How to Import a Bank Statement into Sage
Sage 50 and Sage Business Cloud bank import formats, the CSV layout each expects, and the errors that mean your file is wrong.
Sage accepts bank statement imports, but the accepted format differs between Sage 50 and Sage Business Cloud, which is the source of most failed imports.
What each version wants
| Product | Formats accepted | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sage 50 Accounts | CSV, OFX, QIF | CSV needs a specific column order |
| Sage Business Cloud | CSV, OFX | Column mapping is done in the UI |
| Sage 200 | CSV, OFX, BAI2 | BAI2 for corporate bank feeds |
OFX is taken by all three, and it sidesteps the two problems below: its dates are always YYYYMMDD, and every amount already carries its sign. The PDF to OFX converter writes one from your statement.
The CSV Sage 50 expects
Sage 50 is stricter than most. It wants date, reference, description and amount, with debits negative — and it wants the date in the format configured in your Sage regional settings, not whatever your file happens to use.
That last point causes more failed imports than anything else. Your Sage installation might be set to DD/MM/YYYY while your converted file carries whatever format your bank printed, and Sage will reject the file rather than infer.
Step by step
- Convert your statement to OFX, or to CSV OFX needs no column mapping. A CSV from this site keeps your bank's own columns, so for Sage 50 rearrange them into its order and make debits negative first.
- Check what date format Sage expects In Settings → Company Preferences → Countries, or your regional settings.
- Confirm the conversion reconciles Before importing. Fixing a bad import in Sage is far more work than not making it.
- Import via Bank → Bank Feeds → Import Statement Or Transactions → Bank → Import in Business Cloud.
- Reconcile against the statement balance Sage's reconciliation screen should land on the closing balance from your PDF.
Common errors
| Error | Cause |
|---|---|
| "Invalid date" | Date format does not match Sage's regional setting |
| Everything imports as a receipt | Debits not negative in a single-amount column |
| "File format not recognised" | Wrong column order, or a header row Sage did not expect |
| Amounts import as zero | Currency symbols left in the amount column |
Reconciling after the import
Sage's bank reconciliation asks you to enter a statement closing balance and then tick off transactions until the difference is zero.
Take that closing balance from the PDF, not from your converted file. The point of the exercise is to check your records against the bank, and using a figure derived from the same import you are checking defeats it entirely.
If the reconciliation does not balance
- The difference equals one transaction — that row is missing or duplicated
- The difference is exactly double a transaction — it was imported twice, or once with the wrong sign
- The difference is small and odd — often a fee row that did not import
- Everything is out — usually a date range mismatch rather than missing data
Frequently asked questions
Does Sage accept Excel files?
No. Sage takes CSV, OFX and QIF for bank imports, not .xlsx.
Where should the closing balance for reconciliation come from?
The PDF statement, not your converted file. Reconciling against your own import cannot detect what the import missed.
Can I import several months at once?
Yes, but reconcile each period separately in Sage so the statement balances match your PDFs.
Related posts
- How to Import a Bank Statement into MYOB
- How to Import a Bank Statement into Wave Accounting
- How to Import a Bank Statement into FreshBooks
Convert a statement now
Bank Statement PDF to OFX, or see every format. More in the guides.