Bank exports are rarely ready to use. These are the common problems and fixes.
Some banks add account info above the column names. Delete those rows so row 1 is the header (Date, Description, Amount…).
Values like $1,234.50 or (45.00) may be text. In Sheets, =VALUE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(C2,"$",""),",","")) converts them; wrap parentheses amounts as negatives.
Make one signed Amount column: =N(Credit) - N(Debit). Money in is positive, money out negative.
Check that dates sort correctly. If 03/04 could be March 4 or April 3, confirm your bank's format and use Data → Split text or DATE() to rebuild them.
If two downloads cover the same days, sort by date and amount and look for exact repeats. Don't remove two genuine identical charges on the same day without checking the statement.
Leave out pending items; use only posted transactions so totals match your statement.
Once it's clean, the free Bank CSV Categorizer can sort and total it in your browser. See also the year-end bookkeeping spreadsheet guide.
They are often stored as text, with dollar signs, commas or parentheses. Convert them to numbers, for example with VALUE and SUBSTITUTE, and treat parentheses as negatives.
Make one signed Amount column with =N(Credit)-N(Debit), so money in is positive and money out is negative.
No. Use only posted transactions so your totals match the bank statement.
Just starting out? Grab the free Starter Expense Tracker (pay what you want, $0 is fine).