CSV File Data Import: How to do this and why?

SortMe connects to most NZ banks via Open Banking. But if you have an account that isn't yet supported — an overseas bank, a credit union, a business account, or a lender not on Akahu's network — you can still get those transactions into SortMe by uploading a CSV file.

This article explains how to do it and what to expect.

When would you use CSV import?

• You bank with an institution SortMe can't connect to directly
• You want to bring in historical transaction data from before you joined SortMe
• You have a manual cash account you want to track alongside your connected accounts

How to find the CSV import option

The import feature isn't on the main Settings page — it's a step deeper. Here's how to get to it:

1. Go to Settings in SortMe
2. Find the Bank Connections section and click Settings — this opens the "Connect your accounts" modal
3. Inside the modal, look for the Upload CSV option

Before you upload: create a Cash / Transaction account

CSV transactions can currently only be imported into a bank account with the type Cash / Transaction. If you don't already have one set up, you'll need to create it first.

1. Go to your Net Worth page
2. Add a new manual account and set its type to Cash / Transaction
3. Give it a name that makes sense (e.g. "Kiwibank Classic" or "Westpac Historical")

Once that account exists, it'll be available to select when you go through the CSV upload flow.

Uploading your CSV

1. Export a CSV from your bank's internet banking. Most NZ banks let you do this from the transaction history page.
2. Go back to Settings → Bank Connections → Connect your accounts → Upload CSV
3. Select the Cash / Transaction account you created
4. Upload your file and follow the prompts

SortMe accepts CSV files with standard column formats. Most NZ bank exports will work directly. If your file has columns like Date, Description, Withdrawals, Deposits, and Balance, those will be picked up automatically.

Note on withdrawals vs deposits: Make sure your CSV uses separate columns for money in and money out, or that positive and negative values are clearly distinguished. If your bank export uses a single amount column, check that expenses appear as negative numbers — positive values are always read as income.

What happens after you upload

Your transactions don't appear instantly. They're processed through Akahu's categorisation engine — the same engine that handles your connected bank feeds — which takes 5 to 10 minutes.

Once processed, most NZ card transactions will automatically get the correct merchant name and category, the same way they would if the account were connected directly.

Things to know before you start

You can't delete individual imported transactions. If you need to remove any transactions after importing — for example, if you uploaded the wrong file — you'll need to delete the entire account from your Net Worth page and start again with a fresh account. Individual transaction deletion from CSV imports isn't currently supported.

The account balance doesn't update automatically. Uploading transactions doesn't update the account balance shown on your Net Worth page. If you want the balance to reflect what's actually in that account, you'll need to update it manually on the Net Worth page after importing.

This feature is best set up on desktop. The CSV upload flow is easier to manage from a laptop or desktop rather than a phone.

After importing: check your transactions

Once the 5–10 minute processing window has passed, head to your Transactions page and filter by the account you imported into. Check that amounts, dates, and categories look right. Anything that hasn't been auto-categorised will show up in your Actions Needed list for you to sort manually.

If you run into trouble or your file isn't uploading correctly, reach out to us at support@sortme.com and we can take a look.