How to import a bank statement into QuickBooks Online (CSV, step by step)

Updated 2026-10-10

QuickBooks Online can pull transactions from a bank feed, but feeds break, start late, or never covered the months you need. In that case you can upload a file. This guide shows how to turn a statement into a file QuickBooks Online accepts and how to upload it.

The CSV layout QuickBooks Online accepts

QuickBooks Online reads a simple CSV in one of two shapes:

3-column	4-column
Date, Description, Amount (money out negative)	Date, Description, Credit, Debit

Dates must be in one consistent format, such as MM/DD/YYYY or DD/MM/YYYY. Avoid extra header rows, totals rows and currency symbols. LocalLedger's QuickBooks Online (CSV) export produces the 3-column layout.

Step 1 — Convert the statement

Drop the PDF (or the bank's CSV) into the LocalLedger converter.
Check that the totals reconcile and fix any highlighted rows.
Under Options, choose the CSV date format your QuickBooks company uses.
Export QuickBooks Online (CSV).

Step 2 — Upload to QuickBooks Online

In QuickBooks Online go to Transactions → Bank transactions (called Banking in some versions).
Open the account menu or Link account drop-down and choose Upload from file.
Select the CSV file and choose the QuickBooks account it belongs to.
Map the columns: Date → Date, Description → Description, Amount → Amount ("one column"). Pick the matching date format.
Select the transactions to import and confirm. They appear in the For review tab, where you categorise or match them.

Menu names change from time to time; if you cannot find Upload from file, search QuickBooks help for "upload bank transactions".

Avoiding duplicates

Only upload the date range the bank feed does not cover. Delete overlapping rows in LocalLedger before exporting.
When combining several statements, use Remove duplicates in LocalLedger.
Imported rows land in For review — nothing hits your books until you accept them.

Credit card statements

Upload card statements to the credit card account in QuickBooks. LocalLedger exports purchases as negative amounts and payments or refunds as positive, which is what QuickBooks expects for a one-column upload.

Try it with your own statement. LocalLedger reads the PDF or CSV in your browser, shows every transaction for review and checks the totals against the statement balances.

Convert your statement now — free preview, nothing uploaded