UK
About Starling statements
Starling is an app-based bank that also offers a web login, and it's popular with sole traders and small businesses. Look for the actual statement export in the app, under the account's Statements (web banking has them too); a screenshot of the feed won't carry the columns the converter needs.
It helps to know how the statement is put together. Starling's statement carries per-transaction categories and shows Spaces — its savings pots — as transfers, with a clean payee on each line. A plain PDF export flattens that structure; the converter keeps each piece in its own column.
The figures stay in GBP (pounds) and dates read DD/MM/YYYY, the same as on the original statement. A scanned statement is no problem; it's read with OCR into the same layout, with the balance checked either way.
What lands in Xero is a clean, checked file — so the only thing left is the reconciling you'd do anyway.
Why people convert Starling to Xero
Sometimes it's simplest to skip the Starling feed altogether — a one-off account, a client who won't share logins, a period the feed never covered. The converted file drops straight into Xero's Import a Statement screen and reconciles like any other month.
It's handy mid-year too, not just at catch-up. A one-off Starling account, a statement the feed skipped, or a closed account you still need on file — convert the PDF and it goes into Xero like any other import.
Import a Starling statement into Xero
Xero takes the CSV through its own Import a Statement screen.
- Convert the PDF above and download the Xero CSV.
- In Xero: Accounting → Bank accounts.
- Open the account, then Manage account → Import a statement.
- Upload the CSV — the date, description and amount columns line up.
- Reconcile the imported lines as usual.
The totals are checked first
Before the Xero-ready CSV downloads, the running balance is checked end to end. A missing or doubled line is caught at this step, not after it's already in Xero.
Frequently asked questions
How does a Starling statement get into Xero?expand_more
Yes — the CSV goes in through Xero's Import a Statement screen and the date, description and amount columns line up, so you go straight to reconciling. If Xero asks you to confirm the column mapping the first time, save it and later imports remember the layout.
What does a Starling statement look like?expand_more
Starling's statement carries per-transaction categories and shows Spaces — its savings pots — as transfers, with a clean payee on each line. The converter reads each of those into its own column, so the Xero-ready CSV imports into Xero cleanly.
Where do I get the Starling statement PDF?expand_more
From the app, under the account's Statements (web banking has them too). Export the actual statement PDF rather than screenshotting the transaction list — the PDF has the dates, amounts and balance the converter reads.
Does it work on a scanned Starling statement?expand_more
Yes. Scanned or photographed PDFs are read with OCR into the same columns, and the balance check still runs, so a scan converts the same as a digital download.
Do I have to pay up front?expand_more
Converting is free to start. Excel, CSV and JSON download with no login; the Xero file needs a free sign-in.