Updated 2026-09-21
Canada statement import guide
Every Canadian bank already gives you a downloadable record of each account, as a PDF statement or a CSV of transactions. OwnFi reads those files on the phone, so you can budget from RBC, TD, Scotiabank, CIBC and BMO without Plaid, Flinks or a bank login, and without the dropped connections Canadian users of Monarch and YNAB keep reporting.
This page lists what each bank exports, how OwnFi recognises it, and what to do with a credit union, a brokerage account, or a file it does not know yet.
What each bank gives you
Named formats are matched by their column headers, so the file needs to be the bank's own export, not one you have edited in a spreadsheet. Save the file untouched and import it; the same bank's PDF statement works too.
| Bank | Export to download | How OwnFi recognises the CSV |
|---|---|---|
| RBC | CSV from online banking (all accounts in one file) or the monthly PDF | Columns include Account Type and Cheque Number; USD accounts carry a separate USD column |
| TD | CSV per account from EasyWeb, or the PDF statement | Transaction Date, Debit, Credit and Balance columns |
| Scotiabank | CSV per account, or the PDF statement | Withdrawals and Deposits columns |
| CIBC | CSV per account, or the PDF statement | Transaction, Debit Amount and Credit Amount columns |
| BMO | CSV per account, or the PDF statement | Exactly four columns: Date, Description, Amount, Balance |
| Tangerine, Simplii, EQ, credit unions | CSV, OFX or QFX from online banking | OFX and QFX are read directly; a CSV is learned the first time you confirm which column is which |
Canadian CSVs write dates month-day-year, and OwnFi reads them that way for these banks. If a credit union export uses day-month-year, the review sheet lets you say so once.
Step by step
- Download the file
In the bank's website or app, open the account, choose the period, and download. Pick CSV when it is offered; otherwise the PDF statement. On a phone, share it straight to OwnFi from the bank's app or save it to Files.
- Import it
Open OwnFi and choose Import, or share the file to OwnFi. A password-protected PDF asks for the password the bank set; it is used once to open the file and is never stored.
- Review, then budget
Rows the parser is sure of save straight away; uncertain ones are flagged for a look. Balances are checked against the statement's own totals. Categories, bills and subscriptions are detected, and the Dashboard shows what you can safely spend today.
TFSA, RRSP and brokerage holdings
Net worth in OwnFi includes registered accounts without a broker login. Download the holdings or activity file your broker already provides and import it as holdings:
- Questrade — Activity and Positions CSV exports.
- Wealthsimple — Activity and Holdings exports.
- RBC Direct Investing and TD Direct Investing — Holdings exports.
- Any broker that offers OFX.
Positions are priced from public ticker quotes; anything OwnFi cannot price is named on the card rather than silently counted as zero.
Moving from Mint
Mint closed in March 2024 and Canadian accounts had no migration path. If you kept the CSV archive, import it: the universal parser learns Mint's column layout the first time, and your history comes with you. The Mint alternative for Canada page compares the apps that replaced it.
Tax year and exports
Canada's tax year is the calendar year, and the tax-year CSV export follows it: one file per year with credits kept signed and each row's currency carried through, ready for an accountant or a spreadsheet. A YNAB-format CSV is available for anyone keeping YNAB for the envelopes.
Questions
Does OwnFi connect to Canadian banks?
No. It reads the PDF and CSV files RBC, TD, Scotiabank, CIBC and BMO already give you. There is no Plaid or Flinks connection to break, and no bank credentials are entered anywhere.
My bank is not listed. Can I still use it?
Yes. OFX and QFX files import directly, and any CSV is learned the first time you confirm which columns hold the date, description and amount. That covers credit unions, Tangerine, Simplii and EQ Bank.
Do password-protected PDF statements work?
Yes. OwnFi asks for the password the bank set, uses it once to open the file on the phone, and never stores it.
Can I import several months at once?
Yes. Import any months you have files for; a re-imported statement replaces its earlier rows rather than duplicating them.
Where is my data stored?
Only on your phone, encrypted at rest. There is no OwnFi server; the App Store privacy label reads "Data Not Collected".
Related
About OwnFi
OwnFi is a free budgeting app that imports your bank statements instead of logging into your bank. Nothing leaves your phone. Free on iPhone and Android, with a sample-data mode so you can look before importing anything. See everything it does or read the privacy proof.