Uploading and Mapping Bank Statements
Last updated on June 20, 2026
This is the most important feature in Circlevine. Instead of manually entering every income and expense, you upload the raw CSV file from your bank and let Circlevine process it.
Step 1: Export from Your Bank
Log in to your bank's online portal and download a CSV or Excel export of your transactions for the period you want to import.
Tip: Most banks allow you to download statements in CSV format from their transaction history or statement archive pages.
Step 2: Upload the File
- Navigate to Transactions → Uploaded Files in the sidebar.
- Click Upload Statement.
- Select the bank account this statement belongs to.
- Choose your CSV file and upload it.
Multi-file upload: You can upload multiple files at once if they all share the same column format (e.g., monthly exports from the same bank). Circlevine will validate that all files have identical headers.
Step 3: Map the Columns
Every bank formats their CSV files differently. The first time you upload from a particular bank, Circlevine will ask you to map the columns.
What You Need to Map
| Field | Description | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Date | The transaction date | Yes |
| Description | The transaction description or narrative | Yes |
| Amount | The transaction amount | Yes (single or split) |
| Reference | Bank reference or payment reference | No |
| Ref No | Reference number | No |
| Balance | Running balance after the transaction | No |
Amount Modes
Banks handle amounts in one of two ways:
- Single column: One column with positive numbers for deposits and negative numbers for withdrawals (or vice versa). This is the most common format.
- Split columns: Separate columns for credits (deposits) and debits (withdrawals). If your bank uses this format, toggle to "Split" mode and map both columns.
Smart Header Detection
Circlevine automatically scans the first 30 rows of your file to find the header row. If your bank's CSV starts with a few lines of metadata before the actual data, Circlevine will detect and skip those lines.
Date Format
Circlevine will attempt to auto-detect the date format. If it cannot, you can select the format manually or enter a custom format string.
Step 4: Remembered Mappings
The first time you map a file from a particular bank, Circlevine saves the mapping. The next time you upload a file with the same column headers, the mapping is recalled automatically — no need to re-map every month.
Deduplication
Circlevine generates a unique fingerprint (hash) for every transaction based on its date, description, reference, amount, and balance. If you accidentally upload the same statement twice, duplicate transactions will be detected and skipped.
What Happens After Upload
Once your transactions are imported: 1. Your automation rules run automatically on the new transactions. 2. Matched transactions are categorised, tagged, and optionally assigned to members. 3. You can review the results in the Transactions view.