When you need a manual account
- Banks not supported by Plaid
- Foreign bank accounts
- Investment accounts
- Petty cash
- PayPal or Stripe (if you prefer CSV over integration)
- Loan accounts
Creating a manual account
Enter details
Fill in:
- Account name
- Account type (checking, savings, credit card, etc.)
- Starting balance
- As-of date
Importing transactions
CSV import
Import transactions from a downloaded bank statement:- Open the manual account
- Click Import Transactions
- Upload your CSV file
- Map columns to fields (date, description, amount)
- Review the import preview
- Confirm import
Supported formats
- CSV (comma-separated)
- Excel (.xlsx)
- OFX/QFX (from many banks)
- QBO (QuickBooks format)
Column mapping
Map your file’s columns to Pluvel fields:| Pluvel field | Your column might be called |
|---|---|
| Date | Transaction Date, Posted Date |
| Description | Description, Memo, Payee |
| Amount | Amount, Debit/Credit |
| Reference | Check Number, Reference |
Manual entry
When you only have a few transactions (or for petty cash):- Open the account
- Click Add Transaction
- Enter:
- Date
- Description
- Amount (positive for deposits, negative for withdrawals)
- Category (optional)
- Save
Updating balances
For manual accounts, update the balance periodically to catch discrepancies:- Open the account
- Click Update Balance
- Enter current balance and as-of date
- Any difference creates a reconciliation adjustment
Reconciliation
Reconcile manual accounts just like connected ones:- Get your bank statement
- Go to Banking → Reconciliation
- Select the manual account
- Enter statement ending balance
- Clear transactions that appear on the statement
- Complete when balanced
Converting to connected
If your bank becomes available via Plaid (or if Plaid starts supporting it):- Connect the account via Plaid
- Pluvel matches it to your manual account
- Future transactions import automatically
- Historical manual transactions remain
Making this less painful
- Import weekly or monthly — Don’t let it build up
- Use the same CSV format each time — Column mapping saves
- Reconcile regularly — Monthly at minimum
- Keep your statements — Store them as attachments in Pluvel
Reconciliation
Reconcile your bank accounts.