How to Import Bank Transactions into Xero

Step 1: Check For an Active Bank Feed First

Start by checking whether your bank account supports an active feed. If a reliable feed exists, connect it. Bank feeds should handle ongoing transactions whenever possible.

Use manual import as a supporting method to fill gaps, restore missing periods, or bridge the time before a feed goes live. Once you decide to import manually, move on to file preparation.

Step 2: Download The Bank Statement in the Right Format

Log in to your online banking and download the statement for the exact period you need. Xero supports several file types, but they offer different levels of ease:

OFX or QIF: Choose these formats first. They require almost no preparation and flow into Xero with high accuracy.

CSV: Use this if the others are unavailable. It requires manual cleaning and formatting before Xero will accept it.

Pro Tip: Save a “clean” original copy of your bank download before you start editing. If you make a formatting mistake, you can return to the original data and start over.

Step 3: Prepare Your CSV File for Xero

If you use a CSV format, you must structure the data correctly. For the best results, download Xero’s CSV template from the import screen and paste your data into it.

Date Column: Use one format throughout the file (e.g., DD/MM/YYYY) and match it to your Xero organisation settings.

Amount Column: Use a single column for all values. Record money received as positive figures and payments/spend as negative figures (e.g., -50.00).

Clean Rows: Delete blank rows, bank balance subtotals, or header text. Xero only needs the transaction rows.

Payee & Reference: Put these in the correct columns to make reconciliation faster and reduce future guesswork.

Step 4: Upload Your Statement to Xero

Open the relevant bank account in Xero and select Import a Statement. Upload the file by dragging it into the screen or selecting it manually.

The “Safety Net” Tip: If you realise you imported the wrong month or the data looks messy, do not worry. Go to the Bank Statements tab within the bank account, select the imported statement, and click Delete. This removes all transactions so that you can try again.

Step 5: Map Columns with Care

If you use a standard bank CSV instead of Xero’s template, you must “map” the columns. This tells Xero which columns contain the “Date,” “Payee,” and “Amount.”

• Map the Date column to the transaction date field.
• Map the Amount column to the correct value field.
• Tell Xero to skip the header row so your column titles do not import as actual transactions.

Step 6: Review Transactions Before Finishing

Use the preview screen to check several transactions. Confirm that amounts appear correctly as “Money Spent” or “Money Received.” Ensure dates and descriptions look sensible. Review the summary screen for totals and transaction counts.

If something looks wrong, stop and fix the file. Never rely on the reconciliation process to fix import mistakes.

Step 7: Complete The Import and Reconcile

Once satisfied, complete the import. Xero displays transactions on the reconciliation screen, ready for matching or coding. Use this stage to confirm accuracy, not to correct data entry errors. Care at the import stage keeps the rest of the process straightforward.