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Importing a Statement

Written byKarishma 1 (1)Karishma Thapa MagarKarishma 1 (1)Karishma Thapa MagarWritten byKarishma Thapa Magar is an ACCA Finalist with experience providing UK accountancy and taxation solutions to clients. She brings strong analytical and problem-solving skills to the table and is able to advise landlord and sole trader clients on the upcoming MTD requirements.View profile
Published on: 25 Aug 2026Updated on: 25 Aug 20264 min read
Importing a Statement

An import puts a period of transactions into an account in one step. Use it for manual accounts, for history from before a feed started, or for an account whose bank cannot connect.

Before you start

  1. A statement downloaded from your bank as XLSX or CSV.

  2. The account it belongs to, already in RentalBux.

  3. A quick look at the file: it needs a date, an amount and a description in some form.

Steps

  1. Start the import. Click Import on the account card. You can also reach it from the account settings drawer or the toolbar on the reconcile screen.

  1. Check the account. The modal names it: Import bank transactions Bank account via XLSX or CSV spreadsheet. If that is the wrong account, close the modal and start from the right card.

  1. Upload the file. Drop it on Drop or drag your document here, or click Browse to upload. RentalBux confirms the file name, its size and how many rows it found. Replace file swaps it for another.

  2. Proceed. Click Proceed to move to the Review stage.

  1. Map the columns. Set each column in your file to the RentalBux field it holds. Anything you do not need is set to Exclude. Reset mapping starts the mapping again.

  2. Deal with the duplicates. If RentalBux flags duplicate rows, read the amber banner: those rows will be imported unless you remove them. The footer restates it N of N rows will be imported · includes N duplicates.

  3. Check the totals. The TOTALS row gives Received, Spent and Net for the file. Compare it against the statement before importing; a mis-mapped amount column shows up here first.

  4. Import. Click Import, which carries the row count. Import complete confirms how many transactions were added and to which account. Then choose Import another file or Done.

The Columns RentalBux Needs

Field

What it is

Notes

Transaction date

The date on the statement

Set the format explicitly — see below

Description

Whatever your bank wrote

This is what bank rules read

Received

Money in

Some banks use one signed column instead

Spent

Money out

Map the signed column to the right field if there is only one

Statement code

Your bank’s reference

Optional, but useful for tracing

Note

Not sure how the file should look? Download the XLSX template or CSV template from the import screen and paste your rows into it.

Date Formats

The single most common import problem is a date read in the wrong order. Set it deliberately at the mapping step.

In the file

Means

If mapped wrongly

07/08/2026

7 August 2026 (UK)

08/07/2026

7 August 2026 (US order)

Read as 8 July — a month out

2026-08-07

7 August 2026 (ISO)

Duplicates

RentalBux flags rows that look like transactions you already hold, so a re-import does not double your figures. Untick anything flagged that you do not want, then import. On feed accounts, transactions from the coverage start date onward are recognised automatically and never imported twice.

If the File Will Not Read

  • Upload failed means the file could not be parsed check it is a valid XLSX or CSV and try again, or use Choose another file.

  • Open the file and delete anything above the header row: bank logos, address blocks and summary lines confuse the header detection.

  • A statement exported as PDF cannot be imported. Download the spreadsheet version from your bank instead.

  • One column holding “£1,250.00 CR” rather than a number will not map. Split it, or use the template.

What Happens Next

Import complete confirms the count, and the transactions appear in To reconcile on that account. Any active bank rules run over them straight away, and anything they matched is offered to you for confirmation.

Note

Import history a quarter at a time rather than three years at once. It is easier to spot a mis-mapped column in 90 rows than in 900.

Where the File Comes From

Every UK bank offers a statement download. Look for “export”, “download transactions” or “statements” in the account view, choose a spreadsheet format, and set the date range yourself rather than accepting the default month.

For Example

A landlord takes over records mid-year with nine months of history in a building society account that has no feed. Three imports one per quarter put the year in place in about ten minutes. Doing it in three passes means a mis-mapped column shows up in 90 rows, not 900.

Why the Mapping Step Exists

Banks do not agree on much. Some write one signed amount column, some write two. Some put the reference in the description, some in a separate field. The mapping step is where you tell RentalBux which of those shapes your bank chose, once.

On Duplicates

Re-importing an overlapping period is normal and safe: rows that look like transactions you already hold are flagged before anything is written, and you decide. The mistake to avoid is importing the same period twice without looking at the flags the figures double and the difference against the bank goes the wrong way.

Whole months, in order, checked in the preview. Three small habits that prevent the two problems that cause nearly every import support ticket: overlaps and gaps.

Support

Common Questions

3 answers · curated
How far back can I import?

As far as your bank will export. Import from your start date forward.

Can I import two accounts into one file?

No. One file per account.

The bank offers Excel, not CSV.

Open it and save as CSV.

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