How to import a PDF bank statement into Xero

When you need this

• Setting up a new Xero organisation and the feed doesn't go back to the start of the financial year.
• Closed accounts, or banks and cards that don't offer a feed in your country.
• Clients who send PDF statements instead of exports.

What Xero needs in the file

• One header row, with no title or summary lines above it.
• A date and an amount on every row. Description is optional but makes matching much easier.
• One signed amount column: money out negative (-150.00), money in positive (250.00).
• A period as the decimal separator and no currency symbols.
• UTF-8 encoding, so names with accents import correctly.

Export the right CSV

Export each statement on its own for this. The combined multi-file export adds extra columns (source file, bank, review status) that accounting imports don't expect.

1. Convert and review the statement until the balance check passes.
2. In Export, choose CSV and the Amount (signed) layout.
3. Turn off Balance and Source page, keep the comma delimiter, and download.

Import it into Xero

1. Go to Accounting › Bank accounts and find the account the statement belongs to.
2. Open the account's menu and choose Import a statement.
3. Select the CSV. If you can't see it, switch the file filter to All files.
4. Map the columns: Date → Transaction date, Amount → Transaction amount, Description → Description (or Payee).
5. Confirm the date format when Xero asks. Our files use YYYY-MM-DD.
6. Import, then reconcile the lines as usual.

Avoid duplicates with your bank feed

Find the date of the first transaction your bank feed brought in. Import statements only up to the day before. If a statement overlaps that date, untick or delete the overlapping lines before you reconcile. Import long histories in date order, one statement per file, so problems are easy to trace.

Fixing common Xero import errors