Date and description
Prefer the posted date over an authorization date because the posted date normally corresponds with the finalized statement. Then select the correct date order. A value such as 13/07/2026 can only be day/month/year, but 07/08/2026 is ambiguous and must be checked against the statement.
For the description, choose the column with the clearest merchant or payee name. If a second column contains useful reference text, map it as Memo. The description becomes the primary name visible during review; the memo carries supporting detail.
Signed amount versus debit and credit
Use a single Amount mapping when the CSV expresses both directions in one column. Expenses and withdrawals must be negative; income and deposits must be positive. Parentheses are commonly used to represent a negative amount.
Use Debit and Credit mappings when the CSV has two separate columns. A transaction usually has a value in one and a blank in the other. Do not map the same source field as both Amount and Debit/Credit.
| CSV row | Meaning | Converted amount |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee Shop, -4.50 | Signed amount withdrawal | -4.50 |
| Client Payment, 850.00 | Signed amount deposit | +850.00 |
| Fuel, Debit 62.10 | Separate debit column | -62.10 |
| Refund, Credit 25.00 | Separate credit column | +25.00 |
| Fee, (12.00) | Parentheses indicate negative | -12.00 |
Transaction IDs
A stable transaction ID helps the receiving software distinguish transactions. Map a bank-provided reference only if it is populated and unique. Repeated values such as “DEBIT” or a card’s last four digits are not IDs.
When no reliable ID is available, leave the field unmapped. Bank2QBO generates a deterministic ID from the transaction’s contents and row position. Keep in mind that editing the source data or changing row order can produce different generated identifiers, so an import log is still important.
Rows that need cleanup
A CSV should have one header row followed by transaction rows. Remove report titles, repeated headers, subtotal lines, balance-forward rows, and footnotes from a working copy. Do not remove legitimate zero-value records without understanding why they exist, and never overwrite the original bank export.
- Open the working copy as plain data before conversion.
- Confirm quoted descriptions containing commas remain in one column.
- Check that spreadsheet software did not silently change dates.
- Save the cleaned copy as CSV, not as an XLSX workbook.
Worked example: choosing between two descriptions
Suppose a fictional export has Name = “CARD PURCHASE,” Details = “Northside Fuel 0042,” and Memo = “Vehicle 2.” Choosing Name as the description would make every card transaction hard to distinguish. Map Details as Description and Memo as Memo; leave the generic Name field unused.
Now suppose Reference contains “VISA” on every row. That is not unique and should not be mapped as a transaction ID. Leave ID unmapped so the converter can generate one. This example illustrates a useful rule: choose columns for the information they contain, not merely because their headings sound familiar.
- Description should distinguish the transaction during review.
- Memo can preserve supporting text without replacing the payee.
- An ID must be stable and unique, not just populated.
- Inspect at least three rows before deciding a column is reliable.