How to check a converted bank statement
is accurate.
Every bank lays out its statements differently, so any automatic conversion deserves a quick check before the numbers go into your books. These four checks take a couple of minutes and catch almost every problem.
Check 1: Opening plus transactions equals closing
Take the opening balance from the statement, add the sum of all converted amounts, and compare the result with the closing balance. If they match to the cent, no transaction is missing or wrong. If they don’t, the difference often equals one specific transaction, which tells you exactly what to look for.
Check 2: Count the transactions
Compare the number of converted rows with the number of transactions on the statement, page by page. Watch for rows that are often skipped or added: subtotals, “balance brought forward” lines, page-carryover lines and fee summaries. Summary lines should not be transactions.
Check 3: Signs and dates
Money out should be negative and money in positive. Spot-check a few known payments. Then check dates: if a statement uses a format like 03/04, make sure it was read as day/month or month/day the same way your bank meant it, especially for days 1 to 12, where both readings are valid.
Check 4: Wrapped descriptions
Long payee names or references sometimes wrap onto a second line in the PDF. Make sure they were joined to the right transaction rather than appearing as a separate row with no amount, or being attached to the transaction below.
How BankPDFExport helps
Every conversion opens in an editable review table, so you can fix any cell, add a missed row or delete a stray one before downloading. When the statement shows running balances, BankPDFExport checks each row’s amount against the balances and warns you where they disagree. It also flags dates it had to interpret and rows it couldn’t read with confidence.