CHECKS TO EXCEL AND CSV
To turn checks into Excel, scan them to one PDF and upload it to ZeraBooks Convert, the same bank statement converter that reads statements. Each check becomes one row: check number, date, payee, memo, amount, bank and account. Every check prints its amount twice, in figures and in words, and Convert compares the two, so a misread amount is flagged before you download Excel or CSV.
7-day free trial · 1,000 pages a month from $79/month billed annually
HOW IT WORKS
Checks are one of the documents Convert reads, alongside bank statements and brokerage statements in the investment statement converter.
WHAT’S READ
For each check: the check number, date, payee, memo and amount; the amount written in words; and the bank, the payer and the last 4 digits of the account it’s written on. One PDF can hold many checks, grouped by the account they’re written on.
How Convert reads checks
WORDS VS FIGURES
Convert compares the amount in figures with the amount in words on every check. When they all match, the document is Proven with the number of checks and their total. When one doesn’t, it names the check and both amounts so you can fix it.
Try it on your own documents. One-week free trial, both apps included.
WORKED EXAMPLE
Two checks from the same scanned PDF, as they come out in the download. Check 1047 is read cleanly. On check 1048 the scan smudged a digit, so the figures were read as $1,824.60 while the words say one thousand two hundred eighty-four and 60/100. Convert holds that check back until you fix it.
| Column in the download | Check 1047 | Check 1048 |
|---|---|---|
| Check Number | 1047 | 1048 |
| Date | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 19, 2026 |
| Payee | Northside Plumbing Co | Alder Street Properties |
| Amount | 415.00 | 1,824.60 as read, 1,284.60 after the fix |
| Memo | Invoice 3381 | October rent, suite 4 |
| Written By | Lakeview Dental PLLC | Lakeview Dental PLLC |
| Bank | First Harbor Bank | First Harbor Bank |
| Account Last 4 | 6021 | 6021 |
| Source File | september-checks.pdf | september-checks.pdf |
| Amount in words (compared, not a column) | Four hundred fifteen and 00/100 | One thousand two hundred eighty-four and 60/100 |
| Proof | Words match the figures | Flagged: the words say $1,284.60, but the figures say $1,824.60 |
The names, dates and amounts are made up for the example. After you correct check 1048, Convert checks it against its words again and marks it edited. The document is Proven only when every check matches.
STEP BY STEP
Scans saved as PDF work. One PDF can hold many checks.
Click Upload checks or drop the PDFs on the page.
Fix a check whose words and figures disagree.
You get Check Number, Date, Payee, Amount, Memo, Written By, Bank, Account Last 4 and Source File.
WHY PEOPLE DO THIS
A bank statement shows a check as a number and an amount. It rarely shows who the check was paid to or what it was for. The payee and memo live on the check itself, so anyone categorizing those payments has to open each image and type it out. With the checks in a spreadsheet, you can sort by payee, total a vendor for the year, or match each check number to the line on the statement.
That comes up most when someone is catching up on a year of books that were never kept, when an accountant needs the payees behind a stack of checks for a review, or when a small office still pays rent and contractors by check. For the statement side of the same job, convert the bank statement to Excel; its All details layout has a check number column you can match on. Firms doing this for many clients can read about ZeraBooks for firms.
Yes, as long as the scan is saved as a PDF. Convert accepts PDFs only, up to 50 MB each.
Check number, date, payee, memo, amount, the amount in words, and the bank, payer and last 4 digits of the account.
Every check prints its amount in figures and in words. Convert compares the two and flags any check where they disagree or the words can’t be read.
Pages are pages of the PDF you upload, so a 5-page scan uses 5 pages however many checks are on it. A document that can’t be read uses none. Plans start at 1,000 pages a month; see ZeraBooks pricing.
Yes. Click the check and correct its number, date, payee, memo or amount, then save. While you edit, the amount read in words is shown beside it so you can compare. You can’t add or remove checks; if some are missing, upload a clearer scan.
Download them as CSV or Excel and import the file into your software. ZeraBooks doesn’t connect to QuickBooks or send checks to it.
Upload the PDF on the Checks page; Convert reads the written checks it finds. If no checks are found, it says so. For the statement’s transactions, convert the bank statement to Excel.
ONE-WEEK FREE TRIAL
Then 1,000 pages a month from $79 a month billed annually; see ZeraBooks pricing. Want to keep the books in ZeraBooks too? AI bookkeeping in the General Ledger is included.
Last updated October 15, 2026 · Written by Damin Mutti, founder of ZeraBooks