How do I get a PDF bank statement into QuickBooks or Xero?
Convert the PDF to CSV, trim the file to the columns your accounting software expects, and upload it. QuickBooks Online and Xero both import bank transactions from CSV files, but neither reads PDF statements. That's the usual situation when a bank only offers PDF downloads, when the bank feed starts later than the period you need, or when a client sends a year of statements as PDFs.
Step by step
- Convert the statement. Upload the PDF above. Transactions that continue across pages are merged into one table with a single header row. Download the result as CSV.
- Keep only the columns you need. Open the CSV in Excel or Google Sheets and delete the running balance and any reference columns your import doesn't use.
- Check the amounts. Money out should be negative if you use a single Amount column. Amounts with a minus sign are exported as plain numbers, so they import and sum without cleanup.
- Check the dates. Use one date format for the whole file and remove weekday names if your bank prints them (for example "Mon 02/10/2026").
- Save as CSV and import. QuickBooks Online: Settings → Import data → Bank data, then choose the account and map the columns. Xero: open the bank account, choose Import a statement, then assign the columns.
Column layouts at a glance
| Software | Layout | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online | 3 columns: Date, Description, Amount | Money out as negative amounts |
| QuickBooks Online | 4 columns: Date, Description, Credit, Debit | Header names only "Credit" and "Debit" |
| Xero | Date and Amount, plus optional Payee, Description, Reference | You assign the columns during the import; the date must match your region's format |
These layouts follow the vendors' help pages as of November 2026. If an upload fails, check the current help article for your country.
Checks before you upload
- Reconcile first. Opening balance plus the sum of the Amount column should equal the closing balance on the statement. If it doesn't, compare page by page; scanned statements are where OCR slips happen.
- Debit and credit columns. If your bank prints withdrawals and deposits in separate columns without signs, use the four-column layout instead of rewriting signs by hand.
- Credit card accounts. Card statements often show charges as positive amounts. Upload them to the credit card account, not a bank account, and check the signs on the first few rows after import. For card statements in Excel, see the credit card statement converter.
- Duplicates. If the bank feed already covers part of the period, cut those rows from the CSV before importing so transactions aren't counted twice.
- Mac users. If QuickBooks rejects a file saved from Excel on a Mac, save it again as a Windows CSV.
Related converters
Need the statement in a spreadsheet rather than an import file? Use the bank statement to Excel converter. For any other table in a PDF, the PDF to CSV converter works the same way. Pricing for longer statements is on the pricing page.