Import bank statements to Xero

1. Review → Export

After checking the source page and correcting any rows, choose Xero CSV in Export. The synthetic file uses five columns: Date, Amount, Payee, Description, Reference; Payee is blank where the source did not provide one.

Date,Amount,Payee,Description,Reference
2026-03-05,-54.22,,Grocery Market,
2026-03-12,750.00,,ACME Corp Payroll,

2. Select the Xero account and importer format

Open the bank account’s import option in Xero, select the correct account, and choose the date format that matches the file preview. Do not assume ISO dates are accepted everywhere: use the importer’s available format and confirm the preview. Keep one row per transaction and preserve the signed Amount.

If your bank provides CSV or OFX directly, use that export when it already matches Xero’s requirements. Statementoy provides a CSV for manual import and does not sync directly.

3. Map, preview, deduplicate, reconcile

1. Map Date and Amount, then Payee, Description, and Reference where shown.
2. Preview the date format, sign, account, first/last date, and number of rows before importing.
3. Compare the imported range and totals with the original statement; remove rows already present.
4. Categorize and reconcile in Xero, then investigate missing, repeated, reversed, or mis-signed transactions.

PDF conditions and common mistakes

Xero’s current PDF route is for eligible US or Canada organisations, English statements, and non-Ledger accounts. The file must be clear, unencrypted, no more than 35 MB and 100 pages; scanned pages should be at least 200 DPI. Check the official article because eligibility can change. A direct bank CSV or OFX export may avoid these conditions. Common mistakes include choosing the wrong account, importing an overlapping period, using the wrong date format, and treating a card purchase as positive.