Bulk import to accounting software
Bulk convert bank statements to Xero
When Xero's bank feed won't reach back far enough, the statements have to be imported by hand. Bulk conversion makes that one file instead of twelve.
Getting historical transactions into Xero
Xero's bank feeds are built for keeping up, not catching up. They pull transactions from the moment the feed was connected onwards, and they can't reach back to cover a period before that. So anything historical, whether it's a prior financial year, a newly added account, or a client who's just come across from a shoebox, has to be imported from statements.
Xero accepts a CSV import per bank account, which is where bulk conversion fits. Convert the statements in batches of up to ten, download the merged CSV, and you've got every transaction for the period in one chronological file ready to import. One import step instead of twelve.
Batch per bank account rather than per client. Xero imports into a specific account, so a merged file mixing two accounts has to be split before it's usable. Keeping each account's statements in their own batch avoids that entirely.
The CSV arrives with date, description, debit, credit and category columns. Xero's import wizard maps columns as you go, so there's no reformatting to do first and the file works as downloaded. The category column gives you a head start on coding, though Xero's own account codes and bank rules still decide how everything reconciles.
If you're doing this regularly, saved category rules on the Professional and Business plans mean recurring merchants come through consistently categorised, so each import needs less attention than the one before it.
How bulk conversion works
Gather
Download your statement PDFs from internet banking
Drop them in
Up to 10 at a time, from one account or several
Convert
Every statement parsed in parallel, transactions categorised
Download
One merged CSV in date order, or a ZIP of separate files
Frequently asked questions
Why not just use the Xero bank feed?
Bank feeds generally only pull recent transactions, and they can't be backdated to cover a period before the feed was connected. For historical data, whether that's catch-up work, a prior financial year or a newly connected account, the transactions have to come in from statements instead.
What format does the CSV come in?
Date, description, debit, credit and category columns, with dates in a standard format. Xero lets you map columns during import, so the CSV can be used directly without editing.
Can I import a whole year in one file?
Yes. Convert the statements in batches of ten and download the merged CSV, which holds every transaction in date order. That's one import instead of twelve.
Should I import one file per bank account?
Yes. Xero imports transactions into a specific bank account, so keep one account's statements per merged file. A batch can mix accounts, but for Xero import it's cleaner to batch per account.
Are the categories used by Xero?
The category column comes through as data you can map or use for coding, but Xero's own account codes and bank rules still govern how transactions get reconciled. The categories speed up coding rather than replacing it.
Related guides
Clear the backlog in one sitting
Batch conversion is included with the 350 and 700 credit packs, and with Professional and Business plans.