Import Transactions from a CSV File into Brim

You can import transactions into Brim from any CSV file, whether it’s a bank export, a spreadsheet, or data from another budgeting app.

The Easiest Way to Import

Download the template: Download CSV Template
Fill it in with your transactions using any spreadsheet app (Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers)
Import it into Brim from Settings → Data → Import Transactions

The template has all the right column headers and a few example rows to guide you. Delete the examples, add your data, and you’re good to go.

Column Reference

Column	Required	Description
Date	Yes	Transaction date
Amount	Yes	Transaction amount (negative = expense, positive = income)
Category Type	No	`expense`, `income`, or `saving`
Group Category Name	No	Category group (e.g., “Food & Drink”)
Category Emoji	No	Emoji for the category (e.g., 🛒)
Category Name	No	Category name (e.g., “Coffee”)
Account	No	Account name (e.g., “Checking”)
Account Type	No	Must be `spending` or `saving`
To Account	No	Destination account (for transfers only)
To Account Type	No	Must be `spending` or `saving`
Note	No	Transaction note or memo
Tags	No	Tags separated by semicolons (e.g., `work;personal`)

Only Date and Amount are required. All other columns are optional. Brim will fill in sensible defaults for anything missing.

How to Format Each Field

Date

Brim accepts these date formats:

2024-01-15 14:30:00 (recommended)
2024-01-15
01/15/2024
15/01/2024
2024/01/15

Amount

Use a plain number with a period as the decimal separator.

Expenses: Use a negative number → -25.50
Income: Use a positive number → 1200.00

Brim automatically strips currency symbols ($, €, £) and thousands separators (,), so $1,200.00 works too.

European-style formatting with periods as thousands separators (e.g., 1.200,00) is not supported. Use 1200.00 instead.

Category Type

Value	Meaning	Examples
`expense`	A regular expense	Rent, utilities, gas, groceries
`income`	Income received	Salary, bonuses, freelance payments
`saving`	Saving contribution	Investments, retirement savings, emergency fund

Account Type

This field is strictly validated. Only two values are accepted:

spending for everyday accounts (checking, cash, credit cards)
saving for savings accounts and goals

If Brim finds a value it doesn’t recognize (like “checking” or “credit card”), it will ask you to correct it before importing.

Brim asking to correct unrecognized account types

How to Import

Step 1: Open the Import Screen

Go to Settings
Tap Data
Tap Import Transactions
Select your CSV file from Files, iCloud, or any connected storage

Step 2: Map Your Columns

If your column headers don’t match Brim’s expected names exactly, you’ll be asked to map them manually. Match each of your columns to the corresponding Brim field.

Step 3: Review Duplicates

If Brim detects transactions that already exist (same date, same amount, and same category or note), it will show you a list and ask whether to:

Skip Duplicates to import only new transactions
Import All Anyway to import everything, including duplicates

Step 4: Fix Account Types

If any Account Type or To Account Type values aren’t recognized, Brim will ask you to correct them before importing. For each unrecognized value, choose either Spending or Saving.

Step 5: Preview

You can preview what you’ll be importing before confirming.

What Gets Auto-Created

When you import, Brim automatically creates anything that doesn’t exist yet:

Accounts created with a zero balance and the type from your Account Type column
Category Groups created if the group name is new (defaults to “Imported”)
Categories created if the category name is new (defaults to “Uncategorized” with a 💰 emoji)
Tags created if the tag name is new

Tips

Use the template. It’s the fastest way to get the format right without guessing.
Bank exports usually need minor adjustments: rename the headers and make sure expenses are negative.
Emojis work natively in the Category Emoji column.
Export before importing. If you already have a bunch of transactions in Brim, we suggest exporting first (Settings → Data → Export Transactions) to create a backup, then import your new data.

Troubleshooting

”Invalid date format” error on some rows

Make sure your dates use one of the five supported formats listed above
Check for stray text or extra spaces in the Date column

”Invalid amount” error on some rows

Remove any currency symbols other than $, €, or £
Make sure the decimal separator is a period, not a comma
Check for text like “N/A” or dashes in the Amount column

Account Type correction sheet keeps appearing

Only spending and saving are valid. Values like “checking”, “credit card”, or “investment” need to be corrected to one of the two accepted types

Some transactions are missing after import

Check the import summary for failed rows and error messages
Rows missing a Date or Amount will be skipped

Duplicates were imported

If you chose “Import All Anyway”, duplicates are included intentionally
To avoid this, choose “Skip Duplicates” on re-import

Need more help? Contact us.