Stewardry

Guides

Import a bank statement.

Stewardry reads the statement file your bank lets you download, so you do not type transactions by hand. It accepts CSV and Excel files from any UK bank, and OFX or QFX files from the banks that offer them.

Before you start

  1. Make sure the bank account exists in Stewardry under Cash flow. Add it there if it does not.
  2. Download a statement from your online banking. Choose CSV or Excel if you are offered a choice, or OFX or QFX if your bank has it. OFX is the better choice when it is available, because Stewardry can then recognise a transaction it has already seen and will not import it twice.
  3. You do not need to edit the file. Separate “Paid in” and “Paid out” columns, dates written day first, pound signs and thousands separators are all understood.

Importing

  1. Open Cash flow, choose the bank account, and press Import.
  2. Drop the file onto the upload area or choose it from your computer. Files up to 5 MB are accepted.
  3. Check the columns. Stewardry matches your bank’s column headings to its own fields automatically. Each row of the table shows a Stewardry field on the left and the column it will read on the right. For most UK banks every field is matched already and you can continue. If your bank uses one signed amount column it is matched to Amount; if it uses two, they are matched to Paid in and Paid out. Use one or the other, not both. Date and an amount are required; payee, description and reference are optional.
  4. Press Continue to see the preview. It shows how many rows will be imported and lists any rows that will be skipped, with the row number and the reason.
  5. Press Import. The transactions appear in the account’s Uncategorised list, ready to be categorised, matched to invoices and bills, or handled by your bank rules.

If a row is skipped

The preview tells you why. The common reasons:

  • Amount missing or unclear. The row had no amount, or both a signed amount and a paid in or paid out value. Fix that row in the file and upload again.
  • Date not recognised. Dates are read as day, month, year. Dates such as 24/10/2026, 24-10-2026, 24 Oct 2026 and 2026-10-24 all work. Anything else needs correcting in the file.
  • Duplicate (OFX only). A transaction with the same bank reference has already been imported into this account. This is expected when two statements overlap, and nothing needs doing.

Rows that are not skipped are imported once per upload. If you upload the same CSV twice, the transactions will appear twice, because CSV files carry no unique transaction reference. Use OFX where you can, or avoid overlapping date ranges.

Bank-specific notes

Bank Download What to expect
Lloyds, Halifax, Bank of Scotland CSV Debit Amount and Credit Amount columns, matched to Paid out and Paid in.
Barclays CSV One signed Amount column and a Memo column.
NatWest, RBS CSV One signed Value column, with dates written like 24 Oct 2026.
HSBC CSV Three columns: date, description, amount.
Starling, Monzo CSV An Amount column; the counterparty is matched to Payee.
Santander, Nationwide, Metro CSV or OFX Choose OFX where it is offered, for duplicate protection.

If your bank is not listed and a column is not matched, pick it by hand in step 3. Tell us the bank and the column headings through the contact form and we will add it to the automatic matching.

Live bank feeds

Stewardry does not yet connect directly to UK banks. Statement import is the supported way to bring transactions in, on every plan including Free. Live feeds are planned for the Standard plan.