Import a CSV file into FreeAgent

This tutorial shows how to import a CSV file with transactions into an Online Accounting system - FreeAgent. 

Use the Transactions app to convert your transaction files to required by your accounting software file format.

You could get that CSV file, created manually, let's say in Excel and then save as CSV, or you could download from your Bank, or you could use ProperSoft converter and you would convert PDF file, let's say you have a PDF file and you convert to CSV, using Bank2CSV. And now you want to upload it into FreeAgent, for example. So, let's try to do that. First, click on 'Banking'.

Then we have to click 'Upload a bank statement'. 

FreeAgent supports OFX, QIF, CSV formats. CSV is called a free form format, you can edit it as you like, as a table, open in Excel, you could have as many columns, as you like, as many rolls, as you like, you could enter the date, as you like. OFX or QIF format is called determined format, it means everything is determined: where the date is, how you supply date, how you supply the description, how you supply the amount, and which format is. So, for the accounting system to import that, OFX format is much easier, because it doesn't have to guess where is your data is (because it is a determined format). But the CSV free form format will see how they handle it, let's say Quickbooks Online says that you can import the CSV file, it is the straight table, but allow you to choose which columns for which you want to use, if you have more than one, or three columns, or you have two dates columns. 

Click 'Select a file'. 

Look for a sample.csv file. 

Now you have to select which account you want to upload to. In our case, we have a 'Business Checking Account'. 

We can check 'Guess explanations for my bank transactions'. Don't check it for now, until we have a couple of statements imported. 

Then we click 'Upload Statement', but there is a problem with our file upload. Let's learn more about it. 

If you have the CSV file, that was created in a certain way, but is not supported by the accounting system, use ProperSoft converter, let's say CSV2QFX or Bank2QFX to convert from free form format to determined format. 

Let's say, that you don't want to do that and you still want to import that CSV file. FreeAgent says, that you have to have three columns: column A - date must be in a certain way only, column B - must be the Amount, column C - must be the Description. 

This is our CSV file. We do have the first roll, as column names. And our dates are in different formats. Let's fix this. This is not a big file. You could have the mistakes here by editing, by typing. You have to get a technique here.  

For this simple file - it's fine. You can also use a CSV2CSV converter, that converts CSV or Excel files in free form format into the specific target CSV file, like Quickbooks Online or FreeAgent, or another one. Or you could use a CSV2OFX converter and just make it a determined format.  

We fixed dates and layout, so save the changes and go back. Select a CSV file and click 'Upload Statement'.  

Because we follow what they ask for, this is the only way they can do this, that's why a CSV file is imported. Click 'Review your transactions'. 

We have four successfully uploaded transactions. The date 2016-01-21 was typed incorrectly, it is the editional moment, when you edit manually transaction files. So, anyway, we have to explain each transaction in the accounting system. 

Select a 'Category', change the 'Description', if needed, and click 'Explain Transaction'. 

Let's say you realize, that you did many typos, so FreeAgent has a good function, as 'Undo Last Upload', click it. 

Whatever you imported last time, click 'Delete these transactions'. 

So, four bank transactions are deleted. You would say that it is no good, so let's go back, let's take ProperSoft converter, let's take our transaction file, let's convert to determined format OFX or QIF, and then create that OFX or QIF file. Check another tutorial, where you can find how to import an OFX file and FreeAgent doesn't ask anything, it just imports an OFX file quietly and just shows you only that you have to explain the transactions.