What you see
You import a CSV into a bank account in Xero and the import stops with "There was a problem importing the file".
Why it happens
Xero Central says: "The date column must only contain data in a date format and the amount column must only contain numbers." It also asks for all the data in a column to have the same alignment.
It sets field limits: "Reference – 255 characters" and "Cheque number – 20 characters". "If there are too many characters in either the Reference or Cheque number fields, the import fails."
PayPal's developer documentation lists Gross, Fee and Net among the columns of its activity download, and a PayPal file also has holds and currency conversion rows. Mapping one of those columns to Xero's Amount leaves the others out.
How to fix it
- In PayPal go to History, click the Download icon, choose the dates and CSV, and download. A bank CSV works the same way.
- Drop the file into the converter above. It is recognised as a PayPal activity download.
- Choose your Xero organisation for the date format, and whether fees get their own lines.
- Download and import the file into the Xero bank account you use for PayPal.
What this does not fix
- Payee, Description and Reference are cut to 255 characters and the cheque number column is left empty, so a long PayPal note can be shortened.
- One currency per file: the most common currency in the export is kept and the notes list rows in other currencies that were left out.
- Xero Central lists other errors that come from the account, such as a bank account locked until a certain date; a new file does not change those.
Before and after
Before: the PayPal activity CSV as downloaded
"Date","Time","TimeZone","Name","Type","Status","Currency","Gross","Fee","Net","From Email Address","To Email Address","Transaction ID","Shipping A... "03/30/2025","18:22:05","PDT","","General Withdrawal","Completed","USD","-1,000.00","0.00","-1,000.00","seller@example.com","","9WD00000TEST0010","... "03/28/2025","09:01:12","PDT","Sample Hosting Co","PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment","Completed","EUR","-20.00","0.00","-20.00","","","9WD0000... "03/28/2025","09:01:12","PDT","","General Currency Conversion","Completed","USD","-21.84","0.00","-21.84","","","9WD00000TEST0008","","","","","","... "03/28/2025","09:01:12","PDT","","General Currency Conversion","Completed","EUR","20.00","0.00","20.00","","","9WD00000TEST0007","","","","","","",... "03/20/2025","14:10:00","PDT","Casey Buyerperson","Payment Refund","Completed","USD","-50.00","1.20","-48.80","","casey@example.com","9WD00000TEST0... "03/18/2025","11:00:00","PDT","Sample Hardware Store","Account Hold for Open Authorization","Pending","USD","-1.58","0.00","-1.58","","","9WD00000T... "03/18/2025","11:05:00","PDT","Sample Hardware Store","Reversal of General Account Hold","Completed","USD","1.58","0.00","1.58","","","9WD00000TEST... "03/12/2025","8:15:30","PDT","Casey Buyerperson","Shopping Cart Item","Completed","USD","50.00","0.00","50.00","","","9WD00000TEST0003","","","Prin...
After: what Xero receives
| *Date | *Amount | Payee | Description | Reference | Check Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/02/2025 | 1250.00 | Riley Clientname | Riley Clientname - MONTHLY - $1 for the first 2 Months, then $6.99 / Month | 9WD00000TEST0001 | |
| 03/02/2025 | -46.73 | Fee | Fee: Riley Clientname - MONTHLY - $1 for the first 2 Months, then $6.99 / Month | 9WD00000TEST0001 fee | |
| 03/12/2025 | 50.00 | Casey Buyerperson | Casey Buyerperson - Print, 8x10 "Sunset" | 9WD00000TEST0002 | |
| 03/12/2025 | -2.24 | Fee | Fee: Casey Buyerperson - Print, 8x10 "Sunset" | 9WD00000TEST0002 fee | |
| 03/20/2025 | -50.00 | Casey Buyerperson | Casey Buyerperson - Payment Refund | 9WD00000TEST0006 | |
| 03/20/2025 | 1.20 | Fee | Fee: Casey Buyerperson - Payment Refund | 9WD00000TEST0006 fee |
Synthetic sample data that follows the real export layout, not a real account. The "after" output was produced from it by the same converter this page runs.
Import the fixed file into Xero
- In Xero open Accounting > Bank accounts and choose the account.
- Click Manage account > Import a statement.
- Choose this CSV and click Import.
- Check the column mapping (Date, Amount, Payee, Description, Reference) and confirm the date format if asked.
Questions
- What does "There was a problem importing the file" mean in Xero?
- Xero Central gives two causes: a column whose data is in the wrong format or alignment, and a Reference over 255 characters or a Cheque number over 20.
- Which PayPal column should be the amount?
- None of them alone keeps your balance right. The converter writes the gross amount and a separate fee line for each payment, or the net amount only if you choose that.
- Can I import a PayPal file into Xero as OFX instead?
- Yes. Xero accepts OFX, QFX, QIF, PDF and CSV files, per Xero Central. Choose OFX under To for a file with no columns to map.
Converters for this file
- Import a PayPal activity CSV into Xero
- PayPal CSV converter
- PayPal CSV to OFX
- CSV to Xero bank statement converter
- Bank CSV converter
Related import problems
- Your PayPal activity CSV does not import cleanly into QuickBooks
- Xero says "The file you uploaded does not contain valid statement data. Please check the file"
- Wave says "The CSV file must contain an amount, date and description column"
Sources
The rules on this page come from these help pages, checked 2026-11-13. Software changes; if your screen says something different, the help page is the authority.