How to convert a UK bank statement PDF to Excel or CSV.

1. Your bank's own export

Many banks let you download recent transactions as CSV from online banking. It's quick and free, but it's usually a transaction list rather than the statement: often no opening or closing balance, sometimes a limited history, and a different layout for every bank. It's no help for a statement you've been sent as a PDF.

2. Copying and pasting from the PDF

Workable for a page or two. Columns rarely paste cleanly, money in and money out can merge into one column, and long descriptions split across rows. Every row then needs checking by hand.

3. A converter

A converter reads the PDF and gives you a spreadsheet. The question to ask of any converter is whether it checks its own work against the statement — or simply hands you whatever it read.

StatementPro reads any UK bank (with purpose-built readers for HSBC, first direct, Lloyds, Revolut, Starling, Tide and Allica), checks the result against the statement's printed totals and running balance, and tells you if it doesn't tie or couldn't be checked. Downloads are Excel, CSV, or a file ready to import into Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent or Sage.

Three checks before you rely on the figures

• The totals: money in and money out should equal the totals printed on the statement.
• The running balance: each transaction should take the balance from one printed figure to the next. Totals alone can hide two errors that cancel out.
• The dates: UK statements are day/month/year, and some print no year at all. A month-first or missing year puts transactions in the wrong period.

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