The CSV export is deliberately minimal: four columns that every accounting tool understands, with nothing to reinterpret.
The columns
| Column | Contents |
|---|---|
date |
ISO format, YYYY-MM-DD — unambiguous in every locale |
description |
The full narration as printed, wrapped lines stitched into one |
amount |
One signed decimal — money out negative, money in positive |
balance |
The running balance where the statement provides one |
Choices worth explaining
- Signed amounts, not debit/credit columns. Most import screens (QuickBooks' three-column format, Xero's CSV mapping, Sage, Wave) expect direction in the sign. Statements that printed separate columns have been normalised, with every sign verified against the balance movement.
- ISO dates. DD/MM vs MM/DD ambiguity causes silent month-swaps on import; YYYY-MM-DD can only be read one way. Statements that print dates without a year (Citi, TD Canada Trust and others) have the year resolved from the statement period.
- Balance kept as a column. Imports generally ignore it, but it's your audit trail — any row's balance can be checked against the printed page.
Encoding
Plain UTF-8 with comma separators and quoted fields where needed — descriptions with commas import intact.