Import a PDF bank statement into Xero
Xero imports bank statements as CSV, OFX or QIF files, not PDFs. Convert the PDF in BankConv and download Xero CSV, which already uses Xero's columns with money out negative, or OFX, which needs no column mapping. Then in Xero go to Accounting, Bank accounts, open the account's menu and choose Import a statement.
Step by step
- 1.
Convert the statement
Drop the PDF into BankConv and check the rows against the PDF. Up to 10 statements at once.
- 2.
Download Xero CSV or OFX
Xero CSV writes dates in your bank's country order: MM/DD/YYYY for US statements, DD/MM/YYYY for others. OFX works for any organisation.
- 3.
Open the bank account in Xero
Go to Accounting, then Bank accounts, and open the account's Manage account menu.
- 4.
Import a statement
Choose Import a statement, browse to the file and click Import.
- 5.
Map the columns (CSV only)
Match Date, Amount, Payee, Description and Reference to Xero's fields of the same names, and tick the box that skips the header row. OFX skips this step.
- 6.
Reconcile
The statement lines appear on the Reconcile tab, ready to match or create.
What Xero expects
- Files
- CSV, OFX or QIF. Not PDF or Excel.
- Amounts
- One signed amount: money in positive, money out negative
- Dates
- Your organisation's order: DD/MM in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, MM/DD in the US
- Header rows
- One header row at the top of a CSV
- Overlap
- Only dates the bank feed has not already loaded
BankConv's Xero CSV writes dates in your bank's country order: MM/DD/YYYY for US statements, DD/MM/YYYY for others, which matches Xero organisations there. If your organisation uses the other order, download OFX: it stores dates in a fixed format.
Xero CSV, OFX or plain CSV
All three come from the same conversion. Xero CSV is the quickest to check, OFX is the safest for dates, and plain CSV keeps the statement exactly as printed.
| Download | Mapping in Xero | Dates | Use it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xero CSV | Columns already named Date, Amount, Payee, Description, Reference | MM/DD/YYYY for US statements, DD/MM/YYYY for others | You want to read the file before importing |
| OFX | None | Fixed format, any region | You want to skip mapping, or your organisation's date order differs from your bank's country |
| CSV | Map each column, after merging Debit and Credit into one signed Amount | As the statement prints them | You want the statement's own columns, such as Balance |
In the Xero CSV, BankConv has already done the shaping the Xero import guide describes: Debit and Credit merged into one Amount, money out negative, opening balance and total lines left out, one header row. Payee is left empty and the bank's description goes in Description.
The OFX file carries the same transactions with a date, a signed amount, a description and an ID for each. See bank statement to OFX for what is inside it.
Fixing a Xero import
Most failed Xero imports come from dates, signs and extra rows. The Xero CSV and OFX downloads avoid all three; if you shape a CSV yourself, check them in that order.
The full walkthrough, with a table of errors and fixes and how to delete an imported statement and start again, is in how to import a bank statement into Xero.
Xero questions
Can Xero import a PDF bank statement?
No. Xero's Import a statement reads CSV, OFX and QIF files. Convert the PDF to Xero CSV or OFX first.
What is BankConv's Xero CSV?
A CSV with Xero's statement columns: Date, Amount, Payee, Description and Reference. Money out is negative, dates follow your bank's country (MM/DD/YYYY for US statements, DD/MM/YYYY for others), and opening balance and total lines are left out, so it imports without editing.
Xero CSV or OFX?
Xero CSV when you want to read the file before importing. OFX when you want to skip the column mapping, or when your Xero organisation's date order differs from your bank's country, for example a US statement in a UK organisation.
How do I undo a bad import?
Open the account's Manage account menu, choose Bank statements, open the statement you imported and delete it. Lines you have already reconciled may need unreconciling first.
Can I import several months at once?
Yes, but one file per month in date order makes a mistake easy to undo: delete that statement and import it again.
Your statement's data
Deleted after 24 hours
Your PDF and its converted files are deleted automatically. Account owners can choose 48 or 72 hours instead.
Read only to extract transactions
Your statement is read (with OCR for scans) to pull out the transaction rows you download.
Encrypted in transit
Uploads and downloads use HTTPS (TLS).
Passwords never stored
The password of a protected PDF is used once to open the file.
No bank login
BankConv works from the PDF you download, never from a connection to your bank.