Bank statement import software is a tool that brings your clients' transaction data into your reconciliation workflow without manual downloading, reformatting, or uploading. For Australian bookkeeping practices managing multiple clients, how transactions arrive is just as important as how they get coded — a broken or manual import chain is where reconciliation hours disappear before the real work even begins.
Reconlink handles bank statement import through two complementary methods: a per-client email inbox that accepts statements forwarded directly by clients, and a drag-and-drop upload path for CSV, Excel, and PDF files. Whichever method a given client uses, the same three-layer coding engine (rules, machine learning, and LLM fallback) runs automatically the moment transactions are received.
This page covers the import methods, how Reconlink handles non-standard formats and late submitters, who the software is built for, and how it compares to managing imports manually.
Two ways bank statements enter Reconlink
Email import (client-forwarded statements)
Reconlink generates a unique email address for each client in your practice. The client — or their bookkeeper — forwards a PDF, Excel, or CSV bank statement to that address. Reconlink parses the statement automatically and loads the transactions into the reconciliation queue.
This is the lowest-friction import path: there are no portal logins for the client, no reformatting, and no missed periods once forwarding becomes a habit. Statements land in the reconciliation queue the moment they are forwarded, so there is no end-of-quarter scramble to collect three months of files at BAS time.
It also meets clients where they already are. Most small business clients will not change their banking habits, but they will happily forward a monthly statement — so the per-client inbox keeps import management low for that segment without requiring a behaviour change.
The bookkeeper never touches the file. There is no portal login for the client, no upload process, and no reformatting required. The client does what they already do — download a statement from their online banking, and forward the email. Reconlink handles the rest.
This method handles the reality that many small business clients will not learn a new tool but will forward a monthly PDF. It meets clients where they are rather than requiring a behaviour change.
Manual CSV, Excel or PDF upload
When forwarding by email is not convenient, Reconlink accepts direct CSV, Excel, and PDF uploads. The bookkeeper downloads the statement from online banking and drag-and-drops it into the relevant client's workspace. Reconlink parses the file and runs the same automated coding pipeline.
This path gives the bookkeeper full control for any client or period. Many practices lean on direct upload during onboarding and shift routine clients to email import as they go — reducing the bookkeeper's upload workload over time.
For step-by-step setup instructions for both methods, see How to import bank statements in Reconlink.
How Reconlink handles non-standard formats and difficult clients
PDF parsing for non-machine-readable statements
Bank statement PDFs vary significantly in layout across institutions. Reconlink's PDF parser is built against Australian bank statement formats and handles multi-page statements, running balances, and the column layouts used by the major Australian banks. Transactions parsed from PDF are normalised to the same format as Excel and CSV data before entering the coding engine — there is no separate workflow for PDF clients.
Multi-account clients
A single client may operate multiple bank accounts — a trading account, a GST account, a payroll account — each with its own statement. Reconlink supports multiple accounts per client workspace, and each account can use a different import method. The client may forward statements to the email inbox for one account while the bookkeeper uploads PDF statements for another. The coding engine and reconciliation view show all accounts for the client in a single workspace.
Clients who submit late
The email import method creates a record the moment the forwarded statement arrives. If a client sends three months of statements the week before BAS is due, each email is processed in sequence and the transactions are available for review immediately. The practice dashboard flags which clients have outstanding periods, so bookkeepers can prioritise the queue without manually tracking submission status.
The same visibility covers manual uploads: any period a bookkeeper drag-and-drops into a workspace is flagged as received the moment it lands, so the dashboard always reflects which clients still have outstanding statements ahead of a BAS deadline.
Who Reconlink is built for
Reconlink is designed for bookkeeping practices and CA firms that manage ongoing bank reconciliation for five or more business clients. The import infrastructure delivers the most value when:
- Client bank diversity is high — clients spread across many institutions, some who will email a statement and others who will only ever hand over a PDF
- Import is currently manual — bookkeepers are spending time downloading, reformatting, and uploading statements rather than reviewing and approving coded transactions
- BAS volume is the constraint — the practice needs to process more clients per BAS cycle without adding headcount
- Client data arrives unevenly — some clients submit promptly, others late, and the practice needs visibility across all of them at once
If you manage your own books as a sole trader or small business, Reconlink is designed for practice-level volume and is likely more infrastructure than a single-entity workflow requires.
Feature comparison: manual import management vs Reconlink
| Manual import management | Reconlink | |
|---|---|---|
| Routine statement clients | Bookkeeper or client downloads CSV and uploads manually each period | Client forwards the statement to a per-client email address — Reconlink parses it automatically |
| Ad-hoc clients | Chase client for statement, download, reformat, upload | Client emails PDF or CSV to a per-client address; Reconlink parses automatically |
| PDF statements | Manual data extraction or third-party conversion | Native PDF parsing built against Australian bank formats |
| Multi-account clients | Separate upload workflow per account | Multiple accounts per client workspace, each with its own import method |
| Late submitters | Manual follow-up; scramble before BAS deadline | Dashboard flags outstanding periods; email imports process the moment they arrive |
| Post-import coding | Manual line-by-line coding or basic bank rules | Three-layer engine (rules, ML, LLM) runs automatically after every import |
| Bookkeeper time on import | 15–45 minutes per client per period (download, reformat, upload) | Near zero for email-import clients; minutes for direct-upload clients |
| Practice-wide visibility | Switch between client files to check import status | Single dashboard shows import status and coding completion across all clients |
Pricing
Reconlink is priced per practice based on the number of active clients under management.
| Plan | Clients | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | Up to 10 clients | $89/month |
| Growth | Up to 30 clients | $229/month |
| Scale | Unlimited clients | $549/month |
All plans include both import methods — CSV, Excel & PDF upload and the per-client email inbox — the full three-layer coding engine, and the practice dashboard. See full plan details at /pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What is bank statement import software and why does it matter for Australian practices? Bank statement import software automates the process of getting transaction data from your clients' banks into your reconciliation workflow. For Australian practices, this matters because the manual alternative — chasing clients for statements, downloading CSVs, reformatting files, and uploading them to your accounting platform — consumes significant bookkeeper time before any actual reconciliation work begins. Reconlink handles import through email-based statement forwarding and direct CSV, Excel or PDF upload, so the bookkeeper's time starts at reviewing coded transactions rather than collecting raw data.
Which Australian banks are supported? Reconlink works with statements from any Australian bank, because import is statement-based rather than feed-based. As long as the bank lets the client export a CSV, Excel or PDF statement — which the major banks (ANZ, CBA, Westpac, and NAB) and effectively every smaller institution do — Reconlink can parse it, whether the client forwards it to their per-client email inbox or the bookkeeper uploads it directly.
How does the email import method work in practice? Each client in your Reconlink workspace has a unique inbound email address. When a client receives their monthly bank statement — whether as a PDF attachment or a downloadable CSV — they forward it to that address. Reconlink receives the email, parses the attachment, normalises the transaction data, and adds it to the client's reconciliation queue. No bookkeeper action is required between the client sending the email and the transactions appearing in the coding queue.
Can Reconlink handle clients who use multiple bank accounts? Yes. Each client workspace in Reconlink supports multiple bank accounts, and each account can use a different import method. A client might forward their main trading account statement to the email inbox while the bookkeeper uploads PDF statements for a second savings account. All accounts appear in a single client workspace, and the reconciliation dashboard shows coding completion status across all of them.
What happens after import — does Reconlink code the transactions automatically? Yes. As soon as transactions arrive through any import method, Reconlink's three-layer coding engine processes them automatically. The first layer applies deterministic coding rules for known vendors. The second layer applies a per-client machine learning model trained on that client's coding history. The third layer uses an LLM for new or ambiguous descriptions. The result is a review queue that contains only the transactions the system is uncertain about — typically 8–15% of total transaction volume in a mature configuration.
Is Reconlink suitable for practices that have clients on a mix of banks and import methods? Yes — mixed import environments are the common case for practices managing more than a handful of clients. Reconlink is designed to handle email forwarding and manual CSV, Excel or PDF upload simultaneously across different clients in the same practice. The practice dashboard normalises all clients into a single view regardless of how their transactions arrive, so the bookkeeper sees the same coding completion and BAS readiness indicators for every client.
Stop managing imports. Start reviewing reconciliations.
The import step is where practice time goes before the billable work begins. Reconlink removes it — email-import clients forward their own statements, direct uploads take seconds, and the three-layer AI handles the coding as soon as data arrives.
Book a free demo — see both import methods working against real client data, with no commitment required. Or explore all Reconlink features and pricing.
This page was last reviewed on 23 May 2026. This is general guidance, not specific tax or legal advice.