Use the Bank CSV When You Have It | PDF Statement Notes

What this note is about

This converter is useful, but it should not pretend a clean bank export is worse than a converted PDF.

The honest rule

If your bank gives you a complete CSV for the right account and period, start there.

I am not building this site because PDFs are a better source. I am building it because PDFs are often the only source people actually have.

Where PDF conversion earns its keep

PDF conversion helps when a client sends statements, an older account has no export, the bank only gives archived statements as PDFs, or someone needs the official statement document converted for review.

In those cases, the XLS is a working copy and the PDF stays beside it as the source record.