How to Import Bank Statements into Xero (2026 Guide)

Xero offers bank feeds—direct connections to your bank that automatically import transactions daily. This is the easiest method if your bank supports it.

Limitation: Bank feeds only work if your bank has a direct integration with Xero. If your bank isn't supported, or if you need to import historical statements (older than 90 days), you'll need to use CSV import instead.

When bank feeds aren't available—or when you need to import historical data—you'll manually upload a CSV file of your bank transactions.

This method requires:

• •A properly formatted CSV file with correct column headers
• •Date formats matching your Xero organization region
• •Correct positive/negative amount signs

Most accountants and bookkeepers use CSV import for clients whose banks don't support direct feeds, or when processing historical bank statement data for tax preparation or audits.

Here's the challenge: Xero cannot import PDF bank statements directly.

When clients send you bank statements as PDFs (the most common format from banks), you have two options:

For accounting firms processing 20+ client statements monthly, this time difference is massive: 10+ hours saved per month just on data entry.

Xero requires these specific column headers in your CSV file:

These columns must have exact header names for Xero to recognize them. Zera Books automatically creates CSVs with the correct headers, so you never have to worry about manual formatting.

Xero date formats are tied to your organization region settings. If your dates don't match the expected format, Xero will reject the import.

Solution: Zera Books detects your Xero region settings and automatically formats dates correctly when you export. No manual adjustments needed.

After importing transactions, you'll categorize them to your Xero chart of accounts—assigning each transaction to categories like "Office Expenses," "Revenue," "Cost of Goods Sold," etc.

Standard Xero workflow:

• 1.Import CSV with raw transaction data
• 2.Manually review each transaction
• 3.Assign category from chart of accounts dropdown
• 4.Repeat for every transaction (can take 10-15+ minutes)

This reduces reconciliation time from 10-15 minutes to 2-3 minutes per account.

Many bank statements include multiple accounts in one PDF—checking, savings, and credit card all combined. Xero can only import one account at a time, which creates a problem.

Manual workflow for multi-account statements:

• 1.Open PDF, identify where Account 1 ends and Account 2 begins
• 2.Create separate Excel files for each account
• 3.Manually type transactions for Account 1 into first spreadsheet
• 4.Manually type transactions for Account 2 into second spreadsheet
• 5.Repeat for Account 3 if applicable
• 6.Save each as separate CSV files
• 7.Import each CSV to corresponding Xero account

Time required: 30-45 minutes per multi-account statement.

Once transactions are imported to Xero, the final step is bank reconciliation—matching imported bank transactions to your invoices, bills, and other records to ensure everything balances.

Standard Xero reconciliation workflow:

• 1.Review unreconciled transactions in Xero
• 2.Match each transaction to corresponding invoice or bill
• 3.Create new transactions for unmatched items
• 4.Investigate discrepancies (timing differences, missing transactions)
• 5.Reconcile account when everything matches

Average time: 10-12 minutes per account (after CSV import).

For more on optimizing reconciliation workflows, see the full Xero integration guide.