Importing a bank statement
Download a statement from your bank, upload it, and A4O Accounts reads the columns and suggests an account for each line. You check the suggestions, then post. Nothing reaches your accounts until you post.
Before you start
- You need a bank, card or cash account in your chart of accounts. If you don’t have one, the import page links you to Chart of Accounts.
- Files accepted: CSV, Excel (.xlsx), OFX/QFX, or a Santander .txt statement.
1. Upload
- Go to Bookkeeping → Import transactions.
- Choose the Bank, card or cash account the statement belongs to, then pick the Statement file.
- Leave Bank on Detect automatically, or choose yours. Barclays, Lloyds, Halifax, NatWest, HSBC, Nationwide, Santander, Monzo, Starling, Revolut, Tide and American Express are recognised.
- Check the Period start, Period end, Statement date and the opening and closing balances. They’re filled in from the file where possible.
- Check the preview (format, number of transactions, money in and out, first few lines), then click Import and review.
If your bank isn’t listed, choose Other CSV or spreadsheet. The file needs a header row naming the Date, Description and Amount columns, or Paid in and Paid out instead of Amount.
2. Review the suggested accounts
- Each line shows a suggested account and how confident the suggestion is. Change any line with its Account dropdown.
- Use Always use for this payee to set a rule for next time. Use Ignore for lines that shouldn’t go in the books.
- Click Approve N confident to approve every suggestion that is 80% confident or more, or Approve all suggested.
3. Post to your books
Click Post N to the books. The lines now appear in your reports. If a line went to the wrong account, use Unpost on it, fix the account and post again. Past imports stay listed under Recent imports.