Reconcile via the API
Be able to reconcile bank statement lines via the API.

Hi everyone,
Firstly, apologies – it’s obvious from the continuing comments that we declined this request too hastily and without the explanation it deserved.
We know that reconciling would be a valuable API feature, but reconciling requires fine grained access to bank statement data and unfortunately we’re not able to share that data via the API for commercial reasons.
At Xero we’re passionate about having an open API and providing small businesses with open access to their data. Unfortunately, many of the partners we rely on for statement data don’t share the same ideals.
Hopefully change is coming in the form of open banking. However, it will be a long time before we can openly share statement data via the API and provide a decent reconciliation experience to third-party apps. For that reason we will unfortunately leave this request as ‘declined’.
For the immediate future, we’re busy doing some really cool stuff to improve the in-product experience and automating bank rec as much as we can. We already have bank rules, auto-match, suggestions and cash coding but there’s lots more coming this year.
Again, we apologies for our lack of transparency on this thread. We do value the feedback on UserVoice and have shipped features with over 3000 votes in the last 12 months. We definitely dropped the ball on this one though.
Cheers,
Adam
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Nathan A commented
The excuse of giving access to bank statements is ridiculous. It's our data. This is absolutely necessary for any useful automation, its embarrassing that this doesn't exist.
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Karim K commented
+1
Importing the same CSV by API as I already do by UI should be a basic human right! I have to import dozens on a regular basis. -
Richard ODwyer commented
This should be implemented immediately, enough excuses.
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Eldre Lubbe commented
With the industry of AI automation rising, this is becoming a more and more popular request from clients who use your platform particularly bookkeepers and accountants who I'm sure would get a mental equivalent of repetitive strain injury from the amount of "ok" they have to click through.
I have had conversations with a few clients regarding this issue and a few of them have considered using a different platform because of this issue, i do not know if other platforms like quickbooks have this same issue considering im not an accountant or bookkeeper.
I believe adding this as a function as part of xero or building out an api so an automation can be built out will be incredibly valuable to your customers
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James Taylor commented
Can we not just have the ability to auto reconcile transactions which match rules we have already set up in Xero? All I do is mindlessly sit there for hours clicking OK, OK, OK, OK. Why can we not automate this? I don't even need to see the transaction details just allow me to either mark all matched as reconciled or redact some data as you display them in the api? This is a joke
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Kendall MacMillan commented
+1,
Come on Xero, sort it out
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Jonathan commented
I get why you can't do this, but it sucks. It's crazy that it's 13 years later and there isn't a better solution.
For others coming here, Xero's problem is that they are dependent on getting bank data from 3rd party data sources (typically not the bank themselves, someone like Yodlee or Plaid), and those contracts disallow allowing access to the data via API. Logically, this makes sense from the 3rd party's point of view. They make their money by selling access to the data. If they allow Xero to share this data via API, then someone could set up a Xero account, set up multiple feeds (say, for their own customers), then use the API to access the data without paying the 3rd party. It seems to me there should be a way around this though - something in the Xero user contract that says you won't do this blah blah.
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Keven Pepin commented
+1, Xero Team, what are you waiting for ?
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Teresa Simonetti commented
+1
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Matthew Carter commented
+1
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John Zealand-Doyle commented
13 years later still can't do this, what a f*ckin embarassment for the xero team. Overpriced crap compared to other products now.
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Ed Moss commented
+1
It's very disappointing that this can't be fast tracked/prioritised when there are so many people here that share the same frustrations. It's either costing us money or time to find workarounds
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Bruno Pereira commented
+1 its ridiculous a) that you dont have the API b) that you don't offer the functionality since 2018 to automatically reconcile bulk payments.
In our case we are a small business that has to spend £250 per month to have someone doing the reconciliation. Xero is great Since 20218 you havent heard your clients or resolved this!!! -
Andy Slack commented
I would like to +1 this feature.
I am trying to automate my book keeping as much as possible. My use-case is chasing stakeholders for invoices which we have payments for but no linked Invoice.
I would like to send them a Slack message with the invoice request, the user would then add the invoice via Slack and it would add it to xero and link it to this payment.
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James Masters commented
Xero is excellent in almost all ways but this is a potential showstopper and we are trying to find a replacement that autoreconciles straightforward transactions. Our bookkeepers currently get paid for hours of time every month just sitting in front of a screen pressing the OK button like idiots. Completely unacceptable in today's world. If you are not permitted to do auto-reconciliation via the API, then just implement it yourselves within the app. An easy project that could be done within a few weeks. No risk if you optionally only allow exact matches on reference or put in other such limitations. If you don't do it, your competitors will and Xero will be no more.
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Jeremy Burgess commented
+1 our use case is very simple. Approx 400 transactions per day are paid into bank via Worldpay or PayPal. These transactions have a reference number that matches the invoice in Xero.
In the reconciling view most go green anyway because of a value match (values vary a lot but there can be incorrect matches).
We simply need to query unreconciled transactions and match each against the correct invoice. The days all exists in Xero at this point. Even connecting to open banking won't help is there is no API function to finish the job.
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Fil Mackay commented
Not so much "open banking" when you are prevented from accessing your own transaction data because of intermediation. Xero needs to renegotiate these restrictions with Basiq, or start bypassing and going direct on behalf of your customers.
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Mark Owen commented
+1 following (can't vote as suggested here: https://developer.xero.com/documentation/api/accounting/bankstatements due to "Idea has been closed"
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Ziegfried Kritzinger commented
1000+ We have verbatim the same requirement as mentioned by James Sefton.
"We would like to be able to simply query if there are unreconciled transactions pending or not. Part of our integration issues late payment charges to clients and letters regarding late payments. We would very much like to do an API call to check that all transactions are reconciled before this automated action takes place. In our case, you do not need to divulge any information at all. A simple true or false for if reconciliation is up to date would be perfect for our use case." -
Katryn Napao commented
When are we opening this card please? It's vital in this time and age that we automate tasks like this.