Which file is best for Xero?

An OFX file if your bank offers one: there are no columns to map. Otherwise a CSV with a date, a signed amount and a description, which you match to Xero’s fields on import.

Can Xero import PDF bank statements?

For some banks. Xero added PDF statement import for supported banks in the US and Canada, under Manage Account › Import a Statement. Elsewhere, or for other banks, convert the PDF to a CSV first.

Why are my dates wrong after importing?

Usually the day and month have swapped: a file written 03/04/2026 can mean 3 April or March 4. Download the CSV with the date order your Xero organisation uses, and check a date after the 12th on the preview before you finish.

Is the import the end of it?

No: imported lines arrive as statement lines on the bank account’s Reconcile tab, the same as a bank feed’s. Match each one to a transaction already in Xero, or create one, to reconcile it.

How to import a bank statement into Xero

When there’s no bank feed, or the feed misses a period, Xero lets you import a statement file into a bank account. Here’s where the import is, which files work, and how to get a PDF statement in if your bank isn’t one Xero reads PDFs from.

Last updated October 2026

Which file to use

OFX, if your bank offers it (sometimes labelled “Money” or “Microsoft Money”). It’s a standard format with the dates and amounts already defined, so there’s nothing to map.
CSV, which every bank offers. You tell Xero which column is the date, the amount, the payee and so on.
PDF, from some banks. Xero has added PDF statement import for supported banks in the US and Canada, and recommends using a statement from a bank on its supported list. Elsewhere, or for another bank, convert the PDF to CSV or OFX first.

How to import the file

In Xero, go to Accounting › Bank accounts and find the account the statement belongs to.
Click Manage Account, then Import a Statement.
Choose the file, or drag it onto the page.
For a CSV, Xero shows the file’s columns and asks which Xero field each one is: at least the date and the amount; payee, description and reference are optional. Check the preview, especially the dates.
Review the transactions and click Complete Import.
The lines now wait on the account’s Reconcile tab, as a bank feed’s would. Match each one to a transaction in Xero, or create one.

A CSV Xero reads without fuss

Keep it to one row per transaction and one signed amount, money out negative:

Date,Description,Amount
01/10/2026,COFFEE SHOP,-4.50
02/10/2026,SALARY,2500.00

Write the dates in the order your Xero organisation uses: day first for the UK, Australia and New Zealand, month first for the US. Then check Xero’s preview: if 03/04 shows as March when it should be April, or a date after the 12th doesn’t read at all, the order is the wrong way round.
Amounts as plain numbers: no currency symbols, no thousands separators, no brackets for negatives.
Take out anything that isn’t a transaction: a title above the column names, a balance brought forward, totals at the bottom.

Getting a PDF statement in

If Xero doesn’t read PDFs from your bank, convert the statement first. Drop it on the bank statement to CSV converter: it reads the transaction table, adds the rows up against the statement’s opening, closing and running balances, and shows any difference before you download. Pick the date format your Xero organisation uses, then download the CSV, or an OFX file from “Or download as” to skip the column mapping.

The statement is read in your browser and never uploaded. For a look at the rows before importing anything, the Excel download gives the same transactions with money in and money out in their own columns.

Coming from QuickBooks with a .qbo file? Xero reads OFX, and a .qbo file is OFX inside (see what a QBO file is). If Xero refuses it, convert it with QBO to CSV and import the CSV.