# Connect Bank Feed to Xero: Direct and Indirect Feeds

- Author: SimpleBankConvert (https://simplebankconvert.com)
- Published: 2026-10-17
- Category: Xero imports
- Canonical: https://simplebankconvert.com/blog/connect-bank-feed-to-xero

> How to connect a bank feed to Xero: direct feeds versus third-party feeds, how long setup takes and what to import from files while you wait.
To connect a bank feed to Xero, open Accounting, then Bank accounts, click Add bank account, find your bank and log in to it through Xero. Your bank decides which kind of feed you get: a direct feed, a Yodlee feed or none at all. Until the feed runs, import statement files to fill the gap.

## Direct feeds, Yodlee feeds and PayPal feeds in Xero

Xero offers three main kinds of feed, and the one you get depends on your bank, not on a setting you choose. A direct feed exists where Xero has an agreement with the bank. A Yodlee feed is a third-party connection for banks without one. PayPal and Stripe have feeds of their own.

Xero's help page [About bank feeds on Xero Central](https://central.xero.com/0/article/Bank-feeds) describes each type. The practical differences come down to who sends the data and whether you have to prompt it:

| Feed type | Who sends the transactions | Do you need to refresh it? | Worth knowing |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Direct feed | Your bank, under an agreement with Xero | No, it imports on its own | One direct feed per bank account, so it connects to one account in Xero |
| Aggregator direct feed | Yodlee, on the bank's behalf | No, it imports on its own | Xero shows when a third party is involved during setup |
| Yodlee credential shared feed | Yodlee, logging in with your credentials | Most need a manual refresh | Used when no direct feed is available |
| PayPal feed | PayPal | Optional | Transactions arrive every 12 hours |

The table summarises Xero's own descriptions. Your bank's entry in Xero's search may add its own conditions, such as account types it will not feed.

### What "indirect" means here

People often call a Yodlee connection an indirect feed. The word is useful because it reminds you that a third party sits between your bank and Xero. That middle step is why a credential shared feed can stop when you change your online banking password, and why it often needs you to press refresh. A direct feed has no such step, so it tends to carry fuller transaction references.

### When no feed exists

If your bank does not appear in the search, or appears with a Manual upload label, there is no feed for it. You can still add the account and import statements by hand, which the last two sections of this guide cover.

## How do you connect a bank feed to Xero from the Bank accounts page?

You connect a bank feed from the Bank accounts page in Xero, by searching for your bank and then logging in to it from inside Xero. You need online banking access, and your Xero user needs the administrator role or the standard role with bank accounts access. The bank, not Xero, asks for your password.

The steps below follow [Xero's guide to connecting your bank](https://central.xero.com/0/article/Connect-your-bank-to-Xero). Some banks use a different flow, so follow the screen if it differs.

1. In the Accounting menu, select Bank accounts.
2. Click Add bank account.
3. Pick your bank from the popular list or type its name. If it does not show, check the spelling or change the country.
4. If a feed is available, click Continue and log in to bank. You leave Xero for your bank's own login page.
5. Enter your online banking details and any multi-factor code the bank asks for.
6. Choose which accounts to share with Xero, then finish the sharing steps so the bank sends you back.
7. Check that each account Xero lists is the one you meant. Each should show a green tick.
8. Confirm the start date for transactions, then click Finish.

### Matching each bank account to the right Xero account

Step 7 is where most wrong connections start. A business with a checking account, a savings account and a card at the same bank sees all three in the list. Read the last digits on each one and match it to the Xero account with the same purpose. A feed sent to the wrong account fills it with lines that do not belong there, and you then have to delete them.

### Consent that has to be renewed

Some feeds run under open banking rules that make you reconfirm consent from time to time. Xero shows a notice on the homepage when that is due, and the Bank accounts page shows a Renew bank connection option. A feed that quietly stops after months of working is often waiting for that renewal. When it is something else, the checklist in [what to check when a Xero bank feed is not working](/blog/xero-bank-feed-not-working) walks through the usual causes.

## Which start date should a new Xero bank feed use?

The start date tells Xero where the feed's first transaction should be, and Xero lets you go back up to 12 months when you first connect. Pick the day after the last transaction your books already hold for that account. If the account is new to Xero, pick the first day of the period you want to reconcile.

For an account that already has imported statements, Xero fills in the date of the last imported transaction for you. Leave it alone unless you know it is wrong. Moving it earlier asks the bank for lines you already have.

### A worked example

Here is an example with made-up dates. A small landscaping business moves to Xero in the middle of the year:

- Opening balance in Xero: entered as at May 31, 2026.
- Statements already imported from files: none.
- Day the owner connects the feed: August 12, 2026.

The right start date is June 1, 2026. That gives the feed June, July and the first part of August, which is everything after the opening balance. A start date of January 1 would pull five months that sit before the opening balance and would only clutter the reconciliation screen.

### When 12 months is not enough

History older than the feed's reach has to come from statement files. The separate guide on [how far back a Xero bank feed goes](/blog/how-far-back-does-xero-bank-feed-go) explains why the reach varies by bank and how to line up older statements so they meet the feed without overlapping it.

## When do the first transactions arrive through a Xero feed?

Once a direct feed is connected, Xero imports transactions on its own each business day, and you do not have to refresh it. The very first batch depends on how quickly the bank releases data. Xero says it cannot promise that a transaction will appear as soon as it shows in your online banking.

Different feeds behave differently on that first day:

- **Direct and aggregator feeds** start sending on the bank's schedule. You can refresh some of them from the account's menu, but not every bank offers that.
- **Yodlee credential shared feeds** usually need you to refresh them to pull anything in.
- **PayPal feeds** bring in transactions every 12 hours, or when you refresh.

There is no fixed answer to how long setup takes from start to finish. The clicks take minutes. Waiting for the bank's first delivery can take longer, and a bank that needs a paper application form for its feed adds its own processing time. Plan for a gap and do not leave the books idle while you wait.

### Checking that the feed really started

After the first business day, open the account and look at the date of the newest statement line. If it has not moved, check Xero's page on feed disruptions for a known delay before you change anything. Reconnecting a feed that was only late can create a second connection to tidy up later.

## Statement files to import while the Xero feed is not live

While a feed is pending, or if your bank has none, import statement files into the same Xero account. Xero accepts OFX, QFX, QIF, CSV and QuickBooks files, plus PDF statements in US and Canadian organisations, and it recommends OFX where your bank offers it, because the bank's export can go straight in without editing.

[Xero's US page on manually importing bank transactions](https://central.xero.com/0/article/About-manually-importing-bank-statements-US) lists those formats. Your choice usually comes down to what the bank lets you download:

- **The bank offers OFX or QFX.** Use it. Nothing needs column matching.
- **The bank offers CSV only.** Use it, and check the date order and the minus signs before uploading.
- **You only have PDF statements.** Xero's own PDF import is open only to organisations in the US and Canada. Otherwise you need a conversion first, and the guide to [turning a PDF bank statement into an OFX file](/blog/pdf-to-ofx) covers that route.

SimpleBankConvert is being built for exactly this gap: it takes a PDF statement and gives back a CSV laid out the way Xero's statement import expects. The [get started page](/get-started) puts you on the list for access.

### Where the files should stop

Import files up to the day before the feed's start date, and no further. The feed and the files then meet at one boundary. If you import a file that runs past that day, the feed will send the same lines again, and Xero will not always catch the overlap.

## Moving a manual-import account in Xero onto a feed

An account you have been filling with statement files can be connected to a feed later without starting over. Xero keeps the account, its history and its reconciliations. You edit the account to name the bank, choose Get bank feeds, log in, and confirm the start date.

The steps, in short:

1. In Bank accounts, open the account's menu and choose Edit account details.
2. Under Bank name, choose your bank from the list, then save.
3. Click Get bank feeds next to the account and agree to log in to the bank.
4. Pick the accounts to share and confirm that each one maps to the right Xero account.
5. Check the start date. For an existing account it defaults to the day of the last imported transaction.
6. Click Finish.

### The check to run once the feed starts

When the first feed lines land, compare them with the end of your last imported file. Look for two things: a gap of missing days, and the same transaction showing twice. Fill a gap by importing a small file for the missing dates. Remove a duplicate by deleting the extra statement line, not the account transaction it was matched to.

QuickBooks Desktop users moving a file link between accounts face a similar job in a different program. The steps in [changing the Web Connect account in QuickBooks Desktop](/blog/change-web-connect-account-in-quickbooks-desktop) show that side.

## Bank feed setup mistakes that leave Xero with duplicates

Most feed problems in Xero start at setup, not months later. The common ones are a start date that overlaps imported files, an account connected twice, and a feed pointed at the wrong Xero account. Each leaves duplicate or misplaced statement lines that take longer to remove than the setup took.

### The mistakes, and how to avoid each one

- **Overlapping start date.** You imported statements through July 31, then set the feed to start July 1. July now exists twice. Set the start date to the day after your last file.
- **A second connection to the same account.** A direct feed connects to one Xero account only. Starting a fresh connection instead of renewing the old one can leave you with two accounts to merge by hand. Renew or edit the existing connection instead.
- **Two accounts with the same name.** Names such as "Checking" and "Checking 2" invite a mix-up. Use names that include the last four digits.
- **Reconciling before the first check.** Matching lines before you have confirmed there are no duplicates means unmatching them later. Check first, reconcile second.

### When not to connect a feed yet

Hold off for a few days if you are in the middle of importing a backlog of statements. Finish the files, note the last date, then connect the feed with the next day as its start. Do the same if you are still deciding which Xero organisation the account belongs in. A feed is easy to add and tedious to undo, so it should be the last step of setup, not the first.