Importing Statements¶
Bring transactions into FairBooks by importing a statement file exported from your internet banking.
FairBooks has no live bank feed, so importing a statement is how transactions get in. Once imported, each line is ready for you to reconcile.
Supported files¶
You can import:
- CSV (comma separated values)
- OFX
- QFX
Files can be up to about 20 MB. Most banks let you export any of these formats from the transaction list in your internet banking. If you have a choice, OFX or QFX need no column matching, so they are the quickest to import.
Importing a statement¶
- Open the account from Bank Accounts
- Click Import Statement
- Choose your exported file
FairBooks then walks you through a short wizard: Upload, then Match Your Columns (for CSV files only), then Review Import, then Import Complete.
OFX and QFX files carry their own field labels, so they skip the column matching step and go straight to review.
Matching your columns (CSV only)¶
CSV files vary from bank to bank, so FairBooks asks which column holds each field. It pre-fills what it can recognise, and shows the first rows of your file underneath so you can check your choices.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Date column | The column holding the transaction date |
| Date format | DD/MM/YYYY (Australian) is the default. MM/DD/YYYY and YYYY-MM-DD are also available |
| Description column | The main text describing each transaction |
| Amount layout | Choose one signed amount column, or separate debit and credit columns |
| Payee column | Optional. Who the money went to or came from |
| Reference column | Optional. A cheque number or payment reference |
Amount layout¶
Banks record amounts in one of two ways, so pick the layout that matches your file:
- One amount column holds a single figure that is positive for money in and negative for money out. If your bank instead shows money out as a positive number, tick the option to flip the sign so it imports correctly.
- Separate debit and credit columns hold money out and money in as two columns. Choose the column for each.
When your columns are set, click Preview Import.
Reviewing before you import¶
The review step shows how many lines are ready and marks each one:
| Mark | Meaning |
|---|---|
| New | A new transaction that will be imported |
| Skip | A duplicate already in this account, which will be skipped |
| Error | A line FairBooks could not read, which will be skipped |
Check the preview, then click Import to bring in the new lines.
Duplicate detection¶
FairBooks checks each line against the transactions already in that account and skips anything it has seen before. This means you can re-import an overlapping statement, or the same file twice, without creating duplicates. Only genuinely new lines are added.
Note
Duplicate detection compares the date, amount and description of each line. If you edit a description in your CSV between imports, that line may no longer be recognised as a duplicate.
After importing¶
Imported lines land in the account with a To reconcile status. Money in is shown as a positive amount and money out as a negative amount, whichever way your bank recorded it. From here you are ready to reconcile them.