How to Import a Bank Statement CSV into Xero
Xero can import statement lines from a CSV when the bank feed is missing a period. Only Date and Amount are required, but more detail makes reconciling easier.
Steps
- Prepare the file: a header row in row 1, one signed Amount column (income positive, expenses negative) and no balance columns, account numbers or empty rows.
- In Xero, open the bank account and choose Import a statement.
- Browse to your CSV and import it.
- Assign each column to a statement field. Transaction Date and Transaction Amount must be assigned, and Payee, Description and Reference are optional.
- If Xero asks you to confirm the date format, choose MM/DD/YYYY for a RowSmith Xero file, then finish the import and reconcile.
Good to know
- Xero lists DD/MM/YYYY, MM/DD/YYYY and YYYY/MM/DD among its accepted date formats. Whatever you pick when it asks applies to the whole statement and future CSV imports.
- Don't use a comma as the decimal point. Expenses can be written -30.00 or (30.00).
- A CSV import can't exceed 100,000 rows. RowSmith's free Xero layout uses Date, Amount, Payee, Description and Reference with month-first dates, puts the statement description in Payee and leaves out the Balance column and $0 rows. RowSmith is not affiliated with Xero.
Starting from a PDF statement?
Converts text-based PDF bank statements to CSV or Excel in your browser. Your file is never uploaded. Always review the output before using it. Scanned PDFs aren't supported. Convert a statement PDF
Questions
Do I need Xero's template?
No. You can download it from the import screen, but any CSV works as long as you assign the columns.
Why did a payee create a new contact?
Xero matches payees to existing contacts only when the names match exactly. Edit the name in the file or fix it while reconciling.
RowSmith is an independent tool and is not affiliated with any bank or software company named on this page.
Converting is free. RowSmith Pro ($9/month or $59/year) adds suggested Schedule C categories, saved cleanup rules and monthly category totals.