Import a bank statement into Xero in New Zealand

Xero says that PDF bank statements can’t be imported. What it takes is a file, and CSV is among the formats it lists. Below are the requirements Xero sets for that CSV, the ExtractPro options that write it and the steps Xero gives for the import.

Why a CSV and not the PDF

Xero Central’s article on importing statements by hand says: “Xero supports OFX, QFX, QIF, CSV and QuickBooks file formats.” and, plainly, “PDF bank statements can’t be imported into Xero.” It recommends OFX where it can be had: “We recommend using an OFX file where possible.” For a statement you only hold as a PDF it suggests “search online for a third-party conversion service to convert the PDF statement to one of these formats.” A separate Xero article on PDF imports says: “PDF bank statement imports are currently only available in Xero organizations in Canada and the United States.” Source: Xero Central, About manually importing bank statements, central.xero.com/0/article/About-manually-importing-bank-statements, and Import a PDF bank statement, central.xero.com/0/article/Import-a-PDF-bank-statement, accessed 7 October 2026.

What Xero asks of the CSV

The article on importing a bank statement in CSV format sets the requirements:

• Fields: “You only need the Date and Amount fields to create bank statement lines, but reconciling your transactions is easier if you include more detail.”
• Amounts in one column: “Both income and expense amounts must be in the same column.”, with income positive and expenses negative, “for example -30.00 or (30.00). Don't use commas to show decimal places.”
• No balances: Xero lists “Columns containing opening and closing balances” among the data to delete, “as Xero calculates the bank balance from the transactions”.
• Dates: “For all dates, use one of the following date formats: DD/MM/YYYY (eg 15/01/2023)”.
• Description: “When you import the file into Xero, this will appear under Particulars in the Bank statements tab of the bank account.”
• Size: “You can’t import a CSV file with more than 100,000 rows.”

The ExtractPro settings for a Xero CSV

Convert the statement, then set the custom format on the result as follows:

1. 1Open Output format, select See more formats or customise and pick Custom.
2. 2Set File type to CSV.
3. 3Set Date format to DD/MM/YYYY (15/01/2026).
4. 4Under Amounts, choose Single column (signed): money out comes out negative, money in positive, all in the one column.
5. 5Under Include balance, untick Add Balance column and leave Categories as they are, unticked. Xero then gets only a date, a description and an amount on each line.
6. 6Set CSV separator to Comma (,) and Number format to Decimal point, no separator (1234.56).
7. 7Select Apply format, then download the CSV.

Importing the CSV in Xero

In Xero the import runs through the bank account: “In the Accounting menu, select Bank accounts.”, then “click the menu icon, then select Import a Statement.” If Xero asks, “assign the columns in your import file to the matching bank statement fields in Xero, then click Next. If prompted, select the date format used in your bank statement”. Pick DD/MM/YYYY there, to match the file. The last step is “Click Complete import.” Source: Xero Central, Import a bank statement in CSV format, central.xero.com/0/article/Import-a-CSV-bank-statement, accessed 7 October 2026.

Before anything goes into Xero, put the CSV beside the PDF: do the same transactions appear, and do the amounts add up to the movement over the period? Afterwards, look over the lines Xero shows against the PDF as well.

Frequently asked questions

The questions that come up most: