Import supplier invoices into Xero bills

By Kayabyte · Last updated 29 October 2026

Entering supplier bills in Xero by hand is slow when you have a stack of PDFs. Xero can import bills from a CSV file, one row per line item. Labels in Xero change, so treat the menu names as a guide.

1. Get Xero’s template

In Xero open Purchases, then Bills, and use the menu beside New Bill to import from CSV. Download Xero’s own template and keep its headings unchanged. Required fields are marked with an asterisk; they include the contact name, invoice number, invoice date, due date and line amounts. Date format and account codes must match your organisation.

2. Prepare the rows

For each invoice, repeat the header fields on every line row, with one row per line item: description, quantity, unit amount, account code and tax type. A bill with the same invoice number on several rows becomes one bill with several lines. Account codes and tax types must already exist in your chart of accounts, otherwise Xero rejects the row, and a bad row can stop the whole import.

3. Check before importing

Make sure each invoice’s lines add up to the amounts you expect, and that the tax per line matches the invoice. A wrong amount imported into Xero has to be voided and re-entered.

4. Import

Choose the file, review Xero’s preview, and import. Check a couple of bills against the PDFs afterwards. Attach the originals to each bill for your records.

5. Where Balanced helps

Balanced reads your invoice PDFs on your Mac and does steps 2 and 3. It shows the header and line items, checks quantity times price, the line sum and the total, and marks the lines that do not match. Then choose Xero bills import (CSV) in the export, set your default account code and tax type, and export many invoices into one file. It writes a file; it does not log in to Xero or send anything for you. Download Xero’s template once and compare headings if Xero rejects a row.

Honest limits: invoices vary a lot, so check the header and the line table in the preview; a poor scan or a photo taken at an angle can misread digits (the checks usually catch it); a password-protected PDF has to be unlocked first. Nothing here is accounting or tax advice.

Download Balanced and try it free: the free version reads and checks everything, exports up to 3 invoices in one file, and needs Pro beyond that. Pro is USD 59 per year or USD 7.99 per month, for up to 3 Macs. See pricing and the help page. macOS 14 or later.