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    • How to Import Bank Transactions by CSV into SimpliHome

    Automatic bank feed connections are convenient, but there are times when a manual CSV import is exactly what you need: catching up on historical transactions, migrating from another app, importing from a bank that doesn't have a direct connection, or simply getting a fresh start with a complete transaction history.

    SimpliHome makes this straightforward. Export your transactions from your bank's website, prepare the file in the right format, and import them in seconds.

    #Before You Start

    You'll need:

    • Circle admin access (only admins can import transactions)
    • At least one bank account already set up in SimpliHome under Finances → Bank Accounts
    • A transaction export from your bank in CSV format

    If you haven't added your bank account to SimpliHome yet, do that first: go to Finances → Bank Accounts → Add Account.

    #The CSV Format SimpliHome Expects

    SimpliHome's CSV importer expects a specific column structure. Your CSV file must have the following columns in this order:

    | Column | Required | Description | Example | |--------|----------|-------------|---------| | date | Yes | Transaction date | 2026-01-15 | | description | Yes | Transaction description | TESCO EXTRA BRISTOL | | merchant | Yes | Merchant or payee name | Tesco | | amount | Yes | Amount (negative for debits, positive for credits) | -45.20 | | type | No | Transaction type | DEBIT or CREDIT |

    Key rules:

    • The first row must be a header row — SimpliHome skips it automatically
    • Dates must be in YYYY-MM-DD format (e.g., 2026-01-15, not 15/01/2026)
    • Amounts use decimal notation with a full stop (.) as the decimal separator
    • Debits (money out) should be negative — e.g., -45.20
    • Credits (money in) should be positive — e.g., +1500.00 or just 1500.00
    • The file must be saved as .csv (comma-separated values)

    #Example CSV File

     1date,description,merchant,amount,type
 22026-01-15,TESCO EXTRA BRISTOL 1234,Tesco,-45.20,DEBIT
 32026-01-14,SALARY PAYMENT,Employer Ltd,2500.00,CREDIT
 42026-01-13,AMAZON MARKETPLACE,Amazon,-23.99,DEBIT
 52026-01-12,SPOTIFY SUBSCRIPTION,Spotify,-9.99,DEBIT
 62026-01-10,COSTA COFFEE BATH,Costa Coffee,-4.80,DEBIT
 72026-01-10,DIRECT DEBIT SKY UK,Sky,-62.00,DEBIT
 82026-01-08,TRANSFER FROM SAVINGS,,500.00,CREDIT

    #Exporting Transactions From Your Bank

    Most UK banks allow you to export transaction history as a CSV or similar format. Here's how to find it for common banks.

    #Barclays

    1. Log in to Barclays Online Banking at barclays.co.uk
    2. Select your account
    3. Click Download my statements
    4. Choose the date range
    5. Select CSV format
    6. Download the file

    Note: Barclays exports use a slightly different format — you may need to reformat the columns (see below).

    #HSBC

    1. Log in to HSBC Online Banking
    2. Select the account
    3. Click View statements
    4. Click Download or Export
    5. Choose CSV format
    6. Select your date range and download

    #Lloyds / Halifax / Bank of Scotland

    1. Log in to your account
    2. Select the account to export from
    3. Click Download transactions or look for an export option in statements
    4. Choose date range and format

    #NatWest / RBS

    1. Log in to your online banking
    2. Go to Account activity or Statements
    3. Look for the Export or Download option
    4. Choose CSV format

    #Santander

    1. Log in to Online Banking
    2. Select your account
    3. Go to Download transactions in the account menu
    4. Select date range and CSV format

    #Monzo

    1. Open the Monzo app
    2. Go to your account
    3. Tap Settings (gear icon)
    4. Tap Download CSV or look under Statements
    5. Select the date range

    #Starling Bank

    1. Log in to the Starling app or web interface
    2. Go to your account
    3. Tap Settings → Export transactions
    4. Choose CSV format and date range

    #Reformatting Your Bank's CSV

    Most bank exports won't be in exactly the format SimpliHome needs. Here's how to reformat them.

    #Quick Reformat in Excel or Google Sheets

    1. Open your bank's CSV export in Excel or Google Sheets
    2. Check the column order — you need: date, description, merchant, amount, type
    3. Move columns to match the required order (click column header → cut → insert)
    4. Fix the date format: If dates are in DD/MM/YYYY format, you'll need to convert them:
      • In Excel: select the date column → Format Cells → Custom → type YYYY-MM-DD
      • In Google Sheets: use the formula =TEXT(A2,"YYYY-MM-DD") in a new column
    5. Fix amounts: Most banks show debits as positive numbers. Add a minus sign to debit amounts:
      • If your bank has a separate "debit" and "credit" column, combine them: credits positive, debits negative
      • Formula example: =IF(D2="DR", -ABS(E2), ABS(E2))
    6. Add the merchant column: If your bank export only has a description column and no separate merchant column, you can duplicate the description column or leave the merchant column empty
    7. Rename the header row to match exactly: date,description,merchant,amount,type
    8. Save as CSV (.csv format)

    #Using the Merchant Column Effectively

    The merchant column is separate from description because SimpliHome uses merchant names for smart categorisation. If you have a clean merchant name, put it there. If not, you can:

    • Copy the description column into the merchant column
    • Leave the merchant column blank (just put an empty value: ,)

    SimpliHome will still import the transaction — merchant matching just won't be as accurate.

    #Importing the CSV

    Once your file is ready:

    1. Go to Finances → Transactions
    2. Click Import Transactions or look for the import button
    3. Select the bank account to import transactions into
    4. Click Choose File and select your prepared CSV file
    5. Click Import

    SimpliHome will process the file and report back:

    • Imported: how many new transactions were added
    • Skipped: how many were skipped (usually because they already exist — SimpliHome detects duplicates automatically)
    • Errors: any rows that couldn't be processed, with the row number

    #Duplicate Detection

    SimpliHome automatically checks for duplicates before importing each row. A transaction is considered a duplicate if another transaction in the same bank account has the same:

    • Date
    • Amount
    • Description

    This means you can safely import overlapping date ranges without ending up with duplicate entries. Re-importing the same CSV file twice will simply result in all rows being skipped the second time.

    #After Importing: What to Do Next

    Once your transactions are imported, they'll appear in Finances → Transactions with an "uncategorised" status. The next step is to categorise them — assigning each transaction to a budget category (like Groceries, Transport, Entertainment).

    See the companion guide: How to Categorise Your Transactions

    Quick wins after a successful import:

    1. Check the totals — do the imported transaction amounts roughly match your bank statements? If not, you may have missed a date range or have duplicate entries to investigate
    2. Categorise the highest-value transactions first — start with the big items
    3. Set up categorisation rules for recurring merchants so future transactions categorise automatically
    4. Run the financials overview in the dashboard to see your spending patterns take shape

    #Troubleshooting

    "The file format is invalid"

    The file must be a .csv file. If your bank exported an Excel (.xlsx) or OFX file, you'll need to save/convert it to CSV first: in Excel, use File → Save As → CSV (Comma Delimited).

    "Dates couldn't be parsed"

    SimpliHome requires YYYY-MM-DD date format. Check your date column — if dates look like 15/01/2026 or Jan 15, 2026, you need to reformat them. See the reformatting section above.

    "Too many rows skipped"

    If most rows are being skipped rather than imported, your bank account in SimpliHome may already have those transactions from a previous import or sync. Check the date range of existing transactions in Finances → Transactions before importing.

    "Import failed completely"

    Check that:

    • The CSV has at least 4 columns
    • The first row is a header row (column names)
    • There are no special characters or formatting issues in the file
    • The file isn't empty

    Try importing a smaller test file (10–20 rows) to isolate the issue.

    "Amounts look wrong after import"

    If all amounts appear as positive (no debits showing as negative), you may need to go back to your CSV and add negative signs to debit transactions. Use the reformatting steps above to correct this before re-importing.

    #Historical Imports

    There's no limit on how far back you can import transaction history. If you have years of bank statements, you can import them all:

    • Export in chunks by year or quarter if your bank limits the date range
    • Import each file separately, one per bank account
    • Duplicate detection prevents any overlap from being double-counted

    Building up a complete transaction history gives SimpliHome the data it needs to show meaningful spending trends, budget vs actual comparisons, and long-term financial patterns.

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