Tiller Import CSV from PDF Bank Statements: Backfill Tiller Money History

TL;DR: Tiller's CSV Importer adds transactions from a CSV file straight into a Tiller-managed account, but it does not read PDF statements. When the history you need only exists as PDF statements, convert each one to CSV, keep a single header row and one Amount column (money out negative), then upload it on the Tiller Console under Accounts, Import CSV. Tiller does not remove duplicates, so make the CSV end the day before your automatic feed begins.

Tiller is built for people who like their money in a spreadsheet, and it earns its $99 a year by filling Google Sheets or Excel with transactions every day. The trouble starts before the first fill. Maybe you want last year complete for taxes, your bank is one Tiller's data providers do not support, or the account is closed and all that is left is a folder of PDFs. That is the job this guide covers, using Tiller's own help center for every step on the Tiller side.

Can you import a CSV into Tiller?

Yes. Since October 1, 2025 the CSV Importer lives on the Tiller Console. Log in at my.tiller.com, click Accounts, then Import CSV at the top right, drop in the file, pick the account, map the columns to Tiller's required columns and click Finish. Tiller says it works for automated accounts where you just want more history, for accounts you track by hand, and for filling a gap while a bank connection is down.

The importer handles more than one account in a single file, auto-maps some common column headers, and recognizes a few ways amounts can be laid out. Columns it does not need can be left unmapped. Once the data is in Tiller's database it behaves like feed data: on Google Sheets with Direct Fills it fills automatically, and on Excel or older Sheets with Sidebar Fills you open Tiller Money Feeds and click Fill.

Can Tiller import PDF bank statements?

No. The CSV Importer takes CSV files, and nothing in Tiller's documentation mentions PDF, OFX or QFX. A PDF is a printed page, not a data file, so every PDF-only month has to become a CSV first. Here is where the files you are likely holding stand.

For a digital or scanned statement, upload it with the box at the top of this page and choose Transactions only in the Extract menu. The converter reads the transaction table on every page, scanned pages included through OCR, and lets you download the rows as CSV. Our PDF bank statement to CSV converter page covers the output in detail; the short version is a header row and one row per transaction, with a single Amount column unless you switch on the Debit and Credit split.

How do I import transactions from a PDF statement into Tiller?

1. Fill your sheet with the latest feed data and note the earliest date the feed already covers for that account.
2. Convert the statements for the months before that date. Set Extract to Transactions only so the CSV holds just the transaction table, not the statement header text. One statement per upload keeps each file easy to check.
3. Open the CSV in Google Sheets or Excel. Make sure row 1 is the only header row, the dates look right, and money out is negative. Save it as CSV again.
4. On the Tiller Console go to Accounts, Import CSV, drop the file, choose the account and map Date, Description and Amount.
5. Click Finish and write down the Import Tag. Fill the sheet (automatic on Direct Fills, the Fill button on Sidebar Fills).
6. For a manually tracked account, update the balance in Tiller, since a CSV of transactions does not set it for you.

Check the running total against the closing balance printed on each statement before you move on. It takes a minute and it is the only proof that nothing was skipped.

What columns does the Tiller CSV need?

A date, a description and an amount, under a single header row. Tiller's guide for importing history is specific about amounts: either one column headed Amount with positive and negative values in $0.00 format, or an Amount column of absolute values plus a Type column that says credit or debit. Extra header rows, which some exports put above the data, have to go.

Signs are the thing to watch on credit card statements. Many card issuers print purchases as positive numbers and payments with a minus or a CR. In Tiller a purchase is money out and should be negative, so either flip the column with a quick formula (=-B2) or use the Amount plus Type layout. Bank checking statements usually print withdrawals and deposits in separate columns, and the Debit and Credit split keeps them apart for you.

Does Tiller remove duplicate transactions?

No. Tiller's help center says plainly that there is no de-duplication workflow for CSV imports, so any overlap between your CSV and the automatic feed lands in your sheet twice. The fix is to prevent it: check which dates the feed already filled, and export or trim the CSV so it stops the day before. If duplicates do slip in, Tiller recommends adding the Import Tag column so you can filter by it, and you can remove a whole import from the Accounts page through Import History.

Which route should you use for older history?

In practice most Tiller users combine two. The automatic feed runs the account from the connection date forward, and converted statements fill everything before it. Because Tiller treats imported rows like feed data, your category rules, AutoCat and reports work across the whole range once it is in.

Moving to Tiller from another budgeting app

Tiller's own migration guide asks you to export your history from the old tool as CSV, clear the overlapping rows, import it and then clean up categories from the Category Hint column. That works when the old app can export. When it cannot, or when it only ever held a few months, the bank's PDF statements are the fallback, and the steps above apply. The same problem shows up in other apps: our guides to importing PDF statements into Quicken Simplifi and backfilling Monarch Money from PDF statements cover those importers, which are fussier about column names than Tiller is.

Tiller for a small business

Plenty of freelancers and small shops run their books in Tiller, and Tiller publishes a Simple P&L template for exactly that. The catch is timing: the year you need for a tax return or a loan file started before you connected the business account. Convert the missing statements, import them into the business account, and the P&L template covers the full year. If a lender or investor then wants formal statements rather than a spreadsheet, a tool that builds a GAAP-style P&L and balance sheet from your bookkeeping export takes it the rest of the way.

What it costs to backfill a year

You can test up to 15 pages with no credit card, which is enough to run one or two statements all the way into Tiller. A year of a typical checking account is 12 statements of 2 to 6 pages, comfortably inside one month of the Starter plan at $49 (2,500 pages a month on the faster AI model, up to 25 pages per statement). Cancel once the backlog is in. If you are converting several accounts or years at once, Plus adds bulk upload of up to 50 files. Current plans are on the pricing page.

Set that against the alternative. A business checking account with 80 transactions a month is close to 1,000 rows a year to type into the Transactions sheet, and every one of them is a chance to drop a digit that the balance check will then make you hunt for.

Frequently asked questions

How do I import transactions into Tiller?

Log in to the Tiller Console at my.tiller.com, click Accounts, then Import CSV, drop in the file, choose the account and map the columns. After you click Finish, the rows fill into Google Sheets automatically on Direct Fills, or through the Fill button in Tiller Money Feeds on Excel and Sidebar Fills.

Can Tiller import OFX or QFX files?

Tiller's importer is a CSV importer, and its documentation does not list OFX, QFX or QIF. If your bank offers a CSV download, use that. If the months you need only exist as PDF statements, convert them to CSV with one header row and a signed Amount column, then import.

How much does Tiller cost?

Tiller costs $99 a year after a 30-day free trial, and the card is not charged until the trial ends (tiller.com pricing, September 2026). One subscription covers the feeds into Google Sheets or Excel and the CSV Importer.

What if my bank is not supported by Tiller?

Tiller connects banks through Yodlee and Plaid, and suggests the CSV Importer for any institution that is not on its supported list. Set the account up as a manual account, import CSV files for its history, and update the balance by hand. PDF statements from that bank convert to CSV the same way.

Why does my Tiller CSV import show the wrong sign?

Tiller expects money out to be negative in a single Amount column. Credit card statements often print purchases as positive numbers, so they import as income. Flip the column with a formula before importing, or use an absolute Amount column with a Type column that says credit or debit.