How-to · Google Sheets
How to get a bank statement PDF into Google Sheets
Google Sheets can't read a bank's PDF statement by itself, so convert it first. Pennyrow reads the PDF on your device and gives you a CSV or Excel file that Sheets opens. One thing to know before you start: the moment you import that file into Google Sheets, it is on Google's servers. That is your step, and a different one from Pennyrow, which never uploads your statement.
Steps
- Open Pennyrow and add your statements (PDF, CSV, OFX or QFX). Several months or several accounts at once are fine.
- Check the badges on the Statements tab, then open Export.
- Choose CSV (all rows) for the transaction list alone, or Excel (.xlsx) for the list plus a summary and one sheet per account. Your browser saves the file to your device.
- In Google Sheets, open a spreadsheet and choose File, then Import, and add the file from your computer.
- Pick where it goes: “Create new spreadsheet”, “Insert new sheets”, “Replace spreadsheet”, “Replace current sheet”, “Append rows to current sheet” or “Replace data starting at selected cell”. Not every file type offers all six.
- For a CSV, set the separator character to “Comma”, or leave it on “Detect automatically”.
You can also upload the .xlsx file to Google Drive and double-click it there to open it in Google Sheets.
Which PDFs Pennyrow can read
Pennyrow reads PDF statements that your bank made as text. It reads them with general rules, not a template for each bank, so it hasn't been tried on every layout. Scans and photos can't be read. Check the row count and the totals against your original statement; a statement that shows its balances also gets a balance check that flags a row that is off. The guides by bank say what was checked for each bank.
CSV or Excel?
The CSV is a single table, the easiest thing to sort and filter in Sheets. The Excel file carries more: the Transactions sheet first, then a Summary, one sheet per account, Categories and Checks. Google lists both .csv and .xlsx among the files it can convert to Google Sheets.
Before you import: what the file contains
The file holds your descriptions, amounts and running balances. Both the CSV and the Excel file also have a Source file column with the name of each file you added, and file names often include the last digits of an account. Delete any column you would rather Google didn't keep before you import, or import only the sheet you need.
Pennyrow itself makes no connection to Google or anyone else while it reads your statements, and you can check that. The import is the first moment a file leaves your device, and only because you chose it.
What the first rows look like
This is the start of the CSV Pennyrow makes from its built-in sample, with the first nine of its fourteen columns. The rest are Category status, Suggestion, Transfer, Source file and Source row.
| Date | Account | Description | Money in | Money out | Balance | Business/Personal | Category | Schedule C line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-02 | Checking ••4821 | FERNMOOR COWORK RENT | 450.00 | 7970.15 | Business | Rent or lease: other business property | Line 20b | |
| 2025-01-03 | Checking ••4821 | CLOUDBRAMBLE SOFTWARE 800-555-0199 | 29.99 | 7940.16 | Business | Uncategorized: ask your preparer | ||
| 2025-01-06 | Checking ••4821 | ACH DEPOSIT BRIGHTLEAF MEDIA | 3658.57 | 11598.73 | Business | Uncategorized: ask your preparer |
Dates come out year-month-day and money as plain numbers, so Sheets can sort the columns straight away.
Questions
Does Pennyrow upload my statement to Google Sheets?
No. Pennyrow has no connection to Google. You save a file to your device and import it into Sheets yourself, and from that moment it is Google's service holding it. How to check Pennyrow makes no connection.
Can I import several months at once?
Yes. Add all the statements to Pennyrow first and it combines them into one list, then import that one file. How overlapping files are handled.
My CSV landed in one column. What do I change?
In the import window set the separator character to “Comma”, or to “Detect automatically”.
Can I paste the PDF into Sheets instead?
Copying a table out of a PDF often lands every row in a single column and loses the structure. Converting first keeps each date, description and amount in its own column.
Which Pennyrow file should I import for a catch-up year?
Use the Excel file if you want the Summary and Checks sheets next to the list, or the CSV for the list alone. Both cover one year at a time unless you pick “all dates”.
Related
- How to catch up on a year of bookkeeping yourself
- Convert an OFX or QFX file to CSV or Excel
- Export a year of Apple Card transactions to one spreadsheet
Bank guides: Chase · Bank of America · Wells Fargo · all banks
Checked October 22, 2026 against Google: Import data to Google Sheets, Google: Edit Microsoft Office files in Docs, Sheets and Slides. Pages move; if something has changed, the source has the current version.