How to import bank statements into Xero from a PDF

How a PDF statement gets into Xero depends on where your Xero organization is based and which plan it is on.

Can Xero import the PDF directly?

• US and Canadian organizations: Xero says PDF bank statement imports are currently available only to Xero organizations in Canada and the United States, and not on the Xero Ledger plan. The file must be in English, a debit or credit statement, 35 MB or less, no more than 100 pages, at least 200 DPI, scanned straight and not password protected. Xero lists banks where extraction has been validated and says accuracy may vary for banks that are not listed. It still recommends OFX over PDF where your bank offers it (Xero Central, Import a PDF bank statement).
• Other regions, or the Ledger plan: import a file instead. Download OFX, QFX or QuickBooks files from the bank for months still in its download window, or convert the PDF to CSV (steps below).

Either way, check the result. Xero shows a review screen before you complete an import, and lines with errors are not imported, so compare Xero's statement balance with the PDF's closing balance afterwards.

Importing a CSV made from the PDF

For catch-up work, CSV is the most flexible route because you can check every row before it goes in.

1. Convert the PDF into a CSV with the columns Date, Amount, Payee, Description and Reference. Only Date and Amount are required. Amounts go in one signed column: money in is positive and money out is negative. Remove opening and closing balance columns and empty rows. Xero's limit is 100,000 rows per CSV.
2. Use one date format for the whole file. If a date could be read more than one way, Xero asks you to confirm the format, and applies it to future CSV imports too.
3. Import: go to Accounting → Bank accounts, open the account's menu and choose Import a Statement. Upload the CSV and assign each column.
4. Check the statement balance against the closing balance on the PDF. If they differ, find the missing or duplicated line before you reconcile.

Source for this section: Xero Central, Import a bank statement in CSV format.

If bank feeds already cover part of the period, import only the gap. Xero says it skips transactions that match ones already in Xero, but feed and file lines can differ, so don't rely on that alone. For months older than your feed, see importing transactions older than your Xero bank feed. Related: statement PDF to CSV, Xero import errors and check a statement is complete before you import it.

Xero details are from the Xero Central articles linked above, as read on 24 Oct 2026. Availability and limits change, so check Xero's current help if a screen looks different.

Bank menus change; labels here were accurate to our knowledge in Oct 2026, so check your bank's help pages if something differs.