Can Xero export or import bank rules?

No. Xero has no export or import for bank rules, and bank rules aren't part of Xero's public API. The most popular request for it on Xero's ideas forum has over 500 votes. RuleMover, a browser extension, adds both.

Is my rules file sent anywhere?

No. RuleMover builds the CSV in your browser and saves it to your computer, and reads the file you import in your browser too. Nothing is sent to a RuleMover server.

How long does an import take?

Checking the file is instant. Copying takes about 20 seconds per rule, because RuleMover fills in Xero's rule form and waits for Xero to save each one, so 250 rules take about an hour and a half. It runs on its own in a browser tab.

What happens if a rule already exists in the organisation?

An identical rule with the same name is skipped. A rule with the same name but different settings is flagged in the preview, and you choose whether to copy it anyway or skip it.

Export and import Xero bank rules with a spreadsheet

Updated October 2026

Short answer: Xero can’t export or import bank rules. RuleMover, a browser extension for Chrome and Microsoft Edge, adds both: it exports an organisation’s rules to a CSV file you can open in Excel, and imports a CSV into another organisation, with a preview before anything is saved. Everything happens in your browser.

This is how firms keep one library of their common rules (bank fees, phone, power, fuel, office supplies) and load it into each new client, instead of rebuilding the same rules every time. You need RuleMover installed (install guide) and access to the Xero organisations.

1. Export the rules to a spreadsheet

Open the Bank rules page of the organisation you want to export from, and open the RuleMover panel at the bottom right.
Click Capture rules. RuleMover lists every spend, receive and transfer rule. Untick any you don’t want, then click Capture selected and keep the tab in front while it reads them.
If you keep rules from several clients, type the client’s number or name in Client code. Then click Export to spreadsheet. The file goes to your Downloads folder.

The RuleMover panel in Xero after capturing 3 rules: client code C-101 typed in, and the message Saved rulemover-bank-rules-test-2026-10-20.csv under the Export to spreadsheet button. — After the export, the panel shows the name of the saved file.

2. What’s in the file

Each row is one line of a rule. A rule that splits a payment over two accounts has two rows, and its name, conditions and other settings repeat on both. The account code and the account name are in separate columns, so you can sort the library by account and spot differences between clients’ charts of accounts.

Client	Client code	Exported	Rule name	Type	Conditions	Line kind	Account code	Account name	Tax rate	Amount
Smith Plumbing	C-101	2026-10-14	Telstra	Spend money	Payee contains "TELSTRA"	Percent	489	Telephone & Internet	GST on Expenses	100.00%
Smith Plumbing	C-101	2026-10-14	Bank fees	Spend money	Description contains "ACCOUNT FEE"	Percent	404	Bank Fees	GST Free Expenses	100.00%
Lee Cafe	C-102	2026-10-20	Ampol fuel	Spend money	Payee starts with "AMPOL"	Percent	449	Motor Vehicle Expenses	GST on Expenses	100.00%

The file has 22 columns, in this order:

Column	What it holds
Client	The Xero organisation the rule came from
Client code	What you typed at export (can be empty)
Exported	The export date
Rule ID	Xero’s ID for the rule. Leave it empty for rules you type in yourself
Rule name	The rule’s name
Type	Spend money, Receive money or Transfer money
Match	Any or All conditions
Conditions	Each condition as `Field operator "value"`, separated by `;`
Contact mode, Contact	How the contact is set, and the contact’s name
Line, Line kind	The line number, and Fixed or Percent
Description	The line’s description
Account code, Account name	The line’s account, in two columns
Tax rate	The line’s tax rate
Tracking 1, Tracking 2	`Category: Option`
Amount	A fixed amount, or a percentage such as 100.00%
Transfer account	For transfer rules
Reference, Run on	The reference setting, and the bank account the rule runs on

3. Build a library in Excel

Combine clients. Export each client, then paste the rows (without the header row) under the first file’s rows. The Client and Client code columns keep track of where each rule came from. If an identical rule ends up in the library twice, it is copied only once.
Edit freely. Change accounts, tax rates, names or conditions, and delete rules you don’t want.
Add rules by hand at the bottom. Leave Rule ID empty and fill in at least Rule name, Type, Conditions, Line kind, Account code, Account name, Tax rate and Amount. For example: Telstra, Spend money, Payee contains "TELSTRA", Percent, 489, Telephone & Internet, GST on Expenses, 100%.
Save as CSV. “CSV UTF-8” keeps accented names safest, but plain “CSV” works too.

Excel tips

Excel shows account 090 as 90. That’s fine: the import still matches it to account 090.
Excel may show 100.00% as 100%, and 12.00 as 12. Both are read correctly.
Rows hidden by a filter are still saved in the CSV. To import only some rules, delete the other rows, or copy the filtered rows to a new sheet and save that.

4. Import into another organisation

Open the organisation you want to fill (its dashboard or Bank rules page) and open the RuleMover panel.
Click Import spreadsheet and choose your CSV.
RuleMover checks every row. If something is wrong, it lists the rows to fix and imports nothing, so a half-finished file never reaches Xero. Fix the file and import it again.

The RuleMover panel listing two problems: Row 4, the percent lines of Officeworks add up to 50% and Xero needs 100%; Row 6, a rule needs at least one condition. The heading says Nothing was imported. — Problems are listed by the row number Excel shows.

When the file is clean, the panel says how many rules it imported. Click Paste rules here. RuleMover reads the organisation’s accounts, tax rates, tracking categories, contacts and existing rules, which takes about a minute.

The RuleMover panel after an import: Copying from Spreadsheet: firm-library.csv (6 rules), with the message Imported 6 rules from firm-library.csv. Click Paste rules here to check them against this organisation. — A library of 6 rules from two clients, ready to check.

5. Check the preview and copy

The preview shows every rule before anything is saved:

Ready: everything it needs exists in this organisation.
Needs attention: something is missing (an account, a tax rate, a tracking option), or a different rule with the same name already exists. Choose a replacement, tick Copy anyway, or skip the rule.
Will be skipped: an identical rule already exists here, or the same rule appears earlier in your file.

The RuleMover preview: Officeworks needs attention because a different rule named Officeworks already exists; the second Telstra will be skipped because it is the same as Telstra earlier in the list; Origin Energy and Ampol fuel are ready. 2 of 6 rules ready to copy. — The same Telstra rule came from both clients, so the second copy is skipped.

Click Copy and keep the tab in front. RuleMover fills in Xero’s own rule form for each rule, saves it, and reads it back to check it. Each rule takes about 20 seconds, and you get a list of what was saved at the end.

RuleMover costs A$29 for 12 months, and you can download it straight after payment. It also copies rules directly from one organisation to another, without a spreadsheet.

Get RuleMover

Unofficial, not affiliated with Xero.

Questions

Can Xero export or import bank rules?: No. Xero has no export or import for bank rules, and bank rules aren’t part of Xero’s public API. The most popular request for it on Xero’s ideas forum has over 500 votes.
Is my rules file sent anywhere?: No. RuleMover builds the CSV in your browser and saves it to your computer, and reads the file you import in your browser too. Nothing is sent to a RuleMover server. See the privacy notice.
How long does an import take?: Checking the file is instant. Copying takes about 20 seconds per rule, because RuleMover waits for Xero to save each one, so 250 rules take about an hour and a half. It runs on its own in a browser tab.
What happens if a rule already exists in the organisation?: An identical rule with the same name is skipped. A rule with the same name but different settings is flagged in the preview, and you choose whether to copy it anyway or skip it.
Can I copy rules without a spreadsheet?: Yes. Capture the rules in one organisation, open the other and click Paste rules here. See how to copy bank rules to another Xero organisation.