from overlap: a statement file that covers days the bank feed has already delivered, or the same file imported twice. Before exporting, check the date of the earliest bank feed line in that account, and export your converted statements with a date range that ends the day before. When you're continuing an earlier import, start the range the day after its last line.

If a statement does go in twice, you can delete the imported statement from the bank account's list of statements and import the right file again. Then compare the statement balance in Xero with the closing balance on the PDF — because each converted statement has already passed the balance check, a difference points to an overlap or a missing period, not to a misread line.

Import a credit card statement into Xero

Credit card accounts in Xero import the same way: open the card account, then Manage account → Import a statement. The export signs every line from your side, so purchases, fees and interest are negative and payments and refunds are positive, with Transaction Type set to Debit or Credit to match.

That matters because card issuers' own downloads often show charges as positive amounts. A statement with several cardholders under one account becomes one statement, and a PDF that contains more than one account becomes one statement per account, so each goes into its own Xero account. More on card statements in credit card statements to Excel.

Reconciling faster after the import

Clean payee names pay off on the Reconcile tab. Xero suggests matches and applies bank rules based on the text of each line, and a consistent payee like Amazon is far easier to write a rule for than a dozen variations of AMZN MKTP with order numbers.

Your category travels in the Analysis code column for reference. If you'd rather prepare the coding in a spreadsheet, the Account code and Tax Rate columns are in the file for you to fill in before importing — Xero's help on precoded statements explains how it uses them. For the reconciliation itself, see bank reconciliation.

Xero CSV or another format?

The Xero CSV is the most direct route because it keeps the clean payee and the reference in their own fields. Other options:

• OFX — Xero also imports OFX files, useful if your workflow already uses them
• Excel — for working papers, a client review or a Summary sheet by category and month
• QuickBooks — if some of your clients use QuickBooks instead

Questions