Scan Bank Statements: a practical guide for QuickBooks Online users

When a client sends only a PDF bank statement, QuickBooks Online can be hard to update. Bank feeds may fail, stop at a certain date, or the client may not want to connect accounts. In those cases, the statement becomes the source of truth. The job is to turn statement lines into real QuickBooks transactions so you can reconcile and close the month.

SaasAnt Bank Statements helps with that. You upload a PDF statement, SaasAnt extracts each line, and it prepares QuickBooks-ready entries. Money in is created as Deposits, money out is created as Expenses, and statement lines with check numbers are created as Checks. You review everything first, then sync to QuickBooks Online.

Best-fit use cases

This workflow is most useful for:
Catch-up work for older months when feeds do not go back far enough.
Clients who only share PDFs and do not allow bank connections.
Banks that do not offer a clean .QBO download.
Rebuilding a period so reconciliation matches the statement.
Checking accounts with many checks where check numbers matter.

What you need

A clear PDF statement for one bank account and one statement period. If the PDF includes multiple accounts, split it and upload one account at a time. If the file is a scan, make sure text is readable and pages are not cropped.

Step-by-step guide

Step 1: Open Bank Statements

In SaasAnt Transactions, go to Batch Actions and select Bank Statements. You will see the list view with tabs like Under Review, Synced, and Archived.

Step 2: Upload the PDF

Click Upload BankStatements and select the statement PDF. The batch will appear in the list and you will see a status like Extracting while SaasAnt reads the file.

Step 3: Understand what SaasAnt creates

As SaasAnt extracts, it captures date, description, and amount from each statement line and assigns an entry type:
Positive amounts become Deposits.
Negative amounts become Expenses.
Lines that include a check number become Checks.

Step 4: Review before posting

Open the batch and click View Details. Review is where you protect the file from bad data and duplicates.

Quick review checklist:
Confirm the statement start and end dates.
Spot-check a few lines: large deposits, large payments, and any unusual items.
Watch for duplicates if the same period was already brought in through bank feeds or manual entry.
Confirm check-number lines look like checks, not generic expenses.

Use Filter to narrow by date, amount, or type if the batch is large. Use Tags to label the batch for tracking, like “Dec 2024 Checking” or “Cleanup Month 1”.

Step 5: Sync to QuickBooks Online

Once the review looks good, sync the prepared entries to QuickBooks Online. After sync, the batch moves to the Synced tab so you have a clear record of what was posted.

Step 6: Reconcile in QuickBooks

In QuickBooks Online, reconcile the same bank account for the same statement period using the ending balance and ending date from the statement. Since the statement lines now exist in the register, reconciliation becomes a normal process: clear transactions until the difference is zero.

How this helps with common QuickBooks statement problems

Missing history

If feeds only pull the last 90 days, you still need the older months. Statement upload lets you backfill periods so your books do not have gaps.

Catch-up bookkeeping

For new clients or neglected books, statements are often the only reliable starting point. Converting the statement into transactions quickly lets you spend time on categorization and review instead of data entry.

Reconciliation that will not balance

Many reconciliation issues are caused by missing entries. If the register is incomplete, the ending balance will not match. Creating the missing statement lines is often the fastest way to get back to a reconcilable month.

Check tracking

Checks are easier to trace when the check number is captured. Creating Checks from check-number lines makes it easier to answer questions like “Was check 9187 cleared?” without digging through PDFs.

Benefits of using SaasAnt

Faster than manual entry

Typing statement lines into QuickBooks is slow and error-prone. Extraction gets you to a reviewable draft quickly.

Review first, then post

Nothing has to hit QuickBooks until you approve it. That keeps cleanup work safer, especially in client files.

Clear tracking

Under Review shows what is pending. Synced shows what is already posted. Download can be used to keep a backup copy of what was processed.

A practical note on duplicates

If the month is already in QuickBooks through bank feeds, only use statement upload after a careful review. If you are unsure, test with one week of data before syncing.

If a PDF statement is what you have, this workflow turns it into QuickBooks transactions you can review, sync, and reconcile with confidence.