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How do you import a bank CSV file into your rental bookkeeping?

DoorKeeping team

3 min read

Download the account's transactions as a CSV from your bank, open it in a spreadsheet and check the columns (date, description, one amount column with signs or separate debit and credit columns), then import it into your bookkeeping tool for the right account. Import one account and one date range at a time, start the day after your last import to avoid duplicates, and confirm the ending balance matches the bank's.

When a CSV import makes sense

A CSV file is a plain table of transactions. Use one when your bank cannot connect to your software, when you are loading old months, or when you want to review a period before you accept it. A live bank feed is easier for daily use, as explained in connecting a bank feed, but a CSV is a reliable backup.

Download and check the file

  1. Sign in to the bank and find the account's transaction history, then export as CSV for one account and one date range.
  2. Pick a range that starts at the first day of a month and ends at a month-end, so periods match your statements.
  3. Open the file in a spreadsheet. Do not edit the originals; save a copy.
  4. Check that the columns are date, description and amount. Some banks give a debit column and a credit column, and some give one amount with a minus sign for money out.
  5. Add up the amounts and compare to the bank's statement: opening balance plus the sum equals the closing balance.

Example a made-up account opened October at $2,000. The CSV has deposits of $4,200 and withdrawals of $1,650. The sum is $4,200 - $1,650 = $2,550, so the closing balance should be $2,000 + $2,550 = $4,550. If the statement closes at $4,550, the file is complete.

Clean the file before importing

  • Make dates one format. Some programs read 03/04 as March 4 and some as April 3, so check one known date.
  • Remove header notes or summary rows the bank added at the top or bottom.
  • Keep descriptions as they are. They help you match tenants and vendors, so do not shorten them.
  • Fix amounts that include currency symbols or commas stored as text.
  • Check for pending items. Import only posted transactions, since pending ones can change.

Do not paste private data such as full account numbers into a chat or an online tool you do not trust. Work in a spreadsheet you control.

Import without duplicates

The most common CSV mistake is overlap: importing a range that includes days you already imported. Write down the last date you loaded for each account. Start the next file the day after. If the tool offers a duplicate warning, read it, but do not rely on it alone, since two real transactions of the same amount on the same day can look like a duplicate.

After the import, check the account's ending balance in your books against the bank's. If it differs, the difference is the sum of what is missing or doubled, which usually shows up as a single wrong line.

If the difference equals one transaction's amount, look for that line first: it is either missing from the file or imported twice. If it equals twice an amount, a line was probably imported with the wrong sign, so money in was read as money out. Sort the imported lines by amount and scan for a number that matches the gap before you start digging through descriptions.

Keep the original CSV files in a folder named by LLC and month. If an auditor, lender or your preparer ever asks where a number came from, the untouched bank file is the best answer, and it costs nothing to keep.

How DoorKeeping handles it

DoorKeeping reads each property's bank account through a read-only bank feed, so you do not export files each month, and it keeps each LLC's books apart. Deposits are matched to the rent tenants owe, and anything unclear waits for your one-tap confirmation. It costs $2 per unit per month with $0 in other fees.

Sources

  1. IRS Publication 583, Starting a Business and Keeping Records, read Oct 30, 2026
  2. Plaid documentation, Transactions (posted and pending transactions), read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

What file format should I download from my bank?
CSV is the most widely accepted. Some banks also offer formats made for accounting software. Pick the one your tool says it accepts.
Why did my import double some transactions?
The date ranges probably overlapped. Delete the extra import for the overlapping days, then check the ending balance against the bank statement.
How far back should I import?
Back to the start of the tax year at least, or to the day you opened the account. Starting at the first of a month keeps balances easy to check.

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