Tier Availability
Essential & PremiumWhy Import Transactions?
Importing transactions lets you quickly populate your account with historical data, making it easy to get started with Purpose Budget or supplement your existing records.
- Get started quickly: Import weeks or months of historical data in seconds
- Migrate from another app: Moving from YNAB, Mint, or another budgeting tool? Export and import your data.
- Supplement bank sync: Import older data that isn't available through automatic bank connections
- Manual accounts: Import for accounts you don't want to connect via bank sync
Supported File Formats
| Format | Extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
| CSV | .csv | Comma-separated values, the most universal format. Requires column mapping. |
| OFX / QBO | .ofx, .qbo | Open Financial Exchange, structured banking format. Auto-parsed. |
| QIF | .qif | Quicken Interchange Format, legacy but widely supported. Auto-parsed. |
Where to find these files: Most banks let you download statements in at least one of these formats. Check your bank's website under "Download Transactions" or "Export Statement."
The Import Workflow
- Navigate to the Import page from the sidebar
- Select the target account - choose which account to import transactions into
- Upload your file - drag and drop or click to browse (5MB limit)
- Map columns (CSV only) - the app auto-detects Date, Amount, and Payee columns. Adjust the mapping if detection is wrong.
- Review transactions - see a preview of all transactions. Duplicates are highlighted so you can skip them.
- Assign categories - set categories before import or handle them afterwards
- Confirm and import - your transactions are added to the selected account
Auto-Detection
Purpose Budget does the heavy lifting so you don't have to configure everything manually:
- File format: Detected automatically from the file extension and content
- Column mappings (CSV): Auto-detected based on header names like "Date", "Amount", and "Description"
- Override anytime: You can always adjust auto-detected settings if something looks wrong
Handling Duplicates
If you import data that overlaps with existing transactions, Purpose Budget helps you avoid creating duplicates:
- The app checks for existing transactions with matching dates and amounts
- Potential duplicates are flagged during the review step
- You can choose to skip duplicates or import everything
- After import, review your transaction list for any remaining duplicates
Statement Import via Reconciliation
Purpose Budget also supports file uploads inside the reconciliation dialog. This is a different workflow from the Import page:
- Reconciliation import: Matches statement entries against existing transactions, then bulk-clears matches
- Import page: Adds new transactions to your account
Which one should I use? Use the Import page when you want to add new transactions to your account. Use the reconciliation import when you want to match and clear existing transactions against a bank statement.
Tips for Clean Imports
- Date format: Ensure dates are in a recognizable format (MM/DD/YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD, etc.)
- Amount sign convention: Check that expenses are negative and income is positive (or vice versa, depending on your bank)
- File encoding: Use UTF-8 encoding for CSV files to avoid character issues
- Correct account: Double-check you're importing into the right account before confirming
- Categorize promptly: Review and categorize imported transactions soon after import so nothing falls through the cracks
Ready to Import Your Data?
Whether you're migrating from another app or catching up on historical data, importing transactions gets you up and running fast.