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Importing Bank Data

Understand OFX and QFX file formats, how to download them, and how the import process works.

JE-PFM uses OFX and QFX files to import transactions from your bank. These are standardized formats that most US and Canadian financial institutions support.

What Are OFX and QFX Files?

OFX (Open Financial Exchange) is an open standard for exchanging financial data between institutions and personal finance software. It contains account information, transaction details, balances, and metadata like institution identifiers.

QFX (Quicken Financial Exchange) is Intuit's proprietary variant of OFX. Functionally, QFX files are nearly identical to OFX files with minor header differences. JE-PFM handles both formats transparently.

Each transaction in an OFX/QFX file includes a FITID (Financial Institution Transaction ID) — a unique identifier assigned by your bank. JE-PFM uses this ID to prevent duplicate imports. If you import the same file twice, or import overlapping date ranges, duplicates are automatically detected and skipped.

Downloading From Your Bank

The exact steps vary by institution, but the general process is:

  1. Sign in to your bank's online banking portal.
  2. Select the account you want to export.
  3. Find the download or export option — it is often under "Account Activity", "Statements", or "Download Transactions".
  4. Choose OFX, QFX, or Microsoft Money as the file format. (Microsoft Money format is OFX under the hood.)
  5. Select a date range. Most banks allow up to 90 days per export; some allow longer.
  6. Download the file to your computer.

The Import Flow

When you upload an OFX/QFX file to JE-PFM:

  1. The parser reads the file and extracts institution details, account info, and all transactions.
  2. JE-PFM matches the account to an existing account in your profile (by institution ID and account number) or creates a new one.
  3. A preview screen shows the transactions that will be imported, highlighting any that already exist.
  4. After confirmation, new transactions are stored and immediately appear in your dashboard and transaction views.

Tips

  • Import files regularly (weekly or monthly) to keep your data current.
  • Start with a wide date range on your first import to establish a good baseline of transaction history.
  • If your bank only offers CSV exports, this format is not currently supported — check back for future updates.