Bank statement to YNAB
YNAB imports a file with five columns — Date, Payee, Memo, Outflow and Inflow. Upload your statement and the CSV comes out in exactly that layout, with dates as MM/DD/YYYY and money out and money in in separate positive columns.
Upload a file
What the YNAB CSV contains
- A header row YNAB recognises: Date, Payee, Memo, Outflow, Inflow
- Dates as MM/DD/YYYY, the format YNAB’s importer reads
- Money out in Outflow and money in in Inflow, both as positive numbers
- The statement’s description as the payee, with the memo left empty for you
What the YNAB CSV file looks like
YNAB's file import wants US dates and two unsigned money columns: spending goes in Outflow, money in goes in Inflow. Memo stays empty for you to use, and categories are assigned inside YNAB after the import.
Date,Payee,Memo,Outflow,Inflow
03/02/2026,Direct Debit 4471 Acme Insurance,,120.00,
03/04/2026,Card Payment Corner Grocer,,38.40,
03/06/2026,Transfer Received J Smith,,,500.00What YNAB expects
YNAB’s file import (Import on the account, then choose the file) reads CSV, OFX, QFX and QIF. The CSV has to use YNAB’s columns, and outflows and inflows go in separate columns rather than one signed amount.
That is the layout this page produces, so the import lines up without remapping. Categories are yours to assign in YNAB after the import — a statement does not print them.
How to convert
Upload your statement
Drop in the PDF you downloaded from your bank, or a scan of a paper statement.
Keep YNAB selected
The YNAB layout is preselected on this page.
Import into YNAB
Open the account in YNAB, choose Import, pick the CSV, and approve the transactions.
Statements it handles
Layouts differ from bank to bank, so nothing is matched against a fixed template. An unusual statement still produces a table you can check before exporting — which is what makes it usable for bookkeepers and accountants who receive statements from every client.
PDF statements and CSV exports
A statement downloaded from your bank, or the CSV your bank lets you export. Both arrive as the same clean table.
Multi-page statements, read as one table
A statement that runs over several pages — or several statements uploaded together — is read as one continuous table, not one file per page.
Amounts and dates kept as your bank prints them
Debit and credit signs, decimal places and date formats are left as printed, so the numbers still reconcile against the statement.
Scanned, image-only PDFs, read with OCR
A statement with no text layer is read with OCR and may need a quick review — the one case where a row can come out wrong.
- CSV
- Scan
Rows are read by what they are — a date, a description, an amount — not by where they sit on the page, so a wrapped description stays with its transaction and a closing balance never becomes one. Why OCR mangles bank statements
Frequently asked questions
How do I import a bank statement into YNAB?
Convert the statement here with the YNAB layout selected, then open the account in YNAB, choose Import and pick the CSV. YNAB shows the transactions for you to approve.
Why use a file when YNAB can link my bank?
Some banks and card issuers cannot be linked, links break, and linked imports only reach back so far. A statement file fills those gaps, including months from before you started using YNAB.
What format does YNAB need?
A CSV with Date, Payee, Memo, Outflow and Inflow columns, or OFX/QFX/QIF. This page produces the CSV in that exact layout.
Why are there no categories?
Categories are a budgeting decision, not something printed on a statement. You assign them in YNAB after the import.
Is my statement kept after conversion?
No. The file is deleted when the conversion finishes; only the converted copy stays at your private link.
Do I need an account?
No. The converter works without signing up.