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How To Upload Transaction Data

Your linked bank, mortgage, and PM accounts may not pull all your data. Close the gap by importing a file.

Updated this week

Supported File Types

Stessa supports the following formats for bulk uploads:

  • QIF (Quicken Interchange Format)

  • QFX (Quicken Financial Exchange)

  • OFX (Open Financial Exchange)

  • CSV (Comma-Separated Values)

Uploading QIF, QFX, or OFX Files (Preferred)

QIF, QFX, and OFX files are the preferred formats for uploading because they require no additional formatting. To upload:

  1. Download your transactions file from your bank or lender in QIF, QFX, or OFX format.

  2. Go to your Transactions page in Stessa.

  3. Click the “Import” button in the upper right corner.

  4. Assign a Property - if you don't assign a property, you'll need to match each transaction manually.

  5. Assign to an existing Connected Account - use the No Account option if needed.

  6. Choose Transaction Type - income, expense, or both.

  7. Upload the file.

Uploading CSV Files

CSV files require more prep work than QIF, QFX, or OFX files. Only use CSV format when other options are not available.

Step 1: Prepare Your CSV File

Before importing, ensure your file is formatted correctly. It's easiest to use a single file for each property.

Required Columns (in this order):

  • Date – Format must be MM/DD/YYYY

  • Amount – Expenses must be entered as negative numbers

  • Payee

  • Description

Optional Columns:

  • Category – Must match existing Stessa categories exactly
    (e.g., use "Rental Dwelling" instead of "Insurance > Rental Dwelling")

  • Property – Must match your exact property name in Stessa

  • Unit – Must match the unit label in your Stessa account

Exact spelling, punctuation, and spacing matter for Property and Unit names.

Step 2: Clean and Format Your File

Follow these best practices:

  • Use negative values for all expenses (e.g., -125.00)

  • Organize your file by Property whenever possible. This avoids manual property assignment post-upload.

  • Combine extra data into the Description column using Excel’s =CONCATENATE() formula if needed.
    Example:

    arduinoCopyEdit=CONCATENATE(A2, " - ", B2)

    Then right-click → Paste Special → Values to lock the content.

Step 3: Upload Your CSV File

Once your file is clean and properly formatted:

  1. Go to your Transactions page in Stessa.

  2. Click the “Import” button in the upper right corner.

  3. Assign a Property.

  4. Assign to an existing Connected Account.

  5. Choose Transaction Type.

  6. Upload the file.

Your transactions will appear on the Transactions page after upload.

Common CSV Import Errors

If your file is rejected, double-check for:

  • Incorrect or misspelled column headers: Date, Amount, Payee, Description, etc.

  • Incorrect date format: Must be MM/DD/YYYY

  • Missing negative signs on expenses

  • Extra symbols, formulas, or unsupported characters

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