How to Import a PDF Bank Statement into Xero

Short answer

Xero’s direct PDF statement import is currently limited to organisations in the US and Canada. In the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland, convert the PDF to a supported format such as CSV or OFX first.

Review the transactions against the PDF, check the opening and closing balances, then use Import a Statement in the relevant Xero account. Review the imported lines before reconciling. If your bank already offers a suitable CSV or OFX download, you can use that instead of converting a PDF.

When a PDF import is useful

A bank feed may not cover every account or every period. A PDF is often the record available when:

• The account has no bank feed, or the feed has a gap.
• A new client needs months of history from before the feed started.
• An account is closed and only downloaded statements remain.
• The client’s online banking provides password-protected PDFs.

1. Prepare the PDF and identify the missing dates

Scanned pages can be converted too, but cannot be traced line by line as text PDFs can. Check the extracted rows against the page image, or ask the client for a text PDF if one is available.

• Prefer the original PDF downloaded from online banking to a scan or phone photo. Have the password ready if the file is protected.
• Check the account, currency and statement period. Keep each account’s transactions in its own import file.
• Compare the period with the statement lines already in Xero. Plan to import only missing dates, including any partial month where the feed started.

2. Convert and review the statement

For a bank account, the control is opening balance + money in − money out = closing balance. For a credit card whose balance is the amount owed, purchases increase that balance and payments reduce it. BalancedPDF’s check accounts for the account type; a passing total still does not replace reviewing the rows.

Guests can try 3 pages free without an account. A PDF password is used once to open the file and is not stored. Uploaded files and results are deleted automatically 24 hours after the task is created, or earlier when you delete the task. See pricing, the security page and the privacy notice.

1. Open the converter and upload the PDFs. You can upload up to 10 files at a time, with up to 50 pages per file.
2. Review each statement beside its extracted transactions. On text PDFs, use the row links to check the source line.
3. Check dates, descriptions and signed amounts. Correct flagged rows against the PDF, rather than changing amounts just to make the total balance.
4. Check the opening and closing balances. If either is missing, the total cannot be verified; review the rows and obtain the complete statement if possible.
5. Choose Export, then Xero statement CSV or OFX. For CSV, keep DD/MM/YYYY or select another date format that you will confirm in Xero.

Choose Xero statement CSV or OFX

3. Import the file in Xero

Menu labels can vary by screen and region. If the option is missing, check that you have access to import statements for this account; use the Xero help links below for the current instructions.

1. In Xero, go to Accounting, then Bank accounts. Find the bank or credit card account for this statement.
2. Open the account’s menu and choose Import a Statement. Some screens show this under Manage account.
3. Select the CSV or OFX file, then continue with Next.
4. For CSV, confirm the Date, Amount and Description mappings when prompted, and select the date format used in the file.
5. Review the proposed transactions and deselect any lines you do not want to import, including overlapping dates.
6. Choose Complete import.

4. Compare the closing balance before reconciling

Check the imported dates, row count and amounts against the file you reviewed. Compare Xero’s statement balance at the same period end with the PDF’s closing balance. A current balance that includes later feed transactions is not a like-for-like comparison.

CSV contains transactions, not an opening balance for Xero to adopt. If earlier statement lines or the starting balance in Xero are incomplete, a correct CSV can still leave a different balance. Check the account’s starting point and missing history before altering any transaction.

If the figures differ, pause before bulk reconciliation. Look for a missing fee, reversed sign, excluded line or duplicate. Once the statement history agrees, match the lines to invoices, bills and transfers.

Avoid duplicate transactions when a bank feed catches up

Import only the dates missing from the feed. Xero identifies matching transactions as duplicates, but review the import rather than assuming every overlap will be caught. Exclude unwanted lines before completing the import, and check the statement lines afterwards.

If a duplicate remains, confirm which line is the duplicate before removing it in Xero. A repeated amount alone is not enough to identify one. When catching up a new client, establish where the historical import ends and the feed begins.

Common import errors and what to check

Questions

Sources

Checked against Xero’s help on 26 October 2026. Follow its current help if menus or availability change.

• Xero: Import a PDF bank statement
• Xero: Import a bank statement in CSV format
• Xero: Import an OFX, QFX or QuickBooks bank statement
• Xero: Resolve errors when manually importing a bank statement