Import transactions from CSV
Upload a transaction file, map its columns, review income and expenses, identify potential duplicates and confirm the entries before adding them to Estavo.
CSV import lets you add multiple financial transactions without entering each one manually. Imported records should still be reviewed, categorised and connected to the correct property, tenancy, rent schedule or expense.
How CSV transaction imports work
Estavo reads each row in the uploaded file as a potential transaction. You map the columns, review the resulting records and confirm which entries should be imported.
Some transactions may remain unallocated or require a property, tenancy, category or rent-period match after import.
Check the CSV file requirements
CSV format
Save or export the transaction file using the CSV file type.
Column headings
The first row should contain clear column names.
Valid dates
Use one consistent date format throughout the file.
Numeric amounts
Amount columns should contain usable transaction values.
- Include a transaction date column.
- Include a transaction description or narrative.
- Include an amount or separate money-in and money-out columns.
- Include a transaction reference where available.
- Remove totals, balances and summary rows.
- Remove blank rows from the transaction range.
- Use one transaction per row.
- Avoid merged cells and multi-line headings.
Prepare the transaction file
Remove opening and closing balances
Balances are not individual income or expense transactions and should not be imported as entries.
Remove report headings
Delete bank names, account summaries and other rows above the transaction headings.
Check debit and credit signs
Confirm whether outgoing payments appear as negative numbers or in a separate debit column.
Check the date range
Import only the required period and avoid overlapping a previous import unnecessarily.
Save a separate cleaned version for import so the source transaction export remains available for comparison.
Open the transaction import area
Open Financials
Select Financials from the main Estavo navigation.
Open Transactions
Select the area containing income and expense transaction records.
Select Import
Open the CSV transaction-import workflow.
Review earlier imports
Check the previously imported date ranges and file names before uploading another file.
Upload the CSV file
Select Upload CSV
Open the file picker from the import screen.
Choose the prepared file
Select the cleaned CSV file containing the transaction rows.
Confirm the file name
Check that you selected the intended account and date range.
Continue to mapping
Allow Estavo to read the headings and preview the available columns.
Map the CSV columns
Match each source-file heading to the corresponding Estavo transaction field.
Running balances, branch details and other source fields that do not describe the transaction do not need to be imported.
Review date and amount formats
Day, month and year
Confirm whether a date such as 03/04/2026 represents 3 April or 4 March.
Single amount column
Check whether positive and negative values identify income and expenses.
Separate debit and credit columns
Map the incoming and outgoing columns to the correct Estavo fields.
Currency symbols and commas
Review whether symbols or separators prevent an amount from being read correctly.
Review several known transactions before importing. Incorrect debit and credit mapping can reverse the financial position of the imported period.
Review the transaction preview
Use the preview to identify missing dates, invalid amounts, duplicate entries and rows that require clarification.
Transaction preview
126 rows detected- Check the earliest and latest transaction dates.
- Review several income entries.
- Review several outgoing entries.
- Confirm descriptions are readable.
- Check that amounts have the correct sign.
- Review rows with missing references.
- Exclude balance and summary rows.
- Review every transaction marked as needing attention.
Review potential duplicate transactions
Estavo may identify transactions with matching or similar dates, amounts and references. Review them before deciding whether to import.
Same date and amount
Compare the description and reference before treating the entry as a duplicate.
Previously imported transaction
Exclude the row where the same source transaction is already present in Estavo.
Manual entry already exists
Check whether rent or an expense was entered manually before the CSV import.
Genuine repeated payment
Retain both entries where two separate transactions genuinely have the same amount.
Compare the source file and existing record. Two genuine transactions can share the same date and amount.
Import the reviewed transactions
Review the import totals
Confirm the number of accepted, excluded and flagged rows.
Resolve required errors
Correct missing dates, invalid amounts and other blocking issues.
Exclude confirmed duplicates
Remove rows already present in the transaction history.
Select Import Transactions
Confirm that the reviewed rows should be added to Estavo.
Review the import result
Confirm how many records were imported, skipped or rejected.
Wait for the import result before navigating away so you can confirm whether the process completed successfully.
Review the records after import
- Filter transactions by the imported date range.
- Review the total income imported.
- Review the total expenses imported.
- Check for unexpected positive or negative amounts.
- Review unallocated income transactions.
- Review uncategorised expenses.
- Match rent receipts to expected rent periods.
- Connect expenses to the correct property and category.
- Check for remaining duplicates.
- Compare the imported totals against the source file.
Categorise and match the transactions before relying on arrears, statements, performance or tax-period reports.
Correct imported transaction errors
Identify the affected transactions
Filter using the import date, source file or transaction range.
Compare against the source file
Confirm the correct date, amount, description and reference.
Edit individual records
Correct isolated errors where only a small number of transactions are affected.
Remove confirmed duplicate imports
Delete or exclude only the duplicated records, retaining genuine transaction history.
Reimport only where necessary
Correct the source file and avoid overlapping valid transactions already imported.
Review all financial balances
Check rent allocations, expenses, statements and performance after the correction.
Imported transactions may already be connected to rent schedules, expenses and reports. Review those links before removing records.
Common CSV import problems
The file cannot be selected
Confirm the file is saved as CSV rather than a spreadsheet workbook or PDF.
No headings are detected
Check that the first row contains column names and remove report headings above it.
The dates are incorrect
Review the date format selected during mapping and compare ambiguous day and month values.
Income appears as an expense
Check the debit, credit and amount-column mapping.
Amounts are shown as zero
Remove unsupported text or currency formatting and confirm the correct amount column was mapped.
Every row is marked as a duplicate
Check whether the same date range or source file was imported previously.
The import contains balance rows
Remove opening balances, closing balances and report totals from the source file.
The imported totals do not match the source
Review excluded rows, rejected entries, date filters and reversed debit or credit mappings.
The import stopped before completion
Check whether any transactions were created before attempting the upload again.
Imported rent remains unallocated
Match each payment to the correct property, tenancy and expected rent period.
The transactions are imported
The next guide explains how to match imported transactions to rent schedules, properties, tenancies and expense categories.
Continue to match transactions