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How to Organise a Year of Bank Statements for Tax Time

Tax time is stressful when your bank statements are scattered across different accounts and months. A little organisation goes a long way. Here's a practical system to get everything in order.

Step 1: List All Your Accounts

Write down every bank account you use — checking, savings, business, credit cards. Include online-only banks and any accounts you use for business purchases. You'll need statements from all of them.

Step 2: Download All PDFs

Log into each bank's online portal and download 12 months of statements as PDFs. Most banks keep 2–3 years of statements online. Name files clearly: td-bank-jan-2025.pdf, td-bank-feb-2025.pdf, etc.

Step 3: Convert All Statements to CSV

Use csvbank.com to convert each PDF. You can upload multiple PDFs at once to merge them into a single CSV. Do this per account to keep accounts separate, or merge all accounts if your accountant prefers a single file.

Step 4: Create a Master Spreadsheet

Open each monthly CSV in Excel or Google Sheets and copy the data into a single master spreadsheet with a "Month" column added. This gives you a full year view of all transactions.

Step 5: Categorise and Flag

CSV Bank auto-categorises transactions. Go through and flag any business expenses that will be deductible — travel, home office, equipment, professional fees, etc. Add a "Deductible" column with Yes/No.

What Your Accountant Will Need

• One CSV per account per year, or a single merged file
• Clear labelling of business vs personal transactions
• Any receipts for large deductible expenses
• The beginning and ending balances for each account

Timing

Don't wait until April. Start gathering statements in January for the prior tax year. The earlier you start, the more time you have to find missing transactions or documentation.