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KontoCSV

Practical guide

Prepare client PDF bank statements for accounting imports

Bookkeepers often receive statements in PDF form when accounting software expects a structured transaction feed. A reliable workflow starts with complete records and the target system's actual import requirements. A file that looks correct in Excel may still need a different column order, date format or debit/credit convention.

Convert a bank statement Related use case

Prepare your documents

Collect complete monthly PDFs for each client and bank account. Decide whether the end goal is a review spreadsheet or an accounting import. Check the relevant destination settings, including CSV separators, dates, signs and supported bank formats; DATEV is one option for German accounting workflows.

Step by step

  1. 1. Verify the client documents

    Identify each client, account and period. Check missing pages, duplicated months and overlaps before conversion. Keep the names of original PDFs and the corresponding account identifiers in your working records.

  2. 2. Produce a structured export

    Convert readable PDFs to CSV or Excel. If the target system supports an appropriate accounting profile, select it, but do not assume every bank format is universally importable. MT940 and CAMT.053 need additional bank and balance information.

  3. 3. Check the extracted data

    Compare dates, amounts, signs, counterparties, payment references and wrapped descriptions against the source statement. Apply extra care to scanned documents and unusual decimal separators.

  4. 4. Test and complete the accounting import

    Import a small verified sample first, then transfer the required period. Prevent duplicates and complete account coding, invoice matching and tax treatment in the accounting system.

Illustrative example

Illustrative example: A client supplies three PDF statements, two of which contain the same closing days. Those overlapping transactions must be identified before importing so that the same payment does not appear twice in the ledger.

Common pitfalls

  • A generic CSV file is not automatically a valid import for every bookkeeping product.
  • Check multiline payment references, debit/credit orientation and any negative figures.
  • Do not import transactions already supplied through an existing bank feed.

Result and next step

The workflow separates extraction from professional accounting: inventory, conversion, verification, test import and then classification against supporting records.

Scope and limitations

KontoCSV extracts transactions from readable bank statement PDFs. It does not code accounts, validate invoices or give tax advice. Specialized banking formats require complete identifiable account and balance data.

Frequently asked questions

Should I always choose DATEV?

No. Use the format your actual destination supports. CSV and Excel can also serve as review or intermediate files.

Can I process several client PDFs?

Yes, batches are supported; still review the account and period boundaries and remove overlaps before importing.