If your bank isn't supported by Plaid (or you prefer not to connect a feed), you can import transactions from CSV files exported from your bank. This guide covers the three-step import flow.
Before You Start
Download a CSV export from your bank — most banks let you export by date range from their web portal
The CSV should have at minimum: a date column, a description column, and an amount column
If your bank only exports OFX or QFX, convert it to CSV first (free tools like CSV Converter Online or Bank2CSV work)
Step 1: Upload
Go to Banking and pick the bank account to import into.
Click Import Transactions and drag your CSV file onto the upload area.
Books parses the file and shows a preview of the first 10 rows.
Step 2: Map Columns
Books tries to auto-detect which CSV column is which (date, description, amount). Verify and correct if needed:
Date column — pick which CSV column holds the transaction date. Books supports most common formats (MM/DD/YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD, DD-Mon-YY).
Description column — what the bank called the transaction. Becomes the transaction's payee suggestion.
Amount column — single-column with positive/negative, OR two columns (debit + credit). Books handles both.
Category column (optional) — if your bank exports a category, you can map it. Otherwise Books uses your defaults.
Step 3: Review & Import
Books shows a final preview with auto-detected duplicates flagged. Common duplicate scenarios:
Exact-match duplicate — same date, amount, and bank reference as an existing transaction. Auto-skipped.
Fuzzy-match duplicate — same date and amount but different reference. Flagged with a "Duplicate?" badge; you decide whether to import or skip.
No duplicate — clean import.
Confirm the import and Books adds the transactions to the bank account, ready for you to categorize.
After Import — Categorizing
Imported transactions land in your bank account uncategorized. Go through them and assign a payee + category. Books learns your patterns — once you categorize "STARBUCKS #1234" as Meals (Office), it'll auto-suggest the same category for future Starbucks transactions.
Imports vs. Bank Feeds
You can use both at once. Books de-duplicates across both sources. Common pattern: connect a bank feed for your active operating account, and CSV-import historical transactions or a credit card the feed doesn't support.