How to import a bank CSV

Most NZ banks let you download transactions as CSV (comma-separated values). My Money Tracker is built around that: upload a file per account, map the columns once, then categorise.

1. Export from your bank

1. Sign in to internet banking (or the credit-card portal).
2. Open the account history or “transactions” / “statements” section.
3. Choose Download or Export → CSV (not PDF).
4. Pick a date range you have not imported yet (or a full month).
5. Save the file somewhere easy to find.

Menus differ by bank. Look for “export”, “download transactions”, or “OFX/QIF/CSV” — pick CSV when you can.

2. What a good file contains

At minimum the tracker needs to identify:

• Date of each transaction
• Description (payee / particulars / narrative)
• Amount — either one signed column, or separate debit/credit columns

Extra columns (balance, code, reference) are fine; you can ignore them in the mapping step.

3. Import in My Money Tracker

1. Open Accounts and select (or create) the matching account.
2. Upload the CSV.
3. Confirm which columns are date, description, and amount. The app guesses; fix anything that looks wrong.
4. Review the preview, then save.
5. Categorise new rows (the tracker remembers rules for similar descriptions).

4. Common pitfalls

• Wrong column as description — if categories look like dates or card numbers, remapping the description column usually fixes it.
• Overlapping date ranges — re-importing the same month can create duplicates; prefer non-overlapping exports.
• Opening balance — set the account’s opening balance/date so the running total matches your bank.
• Credit cards vs everyday — keep them as separate accounts so transfers and repayments stay clear.

5. Privacy

Files are processed on this server for your account. There is no ad network and no need to email statements to a third-party budgeting SaaS.

Go to Accounts My Money Tracker home