If you budget in Google Sheets, you know the pain: log into your bank, export a CSV, clean up the column headers, paste it in, fix the date format. Every week. Every bank. Here are two ways to do it.
Method 1: Manual CSV Export
Every major bank lets you download transactions as a CSV file. The process is the same everywhere:
- Log into your bank's website
- Navigate to your account's transaction history
- Set a date range and export as CSV
- Open Google Sheets and import the CSV (File → Import)
- Clean up column headers, fix date formats, remove duplicates
- Repeat for every bank account, every week
The catch: this works, but it takes 15–30 minutes per week and you'll miss transactions if you forget.
Method 2: Sheetful
Sheetful connects your bank to Google Sheets through Plaid. On Premium your sheet updates every day; on Free, once a week.
Step-by-step setup (about 5 minutes)
- Pick a template: Monthly Budget, Spending Tracker, Debt Payoff Planner, and four more.
- Sign in with Google and connect your bank: Sheetful creates the sheet in your Drive. Log in to your bank through Plaid, or import a CSV.
- Your sheet fills: your transactions land in it, and a connected bank brings roughly the last 90 days.
Comparing the two methods
| Feature | Manual CSV | Sheetful |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | 0 minutes | 5 minutes (once) |
| Weekly time | 15–30 minutes | 0 minutes on Premium |
| Multiple banks | One export per bank | All in one place on Premium |
| Merchant cleanup | Manual | Automatic |
| Cost | Free | Free tier + $79/yr premium |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which banks are supported?
Sheetful uses Plaid, which supports 12,000+ banks and credit unions, including all major US institutions like Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citi, and most US credit unions.
How often do transactions sync?
Every day on Premium, with new transactions arriving as your bank posts them. On Free, it syncs once a week, and Sync Now works whenever you like.
How does the bank connection work?
Read-only through Plaid. You sign in to your bank on Plaid's screen.
Does it cost money?
Sheetful has a free tier (1 bank connection, weekly sync) and a Premium plan at $79/year or $9.99/month.
Ready to stop copying and pasting?
Start free and see your own transactions in your sheet.
Get started →If you already keep a budget sheet, read Keep your own budget spreadsheet.
Prefer Microsoft Excel? See the Excel / OneDrive guide.