How to Import a Bank Statement into FreshBooks

FreshBooks bank import options, the CSV format it accepts, and how to handle accounts with no direct connection.

FreshBooks is built around bank connections rather than file imports, which makes manual importing less prominent but no less necessary — connections break, and they do not cover history.

When you need a file import

Historical transactions from before you connected the account
A period where the connection failed and did not backfill
An account FreshBooks cannot connect to — many smaller and non-US banks
A closed account you still need records from

The CSV format

FreshBooks expects date, description and amount, with money out as a negative value. Keep it minimal — extra columns are more likely to confuse the import than help it.

Step by step

Convert your statement Export to CSV.
Verify it reconciles first Before importing anything.
Reduce to date, description, amount With debits negative.
Import via Accounting → Bank Connections → Upload Then review the imported transactions.
Categorise FreshBooks will suggest categories for recurring merchants once it has seen a few.

Keep the full export too

The minimal CSV is for FreshBooks. Keep the full Excel export — every column your bank printed, and the Completeness sheet — as your own record. If a question arises later about a specific transaction, the reduced file will not answer it.

Keeping both files

There is a useful distinction between the file you import and the file you keep.

File	Purpose	Contains
Minimal CSV	Importing into FreshBooks	Date, description, signed amount
Full Excel export	Your own records	Every column the bank printed, plus the Completeness sheet
Original PDF	The source record	The bank's own document

The minimal CSV is disposable — regenerate it any time. The other two are worth keeping, and the PDF is the one that matters if a transaction is ever queried.

Reconciling

After importing, check the transaction count in FreshBooks against the row count in your converted file. A mismatch means the import dropped rows, which is a different failure from the conversion dropping them and needs finding separately.

Frequently asked questions

Why not just use the bank connection?

Use it where it works. File import covers history, gaps, unsupported banks and closed accounts — the cases connections cannot reach.

Which file should I archive?

The original PDF as the source record, and the full Excel export as the working copy. The minimal import CSV is disposable.

Will importing create duplicates with my connection?

Yes, if the date ranges overlap. Import only periods the connection does not cover.

Convert a statement now

Bank Statement PDF to CSV, or see every format. More in the guides.