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See pricingIMPORT GUIDE · ZOHO BOOKS
Zoho Books imports CSV, TSV, OFX, QIF, CAMT and MT940 files into manually created bank and card accounts, from Banking, the Gear icon, Import Statement. Its PDF import only works for a short list of banks. For any other PDF, ZeraBooks Convert makes a CSV in Zoho’s Single Column with Negative Values shape, proven against the printed balances.
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FILE TYPES
From Zoho’s own help pages, checked October 22, 2026. The list differs a little by edition, so the table shows where each type comes from.
| File | Zoho Books (US help) | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| CSV, TSV | Yes | You choose the Amount Column Type, encoding and delimiter, then map the headers |
| OFX, QIF | Yes | Only if your bank offers them for the period you need |
| CAMT.053, CAMT.054, MT940 | Yes | Bank formats more common outside the U.S. |
| XLS | In Zoho’s knowledge base list | Not in the US help page’s main list; saving as CSV avoids the question |
| Only for listed banks | U.S. list includes Chase, Bank of America, TD Bank, Truist, Regions, Capital One and American Express cards; Canada lists RBC, CIBC, National Bank and Kindred Credit Union |
Statements import only into bank and credit card accounts you created by hand in Zoho Books. Imported lines arrive uncategorized, ready to match or categorize. If your statement is a PDF from a bank that isn’t on Zoho’s list, which covers most banks and credit unions, the file you need is a CSV made from that PDF.
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A REAL EXPORT
A real run in ZeraBooks Convert: the fictional Desjardins sample statement Desjardins_releve_operations_81234_2026-09.pdf, already proven to the cent, downloaded Standard as a CSV. The file that came out, Standard - Desjardins_releve_operations_81234_2026-09.csv, has 13 rows with the columns Date, Description, Amount.
The format, picked in Convert
The file that downloaded
STEP BY STEP
Menu names as Zoho’s current US help gives them.
Click Banking in the left sidebar and select the bank or credit card account the statement belongs to.
Click the Gear icon in the top right corner and select Import Statement.
Open the Choose File dropdown and pick Choose File from Desktop (or Choose File from Documents if it is already in Zoho).
Pick the setting that matches your columns. For a ZeraBooks Standard CSV, that is Single Column with Negative Values. Leave Character Encoding as UTF-8 and the File Delimiter as a comma for a normal CSV, then click Next.
Zoho matches your headers to its fields. Check Date, Description and Amount, tick Save these selections for use during future imports if you will do this monthly, and click Next.
The Preview tab shows errors and unmapped fields. Use Previous to fix a setting, or click Import. The lines appear in the account as uncategorized transactions.
THE COLUMN SPEC
Zoho offers three layouts. Each one matches a different file shape, and two of them refuse negative numbers.
| Amount Column Type | What Zoho expects | ZeraBooks format that fits |
|---|---|---|
| Single Column with Negative Values | One amount column: deposits positive, withdrawals negative | Standard (Date, Description, Amount). The simplest match |
| Double Column | Separate deposit and withdrawal columns, both positive | Money in and out (Date, Description, Money In, Money Out, Balance); leave Balance unmapped |
| Single Column and Amount Type | One amount column plus a column saying debit or credit | Not needed; use Standard instead |
Zoho’s knowledge base names “Negative value in the amount column” as an import error: with Double Column or Single Column and Amount Type, every amount must be positive. A Money in and out file from Convert already is, with the empty side left blank rather than 0.00.
WORKED EXAMPLE
Northgate Print Shop is a fictional company on Zoho Books (US). Its credit union isn’t on Zoho’s PDF list, so the October 2026 statement for checking ending 2207 goes through ZeraBooks Convert as a Standard CSV:
| Column | What goes in it | Example |
|---|---|---|
Date | U.S. dates, MM/DD/YYYY | 10/01/2026 |
Description | The line as the statement prints it | Paper supplier ACH |
Amount | One signed column: deposits positive, withdrawals negative, two decimals, no thousands separator | -415.60 |
Date,Description,Amount
10/01/2026,"Deposit, Ridgeway School District",2300.00
10/03/2026,Paper supplier ACH,-415.60
10/09/2026,"Rent, online transfer",-1180.00
10/17/2026,"Deposit, card settlements",760.25
10/28/2026,Phone bill,-92.40The opening balance is 6,420.18, and the running balance goes 8,720.18, 8,304.58, 7,124.58, 7,884.83, 7,792.43. Money in 3,060.25 minus money out 1,688.00 is +1,372.25, and 6,420.18 + 1,372.25 = 7,792.43, the closing balance printed on the statement. Convert runs that proof before you download; the balances aren’t in the file. In Zoho, import it with Single Column with Negative Values and the account moves by exactly 1,372.25.
WHEN IT GOES WRONG
The errors Zoho’s knowledge base lists, with the fix for each. Zoho doesn’t publish a file size or row limit for statement imports; a month per file keeps the Preview easy to check against the statement.
Unsupported file format
WhyA PDF from a bank Zoho doesn’t read, or an Excel file.
FixUpload CSV, TSV, OFX, QIF, CAMT or MT940. Turn a PDF into CSV with ZeraBooks Convert.
Incorrect date format
WhyZoho couldn’t read the dates.
FixZoho’s fix: rewrite them as DD-MM-YYYY. In Excel, format the Date column as dd-mm-yyyy and save as CSV again.
Incorrect character encoding
WhyAccents or symbols in descriptions read wrong.
FixChoose the encoding for the file’s language; UTF-8 for a Convert CSV.
Incorrect amount column type
WhyThe layout picked doesn’t match the file.
FixOne signed column: Single Column with Negative Values. Two columns: Double Column.
Negative value in the amount column
WhyMinus signs with Double Column or Single Column and Amount Type.
FixSwitch to Single Column with Negative Values, or use positive amounts in two columns.
AFTER THE IMPORT
Two problems people hit after an import, with the fix for each:
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Lines missing after import | Zoho excluded them as duplicates of lines already there | Check the Duplicates count on the account’s Dashboard tab; Configure lets you review them yourself |
| Wrong file imported | Wrong month or the same statement twice | Gear icon, Undo Last Import, review the lines, Undo Import |
BEFORE YOU IMPORT
WITH ZERABOOKS CONVERT
ZeraBooks Convert reads the PDF, proves it and downloads the CSV. You import it into Zoho yourself; there is no Zoho connection.
READY TO MAP
Choose Standard and CSV in the Download dialog: one signed amount column with money out as a minus, plain numbers with two decimals, US dates (MM/DD/YYYY), one file per account. That is Zoho’s Single Column with Negative Values layout as it stands. Convert makes CSV and Excel only, not OFX or QIF. More layouts are listed in convert a bank statement to CSV.
Choose a download format
PROVEN FIRST
Convert adds every line it read to the opening balance and compares the result with the closing balance on the statement, to the cent. A statement that doesn’t tie is flagged before you download, so what lands in Zoho is complete. The same proof backs our Xero import guide and QuickBooks CSV guide.
How Convert proves a statement
MORE IMPORT GUIDES
Only from the banks on its list, such as Chase, Bank of America, TD Bank and a few card issuers in the U.S., and four Canadian banks. For any other bank, convert the PDF to CSV first. ZeraBooks Convert reads any bank’s PDF and checks it against the printed balances.
Statement import is for bank and credit card accounts you created manually. Open the account under Banking and look under the Gear icon in the top right corner.
One amount column with minus signs for withdrawals: Single Column with Negative Values. Separate deposit and withdrawal columns: Double Column. Zoho rejects negative numbers with the other two settings. Sage Accounting uses a 3- or 4-column layout instead, and MYOB imports OFX or QIF rather than CSV.
Yes, by default it excludes duplicates automatically. The count shows under Duplicates on the account’s Dashboard tab, where Configure lets you exclude them yourself instead.
Click the Gear icon on the account, choose Undo Last Import, check the lines it will delete and click Undo Import. Then import the right file.
No. ZeraBooks Convert makes the CSV and you import it into Zoho. Convert is part of the ZeraBooks subscription: 1,000 pages a month from $79 a month billed annually, after a 7-day trial.
FREE SETUP + CATCH-UP
Upload the PDF to ZeraBooks Convert, download Standard CSV and import it with Single Column with Negative Values. 1,000 pages a month from $79 a month billed annually; see pricing. Prefer one tool? ZeraBooks includes AI bookkeeping on its own general ledger.