Question 1

Does ExtractPro work with UK banks?

Accepted Answer

Yes. These are the steps and file formats of ten UK banks, each taken from the bank’s own help pages. For HSBC UK, log on to online banking, select “Statements” in quick links, then “Select the statement date to download and view”; HSBC UK says you can download a statement “in PDF format”. For first direct, on the Balances screen tap the three dots on the account and select “Statements”; first direct says you can download and view statements “in PDF format” for most of its accounts. For Lloyds Bank, log in and select “Statement options” from your account page, then “Choose to print, download or order a paper copy”; Lloyds Bank says you can “save it as a PDF”. For Barclays, in Online Banking select “Manage accounts”, then “Statements and documents”, and save the statement by selecting “the PDF icon in the toolbar”. For NatWest, log in to Online Banking and select “Statements & transactions” from the main menu; NatWest says you get the statement “as a downloaded PDF file”. For Santander UK, in Mobile Banking click “Mailbox” in the top-right corner and then “Statements and documents”, then tap the download icon; Santander UK says “Once you’ve downloaded the PDF, you can print the document”. For Nationwide, in the internet bank “Choose the Documents tab” and then “Choose Statements”; Nationwide says you can download up to 36 months of your past statements “as PDF files”. For Monzo, in the app “Tap Bank statements”, choose the date range and “Choose the format you’d like (PDF, CSV, QIF)”. For Starling Bank, in the app open the account menu, “Tap Statements and documents” and “Tap Statement history”, select the month and “Choose if you want a PDF or Large print PDF”. For TSB Bank, in the app tap the profile icon, then “Inbox”, find the statement and “Tap the download icon”; TSB Bank says paperless statements arrive “in PDF format in your Digital Inbox”. If what you downloaded is a PDF or an Excel file (.xlsx, .xls), upload it to ExtractPro and you get back an Excel file with one transaction per row.

Question 2

How far back can I get old statements, and how long do I have to keep them?

Accepted Answer

Each bank sets its own limit. HSBC UK says you can view old statements “up to 6 years back” in online or mobile banking. With first direct you can view “up to 6 years’ worth of transactions and charges” in its app and online banking, by selecting the account and downloading your statement PDFs. Lloyds Bank says that in online banking you can access statements “up to 7 years old” and that in its app you can go back “at least ten years”. Barclays says that if you receive Online Statements you can view them online “for up to 7 years, as long as the account is still open”, and that for an account you have closed, if you still bank with it, “statements for that account will be available for up to 5 years”. NatWest says you can download recent or historic statements “going back up to 7 years” for the account you choose, and in its Mobile app “you can only see 12 months of statement history for each search”. Santander UK says you can see your account activity from “the last 7 years”. Nationwide says that through the internet bank you can view and download statements “from the last 36 months”. TSB Bank says of its paperless statements: “We will never alter or delete any items in your Digital Inbox”. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) says that if you are self-employed you must keep your records “for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline of the relevant tax year”. GOV.UK’s list of records for the self-employed includes “bank statements, chequebook stubs”. For a limited company, GOV.UK’s guidance says you must keep records “for 6 years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to”, and the records include “any other relevant documents, for example bank statements and correspondence”.

Question 3

If my bank offers an export, when does converting the statement help?

Accepted Answer

When the period you need sits outside the window of the file you can export, or when what you have is the statement itself. HSBC UK says it does offer other file formats, “such as Excel (xls) or csv”, and that this is done “via your transactions list”. NatWest says the transaction information is available in “the standard exportable Excel or PDF format” when you download your transactions. Nationwide says you can view and download “36 months worth of PDF statements” and view transactions “for the past 15 months”. Starling Bank says that for custom dates you can export a transaction summary, which can cover “any dates in the last 12 months”, as a PDF, large-print PDF or CSV file, and adds “Transaction summary exports are not verifiable statements”. Santander UK says its midata service “allows you to download 12 months of transaction history from your current account”. Xero UK says you will need to “re-authenticate your bank connection every 90 days”, and that you “can only import 90 days of historical transactions when re-authenticating your bank feed”. QuickBooks Online UK says that if you have PDF files from your bank “you’ll need to convert them to one of these supported formats using a third-party application”. If you have the statement for an earlier period, or one a client sent you, upload it as it is.

Question 4

How do I use the Excel file for bank reconciliation?

Accepted Answer

The ExtractPro Excel file has one transaction per row, with date, description and amount in separate columns (and the balance, when the statement shows it) and amounts as numbers. With the custom format you split amounts into two columns, debit and credit, and choose the column order, the date format and whether to download Excel or CSV. With that file you match each bank transaction against your records, in a spreadsheet or in your accounting software. For Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, HMRC’s guidance gives the thresholds as “£50,000 for the 2024 to 2025 tax year, you should’ve started using Making Tax Digital for Income Tax from 6 April 2026”, “£30,000 for the 2025 to 2026 tax year, you will need to use it from 6 April 2027” and “£20,000 for the 2026 to 2027 tax year, you will need to use it from 6 April 2028”. HMRC also says “You still need to keep original records or supporting documents (or copies of them) that you have used to prepare your tax return, such as bank statements and invoices”.

Question 5

Is my banking data secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We process your statements in memory and keep a copy for a limited time, in private storage, for support and to improve conversion; it isn’t shared with anyone. Because our copy is not an archive, keep the original statement file yourself: HMRC says that if you are self-employed you must keep your records “for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline of the relevant tax year”.

Question 6

How many conversions can I do for free?

Accepted Answer

The Free plan includes 2 conversions per month, no card required: sign up with your email or Google account and convert straight away. For more volume there are paid plans, with no commitment. Paid plans are priced in US$, not in £.

Question 7

How do I cancel? Is there a commitment?

Accepted Answer

No commitment. You cancel yourself from your account in under a minute: go to Account and select “Cancel subscription”. You keep the plan until the end of the period you’ve already paid for, then move to the free plan. No paperwork, no penalty. Cancelling does not affect the Excel files you have already downloaded, or the statements at your bank, which HSBC UK, for one, lets you view “up to 6 years back” in online or mobile banking.

Convert your bank statement to Excel for bank reconciliation

Secure

Built for firms

Accurate

How it works

Upload your statement

We organise it

Download the Excel file

What your Excel file contains

One transaction per row

Amounts as numbers

Dates as dates

Your file is not shared

Simple pricing

Starter

Professional

Business

Frequently asked questions

Supported banks

United Kingdom guides