How to get a statement into Google Sheets
- Download the statement from your bank as a PDF, and save an unlocked copy if it is password-protected.
- Sign in to Payslip Generator with a free account, upload the PDF to the bank statement converter and check the preview.
- Choose the Excel (.xlsx) export and save the file.
- In Google Sheets, choose File, then Import, then Upload, and select the file.
- Choose where the data should go, such as Create new spreadsheet or Insert new sheets, and click Import data.
Which export to import
Sheets imports both the Excel file and the CSV. The Excel file is the safer choice: amounts and balances are stored as numbers, so they arrive as numbers whatever language and region your spreadsheet is set to.
A CSV is plain text, and Sheets decides what each value is as it imports. That usually works, but a spreadsheet whose locale uses a comma as the decimal separator may read 150.50 as text rather than a number. If your amounts arrive left-aligned and will not add up, import the Excel file instead.
| Column | From the Excel file | From the CSV |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Text, such as 2026-03-31 | Usually a date, depending on locale |
| Description | Text | Text |
| Amount | Number | Number, unless the locale reads it as text |
| Balance | Number | Number, unless the locale reads it as text |
| Reference | Text | Text, but long numbers may be shortened |
Fixing dates that arrive as text
Dates written as 2026-03-31 sort correctly even as text, so for a simple list you can leave them. To filter by date, chart by month or use date formulas, convert them into real dates:
- Insert an empty column next to the Date column.
- In its first data row, enter =DATEVALUE(A2), adjusting A2 to your first date.
- Fill the formula down the column, then format the column as a date.
- If you want to drop the formula, copy the column and use Paste special, then Values only.
Keeping a year of statements in one sheet
When you import the next month, choose Append rows to current sheet. Sheets adds the new rows after the last row, so each month builds on the last. Delete the repeated heading row that comes in with each file, then sort by the Date column to keep everything in order.
A tax year runs from March to February. Converting each statement as it arrives, rather than twelve at once, spreads the pages across the year, which helps you stay within the 5 free pages a month, and means the sheet is always up to date when your accountant asks for it.
- Total money in: =SUMIF(C:C,">0")
- Total money out: =SUMIF(C:C,"<0")
- Spending on one merchant: =SUMIF(B:B,"*ENGEN*",C:C), using the name as it appears in the description.
Before you upload
- A free account converts 5 pages a month. Each PDF page counts as one, and a CSV counts as one however long it is. After that you can buy credits, and Premium subscribers convert without a monthly page limit.
- One PDF upload can be up to 20 pages and 8 MB. Split anything longer by month.
- The PDF must have selectable text. A scanned or photographed statement has none, so download the digital version from online banking instead.
- Password-protected PDFs have to be unlocked first. Our guide to password-protected bank statements shows how.
- Where a statement prints dates without the year, the converter takes the year from the statement period. If a statement runs from December into January, check those dates in the preview.
- A PDF is read in memory over an encrypted connection and is not saved. A CSV never leaves your browser.
Frequently asked questions
Can Google Sheets open a bank statement PDF directly?
No. Sheets imports spreadsheets and text files, not PDFs. Convert the PDF to an Excel or CSV file first, then use File, then Import.
Why do my amounts not add up after importing a CSV?
Your spreadsheet locale probably uses a comma as the decimal separator, so the amounts came in as text. Import the Excel export instead, which stores amounts as numbers.
How do I add next month's statement to the same sheet?
Convert it, then choose File, Import, and Append rows to current sheet. Delete the repeated heading row and sort by date.
Is converting a statement for Google Sheets free?
A free account converts 5 pages a month. After that you can buy credits, and Premium subscribers convert without a monthly page limit.
Is my statement stored when I convert it?
No. A PDF is read in memory over an encrypted connection and the transactions are sent back to your browser. The file is not saved by the converter.