OFX to CSV: Review Posted Dates, Amounts and Transaction IDs

Extract bank OFX transactions into a CSV that keeps dates, signed amounts and source IDs visible. This guide follows the actual controls and output of CSV2QBO, so you can distinguish a completed file conversion from a verified import.

Prepare the right source

Use the statement exported by your bank, rather than a PDF statement. The tool accepts one bank or credit-card account and rejects mixed-account or investment statements.

Work with a copy covering one account and a known date range. An export from a bank or finance application is preferable to a manually reconstructed table because it gives you an original to compare. Never rename a PDF or a company backup to a different extension and expect its contents to become transaction data.

Convert and review

1. Open the OFX to CSV Converter. Use Download sample file or the sample button first if you want to inspect the workflow with fictional data.
2. Choose the original ofx file. The converter reads it locally. Keep an untouched copy for comparing counts and values later.
3. Review the parsed transactions. For QIF or IIF, set the source date order explicitly; OFX-family files already contain structured dates.
4. Inspect the preview and resolve any errors. Read and acknowledge format limitations when they appear, then download the csv output.
5. Compare the downloaded file with the original before importing it into your destination software.

What changes in this format

The CSV retains transaction-level fields rather than the entire OFX document. The posted date is represented as a calendar date; intraday timestamps and statement-level balances are not additional transaction rows.

Worked example: verify the meaning, not just the extension

A posted timestamp of 20261002120000 becomes the spreadsheet date 2026-10-02. The converter uses the posted calendar date; it does not shift the transaction across days using your computer timezone. Keep the original OFX if intraday time, the opening balance or other statement metadata is part of the analysis.

Set up the destination

For CSV output, open the result as a table and keep all columns together when sorting. Spreadsheet programs may reinterpret identifiers or dates, so import those columns as text when exact values matter. Text that could be interpreted as a formula receives an apostrophe prefix; this is a deliberate spreadsheet safety measure, not a financial adjustment.

Common mistakes to avoid

A running balance is not the same thing as the sum of exported transactions unless the opening balance is zero. Use the bank statement to reconcile the period and retain account metadata separately when sharing a spreadsheet.

An invalid date or amount blocks export rather than quietly removing a transaction. If an error names a record or source row, correct that record in a copy of the source and load it again. A date that is valid in two different orders still needs your explicit choice. Check a date whose day is greater than twelve to confirm the source convention when such a row is available.

A final comparison before import

Compare the first and last transaction dates, the number of main transactions, the total money in and the total money out. Inspect at least one refund or reversal when the source has one. A matching net total alone is insufficient: two errors with opposite signs can cancel each other. Keep the source and output together until the destination has been checked.

The local file limit is 5 MB, and supported financial inputs are bounded to 50,000 records. The destination software may allow less. Files remain in your browser; no account is needed, and no conversion file is stored on CSV2QBO servers.

Use OFX to CSV Converter or explore the other converters. For a related workflow, review a QBO as a spreadsheet.