Bank statement PDF to CSV

What the CSV looks like

Every conversion returns the same four-column shape regardless of which bank the statement came from, so files from different accounts stack cleanly in one sheet:

• Date — normalised so day-first and month-first statements both import correctly
• Description — the full merchant, counterparty or reference text, rejoined if it wrapped across lines
• Amount — one signed number, negative for money out and positive for money in
• Balance — the running balance where the statement prints one

Why copy and paste fails

PDF text has coordinates, not columns. When you select a statement table and paste it, the reading order follows the layout engine rather than the visual grid, so descriptions land in the amount column, wrapped lines become their own rows, and any bank that uses separate paid in and paid out columns leaves you with two half-empty money columns to merge by hand.

Signs, not just numbers

The most common error in a hand-built statement spreadsheet is a sign error. Many banks print withdrawals as positive numbers inside a withdrawal section, so the minus sign exists only in the section heading. Reading the section context and applying it to every row underneath is what turns a list of numbers into a ledger that actually sums to the closing balance.

Check the total before you trust the file

After any conversion, sum the amount column and add it to the opening balance. If it matches the closing balance printed on the statement, the export is complete. If it does not, you are missing rows or carrying a sign error, and it is far cheaper to catch that now than during a reconciliation three weeks later.