Available to Accounting Basic, Accounting Premium
You can import bank or credit card transactions into Patriot Accounting as often as needed. Patriot supports two import methods:
Manual imports — you download a file from your bank and upload it yourself
Automatic imports — you connect your bank account for daily updates
This article covers the manual import process. For automatic imports, see How to Connect Your Bank Accounts for Accounting Journal Entries.
Video walkthrough
A video tutorial is available for this topic. The steps below cover the same process in full.
The video shows how to navigate to Accounting > Financial Tasks > Manage Imported Transactions, download a CSV or Excel file from your bank, upload it to Patriot, map your file's columns to Patriot's required fields (Post Date, Description, and Amount), and then review the imported transactions.
Step 1: Download Your Transactions File from Your Bank
Log in to your online bank account.
Download a file containing the transactions you want to import.
Save the file in CSV or Excel (.xls or .xlsx) format to your computer.
Step 2: Upload Your File to Patriot
In Patriot, go to Accounting > Financial Tasks > Manage Imported Transactions.
Click Manually Import Transactions.
Select the bank or credit card account you want to import transactions into.
Upload your file by either dragging and dropping it into the upload area, or clicking to browse and select it from your computer.
If your file does not have a header row (a row that labels each column), uncheck the box labeled "The first row in my file is a header row." If your file does have a header row, leave the box checked.
Click Continue.
Step 3: Map Your File's Columns to Patriot's Fields
Patriot will display the columns from your uploaded file. Match each column to the correct Patriot field:
Post Date
Description
Amount
Amount 2 (only if your bank exports deposits and withdrawals as two separate columns)
Leave any columns that do not correspond to one of these fields unselected — Patriot will not import them. Click Continue when finished.
The image below shows a sample file downloaded from a credit card account. Note that your file can include up to two amount columns, but additional columns beyond that will not be imported.
Step 4: Review Your Imported Transactions
After upload, your transactions will appear in Patriot for review. You can accept, dismiss, or categorize each transaction. For details on managing imported transactions, see Managing Imported Bank Transactions.
FAQs About the Bank Import File Format
What file types can I use for a manual bank import?
Patriot accepts .xls, .xlsx, and .csv file formats for manual bank transaction imports.
Which transaction fields can I import into Patriot?
You can import four fields: Post Date, Description, Amount, and Amount 2. Amount 2 applies only if your bank exports deposits and withdrawals as two separate columns. Any other columns in your file will not be imported.
Which fields are required in the import file?
Your import file must include at least three items: Post Date, Description, and at least one Amount column. If your bank separates deposits and withdrawals into two columns, you can include both as Amount and Amount 2.
Is there a limit on how many transactions I can import at once?
The file limit is 300 transactions per upload, but Patriot recommends keeping each file to 200 transactions or fewer for best results.
How should my import file be formatted?
Each bank transaction should appear on a single row, with a separate column for each field. The first row can be a header row that labels each column, but a header row is not required — you can tell Patriot whether your file includes one during the upload process. Your file cannot contain extra blank lines, borders, or footer rows.
Does the column order in my file matter?
No. Your columns can be in any order. After you upload the file, Patriot will prompt you to match your file's columns to the correct Patriot field