Reconciling a bank account requires statement lines, a clear period and accounting records to compare against them. File format determines how much work is needed to reach that point. OFX and QIF usually carry recognizable financial fields. Excel and CSV can be excellent when columns are consistent. A PDF may require extraction, while an image needs even closer review. No format removes the need for confirmation.
The practical rule is to download the most structured, complete file the bank provides. If OFX is available together with PDF, keep the PDF as visual evidence and import the OFX. If the bank provides Excel, do not turn it into a PDF. Every unnecessary conversion discards structure and creates another chance for dates, signs or decimal values to change.
What to expect from each format
- OFX: commonly identifies account, currency, date, amount and description in a financial structure.
- QIF: is a known interchange format, although files vary and may carry less context than OFX.
- Excel: preserves rows and columns, but headers, merged cells and subtotals differ across banks.
- CSV: is lightweight and easy to process when delimiter, encoding and columns remain consistent.
- Text PDF: can yield transaction lines, but visual layout may split one transaction across several fragments.
- Scanned PDF or image: requires visual recognition and closer review of each amount.
Do not assume a row-based file is automatically correct. Some statements place debits and credits in separate columns. Others use a single signed amount or display a running balance after each movement. The importer must recognize the convention before deciding whether ₡35,000 entered or left the account. A sample of five known lines is a quick way to check.
Four checks before import
First verify the account and currency. A dollar statement imported into a colón account can generate misleading candidates. Second, confirm start and end dates. Third, identify pending movements, informational balances or summary rows that should not become transactions. Fourth, retain the untouched original file so the extraction can be repeated if a question appears.
- Correct bank account and identifying digits.
- Currency matching the account configured in the system.
- Complete period without missing days or accidental overlap.
- Opening and closing balances comparable with the bank document.
- No earlier import of the same file.
- A reasonable line count after excluding headers and summaries.
After import: suggesting is not posting
Reconciliation compares each statement line with collected invoices, paid bills, recorded transactions and transfers between accounts. An exact amount and date are useful evidence, but they may not be conclusive. Two customers can pay the same amount on one day. A fee may be netted from a deposit. The two sides of an internal transfer can use different bank descriptions.
The system should therefore suggest candidates and display evidence such as amount, date, currency, entity and reference. A person confirms the relationship or categorizes the line differently. Unmatched items are also information. A fee may be missing, a payment may be attached to the wrong invoice, or the other side of a transfer may fall outside the statement period.
A small example with a real difference
The statement shows a ₡98,500 deposit while the open invoice is ₡100,000. Do not join them simply because the values are close. There may be withholding, a deducted fee, a partial payment or no relationship at all. Review the customer, reference and collection document. A confirmed partial payment leaves ₡1,500 outstanding; a separate bank fee needs its own accounting treatment.
How Tario handles the file
Tario accepts PDF, image, Excel, CSV, OFX, QIF and text statements. It normalizes lines, searches the operating records for candidates and keeps a review stage before posting to the ledger. It can also remember recurring merchant patterns without treating that memory as permission to post blindly.
At the end, compare the system balance with the bank balance and inspect the pending list. A reconciliation showing no visible lines but a different balance is not complete. Neither is one that forces every difference into a generic account. Each movement should have an explanation another person can follow.