Choosing Your Import Format
Last updated June 26, 2026
OwnBudget imports your transactions from a file you export from your bank — it never connects to your bank directly. You download the file, OwnBudget reads it. Two kinds of file are supported: CSV and OFX (including its QFX and QBO variants). The format you choose affects how much setup the import takes and how reliably OwnBudget can avoid creating duplicate transactions.
You don't pick a file type in the app — OwnBudget detects which kind of file you've selected automatically. You just choose the file and import.
CSV
CSV (comma-separated values) is a plain spreadsheet export. Almost every bank and card issuer offers it, so it's the most widely available option.
Because CSV has no standard layout, OwnBudget asks you to map the columns the first time — which column is the date, which is the amount, which is the description. Some banks split money in and out across two columns (Debit and Credit); OwnBudget handles that too. Once the columns are mapped, the rows import.
CSV files don't carry a unique transaction ID, so OwnBudget identifies duplicates by matching the account, amount, description, and date within a two-day window. This works well, but it is a best-effort match — see Managing Overlaps and Duplicates for the details.
OFX (and QFX, QBO)
OFX (Open Financial Exchange) is a structured banking format. QFX (Quicken) and QBO (QuickBooks) are the same format with different file extensions — OwnBudget reads all three identically.
OFX is the more reliable choice, for two reasons. First, it already carries the sign of every transaction and a transaction type, so money in and money out are correct on import and there are no columns to map. Second, every transaction includes a FITID — a unique identifier assigned by your bank. OwnBudget uses the FITID to recognize a transaction it has already imported, even if you re-import the same file or the posting date shifts by a day. That makes duplicate detection exact rather than best-effort.
If your bank offers OFX, QFX, or QBO, prefer it.
Which format should I use?
Use OFX, QFX, or QBO if your bank offers it: duplicate detection is exact, amounts are already signed correctly, and there are no columns to map. Use CSV when that's the only export your bank provides — it works well, it just relies on best-effort duplicate matching.
Whichever you choose, pick one and stay with it. Importing the same dates in both CSV and OFX is the main way duplicates slip through, because a CSV row and an OFX row for the same transaction don't always match closely enough to be caught. Managing Overlaps and Duplicates explains why, and how to avoid it.