8.5 KiB
Example Bank CSV Files
Format 1: Date, Description, Amount
This is the most common format from bank exports.
Example: bank_export_standard.csv
Date,Description,Amount
2024-01-02,ACH WITHDRAWAL - RENT PAYMENT,5000.00
2024-01-03,DEPOSIT - ACME CORP PAYMENT,15000.50
2024-01-04,ELECTRONIC PAYMENT - UTILITIES,850.25
2024-01-05,"CHECK #1001 - OFFICE SUPPLIES, INC",1250.00
2024-01-08,BANK FEE,25.00
2024-01-10,DEPOSIT - CUSTOMER ABC LLC,3500.00
2024-01-12,ACH WITHDRAWAL - PAYROLL,12500.00
2024-01-15,WIRE TRANSFER OUT - SUPPLIER PAYMENT,8900.00
2024-01-16,DEPOSIT - RETURNED CHECK,500.00
2024-01-18,ONLINE PAYMENT - LOAN PAYMENT,2000.00
2024-01-20,ACH WITHDRAWAL - TAXES QUARTERLY,5000.00
2024-01-22,DEPOSIT - CONSULTING SERVICES,4500.00
2024-01-25,CHECK #1002 - EQUIPMENT LEASE,1800.00
2024-01-28,BANK INTEREST CREDIT,150.00
2024-01-30,ACH WITHDRAWAL - INSURANCE,750.00
How it's parsed:
- Debit: Single amount (interpreted as DEBIT/withdrawal)
- Credit: Single amount (if negative, interpreted as CREDIT/deposit)
- All amounts are assumed DEBIT by default
- Date format: YYYY-MM-DD
Format 2: Date, Description, Debit, Credit
This format explicitly shows debits and credits, common in business bank statements.
Example: bank_export_debit_credit.csv
Date,Description,Debit,Credit
2024-01-02,ACH WITHDRAWAL - RENT PAYMENT,5000.00,
2024-01-03,DEPOSIT - ACME CORP PAYMENT,,15000.50
2024-01-04,ELECTRONIC PAYMENT - UTILITIES,850.25,
2024-01-05,"CHECK #1001 - OFFICE SUPPLIES, INC",1250.00,
2024-01-08,BANK FEE,25.00,
2024-01-10,DEPOSIT - CUSTOMER ABC LLC,,3500.00
2024-01-12,ACH WITHDRAWAL - PAYROLL,12500.00,
2024-01-15,WIRE TRANSFER OUT - SUPPLIER PAYMENT,8900.00,
2024-01-16,DEPOSIT - RETURNED CHECK,,500.00
2024-01-18,ONLINE PAYMENT - LOAN PAYMENT,2000.00,
2024-01-20,ACH WITHDRAWAL - TAXES QUARTERLY,5000.00,
2024-01-22,DEPOSIT - CONSULTING SERVICES,,4500.00
2024-01-25,CHECK #1002 - EQUIPMENT LEASE,1800.00,
2024-01-28,BANK INTEREST CREDIT,,150.00
2024-01-30,ACH WITHDRAWAL - INSURANCE,750.00,
How it's parsed:
- If Debit column has value: transaction type is DEBIT, amount is Debit value
- If Credit column has value: transaction type is CREDIT, amount is Credit value
- Both columns cannot have values in same row
- Empty string or 0 in column means no transaction
Format 3: With Quoted Descriptions (Commas in Description)
Handles bank statements where description contains commas.
Example: bank_export_quoted.csv
Date,Description,Amount
2024-01-05,"CHECK #1001 - OFFICE SUPPLIES, INC, Springfield, IL",1250.00
2024-01-10,"DEPOSIT - CUSTOMER ABC LLC, Invoice #INV-2024-001, Reference: PO-5555",3500.00
2024-02-01,"WIRE TRANSFER - VENDOR XYZ, Invoice #INV-12345, Amount $8900, Reference Code ABC123",8900.00
2024-02-15,"ACH PAYMENT - MULTIPLE INVOICES, Details: INV-001 $500, INV-002 $750, INV-003 $1000",2250.00
Key Features:
- Descriptions with commas are wrapped in quotes:
"Description, with, commas" - Quotes are properly handled by the CSV parser
- Real-world bank statements often include detailed transaction info
Format 4: Mixed with Escaped Quotes
Handles descriptions that contain both commas AND quotes.
Example: bank_export_escaped_quotes.csv
Date,Description,Amount
2024-01-20,"VENDOR INVOICE - Widget Corp, Item: ""Ultra Premium Widgets"", Qty: 500",2500.00
2024-02-10,"CUSTOMER DEPOSIT - ABC Corp, Receipt: ""2024-Feb-Invoice"", Amount: USD 5000",5000.00
Key Features:
- Quotes inside quoted strings are escaped with double-quotes:
"The ""thing"" is..." - Parser handles these correctly
- Uncommon but can appear in detailed bank statements
API Request Examples
Parse CSV (Form Data)
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/bank-transactions/parse-csv \
-F "file=@bank_export_standard.csv"
Response:
{
"success": true,
"count": 15,
"transactions": [
{
"transactionDate": "2024-01-02",
"description": "ACH WITHDRAWAL - RENT PAYMENT",
"transactionType": "DEBIT",
"amount": 5000.00
},
{
"transactionDate": "2024-01-03",
"description": "DEPOSIT - ACME CORP PAYMENT",
"transactionType": "DEBIT",
"amount": 15000.50
},
...
],
"message": "Parsed 15 transaction(s) from CSV"
}
Import Transactions (JSON)
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/bank-transactions/import \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"bankAccountId": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
"transactions": [
{
"transactionDate": "2024-01-02",
"description": "ACH WITHDRAWAL - RENT PAYMENT",
"transactionType": "DEBIT",
"amount": 5000.00,
"referenceNumber": "ACH-123456",
"oppositeParty": "Landlord LLC"
},
{
"transactionDate": "2024-01-03",
"description": "DEPOSIT - ACME CORP PAYMENT",
"transactionType": "DEBIT",
"amount": 15000.50,
"referenceNumber": "INV-2024-001",
"oppositeParty": "Acme Corp"
}
]
}'
Response:
{
"success": true,
"imported": 2,
"message": "Successfully imported 2 transaction(s)"
}
Common Bank CSV Exports
Chase Business Banking
Typically uses: Date, Description, Amount
- Date format: MM/DD/YYYY
- Description includes transaction type and details
- Single amount column (positive = debit)
Bank of America
Typically uses: Date, Description, Debit, Credit
- Date format: MM/DD/YYYY
- Description is brief
- Explicit debit/credit columns
Wells Fargo Business
Typically uses: Date, Description, Amount
- Date format: M/D/YYYY
- Description is detailed
- Amount is always positive
Quickbooks Export
Typically uses: Date, Reference, Amount, Description
- Can be remapped to standard format
- Date format: M/D/YYYY
- Amount includes sign (negative = credit)
Data Quality Notes
Best Practices for CSV Uploads
- Remove headers: API expects headers in first row
- Check date format: Should be YYYY-MM-DD or MM/DD/YYYY
- Consistent amounts: All positive numbers (debit/credit indicated by column)
- No special formatting: Avoid currency symbols ($), commas in amounts (500.00, not 500,00)
- Quoted descriptions: Use quotes if description contains commas
- No summary rows: Remove total/balance rows at end of file
Invalid Examples (Will Fail)
Date,Description,$Amount
1/2/24,Rent Payment,"$5,000.00"
1/3/24,Deposit,15000.50
Problems:
- Currency symbol in header ($Amount)
- Non-standard date format (1/2/24)
- Currency formatting in amount ($5,000.00)
Valid Examples (Will Succeed)
Date,Description,Amount
2024-01-02,Rent Payment,5000.00
2024-01-03,Deposit,15000.50
Testing Workflow
Step 1: Prepare CSV
Use one of the example files above or export from your bank.
Step 2: Parse for Preview
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/bank-transactions/parse-csv \
-F "file=@bank_export.csv"
Review the parsed transactions in the response.
Step 3: Adjust if Needed
If parsing fails, check:
- CSV has required columns (Date, Description, Amount or Debit/Credit)
- Date format is standard (YYYY-MM-DD or MM/DD/YYYY)
- Descriptions with commas are quoted
- No extra rows (headers, totals, etc.)
Step 4: Import
Once happy with preview, send parsed transactions to import endpoint.
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/bank-transactions/import \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"bankAccountId": "your-account-uuid",
"transactions": [... from parse response ...]
}'
Step 5: Verify in UI
Log in and check that transactions appear in:
- Bank Transactions list view
- Bank Account details
- Cash position report
Troubleshooting
"CSV must have 'Date' and 'Description' columns"
- Check header row for exact column names
- Use:
DateandDescription(case-sensitive) - Or:
date,description(lowercase works too)
"CSV must have 'Amount' or 'Debit'/'Credit' columns"
- Format 1: Include
Amountcolumn - Format 2: Include both
DebitANDCreditcolumns - Cannot mix formats in same file
"CSV file is empty"
- Check that file was uploaded successfully
- File must have at least header + 1 data row
"Cannot read property 'toLowerCase' of null"
- Likely missing required columns
- Verify CSV header row has Date and Description
Transactions show with wrong type (DEBIT vs CREDIT)
- In Format 1 (single Amount column), all treated as DEBIT
- Use Format 2 (Debit/Credit columns) for mixed transaction types
- Or ensure negative amounts are handled correctly