A bank statement converter for accountants turns the PDF statements clients send you into rows you can check, categorize and post. Ours collects statements through client upload links, converts many PDFs into one spreadsheet, checks every balance, and exports QuickBooks, Xero and journal-entry files.
Quick answer: Send each client an upload link, convert their statements into one spreadsheet, and let the balance check flag rows that don't add up. Then categorize with taxes and bookkeeping mode and download an Accountant Pack, a journal-entry CSV, or QBO, OFX and QIF files for QuickBooks or Xero.
Who this is for
It is built for accountants, bookkeepers and tax preparers who get bank statements from clients as PDFs and have to turn them into ledger entries. That includes catch-up work for a client who hasn't reconciled in months, year-end packs for sole proprietors, and clients whose bank feeds don't reach back far enough.
If you handle one or two statements a month, the free tier may be enough: 3 pages a day without an account and 15 with a free account. Once you're working through a stack of client statements each week, the paid plans add the tools on this page.
How the client-statement workflow works
The workflow runs from collecting PDFs to a file your accounting software can import, in five stages. Each stage below names the plan it needs.
1. Collect statements with client upload links
On the Firm plan, you create an upload link for each client from the Clients page. The client opens the link and uploads their statements without making an account. The files land in your History, tagged with that client's name, so you aren't digging through email attachments. You can switch a link off when the job is done.
2. Convert many statements into one spreadsheet
Upload several PDFs at once and the converter puts the transactions into a single spreadsheet, so twelve monthly statements become one year of rows. Each row has the date, description, amount (money out as a negative number) and balance, which is the layout most accounting imports expect.
3. Check the balances
The converter adds each amount to the balance before it and compares the result with the balance printed on the statement. Rows that don't add up are flagged, so a misread figure or a missing line shows up before it reaches a client's books. Check the flagged rows against the PDF and correct them before you download.
4. Categorize in taxes and bookkeeping mode
On the Bookkeeper and Firm plans, taxes and bookkeeping mode assigns a category to each transaction and, for US sole proprietors, a Schedule C line with totals per line. The IRS describes Schedule C as the form for a business operated or a profession practiced as a sole proprietor. Change a category once and you can apply the change to every matching row. More on this mode is on our bank statements for taxes page.
5. Export the Accountant Pack, journal CSV or accounting files
The Bookkeeper plan adds two exports built for accountants. The Accountant Pack is a one-page PDF you can file with your workpapers or send to the client. The journal-entry CSV gives you the transactions as double-entry lines.
All paid plans can also download QBO, OFX and QIF files. Our guides cover the import itself: importing statements into QuickBooks Online and importing statements into Xero.
Which plan includes which tools
The Bookkeeper plan covers most solo bookkeepers, and the Firm plan adds client upload links for practices that collect statements from many clients. Prices and page allowances are on the pricing page.
| Feature | Free | Starter | Bookkeeper | Firm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Excel or CSV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Balance check on every row | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| QBO, OFX and QIF files | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Taxes and bookkeeping mode (categories, Schedule C lines) | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Accountant Pack PDF and journal-entry CSV | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Client upload links | No | No | No | Yes |
| Files kept | Deleted after 24 hours if not signed in | See pricing | 12 months | 12 months |
Why the balance check matters for client work
The balance check tells you whether the converted rows still agree with the bank's own figures. When you post a client's transactions, you're relying on every amount being right. A single misread digit on page four can throw a reconciliation out, and it is harder to trace once it sits among hundreds of posted transactions in QuickBooks or Xero.
Because the check runs row by row, it points you at the exact line that broke the chain instead of only telling you the totals are off. Your review is then a check of the flagged rows against the PDF, not a re-key of the whole statement.
Keeping client files and records
On the Bookkeeper and Firm plans, uploaded statements and their results are kept for 12 months, so you can go back to last quarter's conversion when a client asks a question. If you aren't signed in, files are deleted after 24 hours.
Twelve months on our side is not a substitute for your own record keeping. Tax authorities set longer periods. The IRS page How long should I keep records? gives 3 years as the general rule, with longer periods in some cases, such as 6 years when income is under-reported by more than 25%. In the UK, HMRC says self-employed people must keep records for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline. Download the spreadsheets and the original PDFs into your own client files.
Getting QuickBooks and Xero files right
The fastest import is usually a QBO file for QuickBooks Online and an OFX file for Xero, because neither needs column mapping. Intuit suggests QBO first for QuickBooks uploads, and Xero recommends OFX where possible.
If you prefer CSV, both programs want a single amount column with money out as a negative number, which the converter already produces. Delete the balance column first. Date formats, duplicate rows and file size limits are where most imports go wrong, and our QuickBooks and Xero guides walk through each error. For a single statement without the accountant tools, the bank statement converter on our homepage does the basic conversion.
For a client's bank, the bank guides explain where to download the PDF and how that bank lays out its statements. Browse them from all supported banks.
Accountant and bookkeeper questions
Can clients upload statements without creating an account?
Yes, on the Firm plan. Each client gets their own upload link, and the files they upload arrive in your History tagged with their name. You can switch the link off at any time.
Can I convert a year of statements into one spreadsheet?
Yes. Upload all the monthly PDFs together and the transactions come out in one spreadsheet, with the balance check run on every row.
What is the Accountant Pack?
It is a one-page PDF made from a categorized statement, included with the Bookkeeper and Firm plans. It sits alongside the journal-entry CSV, which gives the same transactions as double-entry lines.
Does the converter assign Schedule C lines?
Yes, in taxes and bookkeeping mode on the Bookkeeper and Firm plans. Each transaction gets a category and a Schedule C line, with a total for each line. Review the assignments before you rely on them for a return.
How long are client statements stored?
Files are kept for 12 months on the Bookkeeper and Firm plans. Without signing in, files are deleted after 24 hours. Keep your own copies for as long as the tax rules in your country require.
Which file should I use for QuickBooks or Xero?
Use QBO for QuickBooks Online and OFX for Xero, both available on paid plans. A CSV with date, description and amount works in both if you delete the balance column first.