Why import files instead of linking
Linking an account usually means handing your bank login to the app, or to a data company it works with, such as Plaid, MX or Finicity. Those connections also break: a password change, a new security step or a bank website update, and transactions stop arriving until you reconnect.
A downloaded file has none of that. Nothing logs into your bank but you, the file holds exactly what the bank shows you, and it works the same way whichever bank you use. The cost is a minute or two every week or month to download the file and import it. Many people find that regular look at their transactions is worth having anyway.
Importing a file this way happens on your computer. UrBudget's optional assistant can also read a statement or receipt you drop into it, but that sends the document to the AI provider you chose (your ChatGPT plan, or your own OpenAI or Anthropic key). The file import doesn't need the assistant.
Which file to download
| Format | What it is | For budgeting |
|---|---|---|
| QFX | Quicken's version of OFX. Banks often label it "Quicken" or "Quicken Web Connect". | Usually the best choice when it's offered: amounts have the right sign, and each transaction carries the bank's own ID, so a file that overlaps the last one doesn't create duplicates. |
| OFX | Open Financial Exchange, the standard format. Sometimes labelled "Microsoft Money". | Just as good as QFX. Pick whichever your bank offers. |
| CSV | A plain spreadsheet file. Every bank lays its columns out differently. | Works when the columns are clear, but some card issuers show purchases as positive numbers, which a budget reads as money coming in. Check the preview, or use QFX or OFX. |
| QIF | Quicken's older format, with no transaction IDs. | Fine if it's all your bank has. Re-importing the same dates needs more care. |
| QBO | The same structure as OFX, made for QuickBooks. | Meant for accounting software; choose QFX or OFX instead. |
Guides for your bank
Each guide covers where the download is on the bank's website, which formats it offers for checking, savings and credit cards, how far back you can go, and anything that bank does differently.
- ChaseCSV, QFX, QIF or QBO, two years back, on a computer
- Bank of AmericaCSV only, since its Quicken files ended in 2025
- Wells FargoComma-delimited or Quicken (QFX), up to 18 months
- CitiQFX, OFX, CSV, QBO or text, from Account Details
- U.S. BankCSV, QFX or QBO, up to 18 months, website only
- PNCQuicken (QFX) or QuickBooks files; cards go back 13 months
- American ExpressA Quicken file for six statements, CSV for two years
- Ally BankQFX or CSV, with 18 months of activity online
- Apple CardFrom Wallet or card.apple.com, for a statement month or any dates
- PayPalCSV for up to 12 months at a time, seven years back
- Capital OneCSV, QFX, OFX or QIF from online banking, or a statement
- TruistPersonal accounts and eZBusiness business cards, as QFX or CSV
- DiscoverA CSV from your account's activity, or a statement
- SchwabBrokerage history as CSV; Investor Checking by download or statement
- USAACSV where offered, otherwise statements through the assistant
- Navy FederalCSV or PDF from Digital Banking
Bank not listed? Look for Download, Export or Download account activity near your transaction list on the bank's website (rarely in its phone app), choose QFX or OFX if you can, and pick the dates since your last download.
Importing the file into UrBudget
- Open the account. Select the account in the sidebar and choose Import file above its transactions.
- Pick the file. Drop in the CSV, OFX, QFX or QIF file. For a CSV or QIF, choose the date order your bank uses (month/day/year in the US).
- Review the rows. UrBudget shows every row before anything is saved. Rows you've already imported are marked as duplicates and skipped, and rows that look like ones you typed in yourself (same amount, within 10 days) are offered as matches, so nothing is counted twice.
- Import. The new transactions land in the account, ready to categorize.
A CSV needs a header row with Date, Payee (or Description) and either Amount (negative for money out) or Outflow and Inflow (or Debit and Credit). Currency signs and decimal commas are fine. If a card's CSV shows purchases as positive numbers, tick Purchases are positive when you import it (UrBudget 1.0.3 and later). If the CSV still doesn't fit, download the bank's QFX or OFX file instead, or save UrBudget's CSV template and paste your rows into it.
A routine that keeps up
Pick a day, such as Sunday morning or the day after payday. Download each account's transactions since the last time, import them, and give each one a category. Overlapping dates are fine: the rows you already have are recognized. For most people that's five minutes a week, and it's when you'll notice the subscription you forgot or the charge you don't recognize.
Try it with your own bank file
Free for 30 days, with no account and no card. Your bank login never leaves your hands.