Updated: July 2026
Signed amount layout
A signed amount column stores one number per transaction. Positive values represent money in and negative values represent money out. It is compact and works well when the destination importer understands signs.
Separate debit and credit layout
This layout has two amount columns. A withdrawal appears in Debit and a deposit appears in Credit. Each transaction should normally have a value in only one of the two columns.
Converting to debit and credit
For a negative signed amount, remove the minus sign and place the absolute value in Debit. For a positive amount, place the value in Credit. Zero amounts should be reviewed rather than assumed to be valid.
Combining the columns
Calculate signed amount as credit minus debit. This creates positive deposits and negative withdrawals. Normalize brackets, commas and currency symbols before calculating.
Verify the direction
Pick one known purchase and one known deposit from the source statement. Confirm their signs in the output before processing or importing the full file.
Useful tools
Bank Statement Converter · QuickBooks CSV Formatter · Xero CSV Formatter