How to import a bank statement in Tally Prime.

Path 1 — the Bank Statement utility. Tally Prime can import statements natively through Gateway of Tally → Alt+O (Import) → Bank Statement. This is the best route when your bank provides a format Tally supports (many banks do via their Connected Banking feeds). It's built around reconciliation, so it maps straight into your Bank Reconciliation screen.

Path 2 — Tally XML voucher import. For PDFs and Excel files from Indian banks that Tally doesn't read natively, convert the statement to a Tally XML voucher file first, then use Gateway of Tally → Import Data → Vouchers. This gives you full control over ledgers and voucher types (Payment, Receipt, Contra).

A valid file is an ENVELOPE containing VOUCHER entries. The fields that cause the most import failures are the date format and the ledger amounts:

<ENVELOPE>
  <HEADER><TALLYREQUEST>Import Data</TALLYREQUEST></HEADER>
  <BODY>
    <IMPORTDATA>
      <REQUESTDESC><REPORTNAME>Vouchers</REPORTNAME></REQUESTDESC>
      <REQUESTDATA>
        <TALLYMESSAGE>
          <VOUCHER VCHTYPE="Payment">
            <DATE>20260317</DATE>
            <VOUCHERTYPENAME>Payment</VOUCHERTYPENAME>
            <PARTYLEDGERNAME>State Bank of India</PARTYLEDGERNAME>
            <ALLLEDGERENTRIES.LIST>
              <LEDGERNAME>State Bank of India</LEDGERNAME>
              <ISDEEMEDPOSITIVE>No</ISDEEMEDPOSITIVE>
              <AMOUNT>-15000.00</AMOUNT>
            </ALLLEDGERENTRIES.LIST>
          </VOUCHER>
        </TALLYMESSAGE>
      </REQUESTDATA>
    </IMPORTDATA>
  </BODY>
</ENVELOPE>

• DATE must be YYYYMMDD — 20260317, not 17/03/2026.
• VCHTYPE is the voucher kind: Payment, Receipt, or Contra. A converter chooses this per transaction (credit = Payment, debit = Receipt).
• ALLLEDGERENTRIES.LIST holds each ledger split; ISDEEMEDPOSITIVE and the AMOUNT sign together control the debit/credit side.

You don't need to hand-write any of this — a converter produces the file. But knowing the structure helps when an import fails and you have to debug it. For the full reference — the wrapper, every tag, and the errors Tally documents — see the Tally XML format guide.

Before importing, make sure the bank ledger referenced in the XML exists in your company:

• Create the ledger (e.g. "State Bank of India") under the Bank group — use the same spelling as the file, or the import will ask you to remap.
• Bank-ledger vouchers post to your Bank Reconciliation screen automatically once the ledger is grouped under Bank.
• Map recurring payees once (salaries, vendors, EMI) and re-use them across imports for consistent categorization.

• \"Ledger not found\": create the ledger first, under the Bank group, with the exact spelling used in the file.
• \"Invalid date\" / date errors: the XML date must be YYYYMMDD. Re-export from the converter if a date was mangled.
• Every amount is on the wrong side: the debit/credit flag (ISDEEMEDPOSITIVE) is inverted for one ledger. Fix it in the file or check your converter's settings.
• Duplicates after re-import: Tally matches on voucher date and number. Re-importing the same file twice doubles the entries — delete the previous import first, or import once and check the count.

For the vendor's own walkthrough of the built-in utility, see TallyHelp — Import Bank Statements. For the file-level reference, TallyHelp's Sample XML documentation shows full voucher examples.