To add a bank account in Xero, open Accounting, then Bank accounts, and click Add bank account. Search for your bank, and if no feed is offered, add the account without one. Enter a unique name, the account type, the number and the currency, then save. Check the opening balance before importing any statement into it.
Where do you add a bank account in Xero without a feed?
You add every bank account from the Bank accounts page in Xero, whether or not a feed exists for it. Search for your bank by name. If it does not appear, or Xero offers the option, choose Add without bank feed and continue to the account details. That gives you an account ready for statement imports.
Xero's article on adding a bank or credit card account describes both paths. The steps for an account you will fill from files:
- In the Accounting menu, select Bank accounts.
- Click Add bank account.
- Start typing the bank's name. Change the country if the bank is based elsewhere.
- If Xero shows a login screen for a feed and you are not ready, look for Add without bank feed instead.
- Fill in the account details and click Save & continue, or Save & add another for a second account at the same bank.
You need the administrator role or the standard role with bank accounts access to see the button.
Name, type and number fields on Xero's new bank account screen
The new account screen asks for a name, a type, a number and a currency. The name shows on reports and the homepage, so make it clear. The type decides whether a feed is possible later. The number lets you match statements to the right account at a glance.
| Field | What to enter | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| Account name | A unique name you will recognise on reports | Business Checking 4417 |
| Account type | The type that matches the account, or Other | Checking |
| Account number | Up to 20 digits | 000123454417 |
| Currency | The currency the bank holds, base currency by default | USD |
The example values are made up. Putting the last four digits in the name costs nothing and stops most wrong imports, because you can compare it with the statement header before every upload.
When to choose Other
Xero says to pick Other when your account type is not listed, and that bank feeds are not available for Other accounts. Use it for something like an escrow or trust account you only ever import by file. Do not use it for an ordinary checking account, because you would lose the chance to connect a feed later.
The currency setting on a new Xero bank account
Xero sets a new account to your organisation's base currency unless you change it, and you cannot change it after the account is saved. For a US business with a US bank account, leave it as USD. For an account held in another currency, add that currency to the organisation first and then select it.
If you save a euro account as USD by mistake, the only fix is a new account in the right currency. Choose with care on the first try.
Which opening balance should a new Xero bank account start from?
The opening balance for a bank account in Xero should be the account's actual closing balance for the day before you started using Xero. Take it from the bank statement, not from your old books. Every later check compares Xero's statement balance with the bank's figure, and a wrong starting point puts every month out.
Xero's guide to comparing the statement balance with your bank balance gives that rule and says the opening balance is the first thing to check when balances disagree.
A worked example
These figures are examples. A florist starts using Xero on July 1, 2026:
- June statement closing balance, June 30: 12,640.55.
- Opening balance to enter in Xero: 12,640.55, as at June 30.
- First statement to import: July, starting with the first July transaction.
If the florist wants January to June in Xero as well, the opening balance moves back to December 31, 2025, and six statements go in before July. The guide to importing older bank statements into Xero covers how to plan that. A year of statements can also run into the size of a single upload, which the Xero bank statement import limit explains.
Credit card accounts added in Xero for card statements
A credit card goes into Xero through the same Add bank account button, with Credit card chosen as the account type. Instead of a full account number, Xero asks for the last four digits of the card. Each card that gets its own statement should get its own account.
Card statements need a little more care with signs than bank statements. On a card, a purchase is money out and a payment to the card is money in. Some card exports print purchases as positive numbers. The guide to exporting Amex transactions to CSV covers that flip for one common card.
Bank account setup slips to fix before the first Xero import
The first import into a new Xero account goes wrong most often because of the account, not the file. A duplicate name, a wrong currency, an opening balance from the wrong date, or a card set up as a bank account will all let the import finish and leave you with numbers that do not reconcile.
Run through this before you upload anything:
- The account name includes digits that match the statement header.
- The currency matches the currency on the statement.
- The opening balance equals the bank's closing balance on the day before your first imported transaction.
- A credit card is set up with the Credit card type, not as a checking account.
- You know which file type you will import. OFX needs no column matching, and the guide to converting CSV to OFX helps you decide whether a conversion is worth it.
If your statements are PDFs, SimpleBankConvert is being built to turn them into a CSV that Xero's statement import accepts. You can sign up for early access while you set up the accounts.