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BalansixBanking

Why has a bank transaction imported with the wrong sign?

Fix debit and credit direction errors when importing CSV or Excel bank statements into Balansix.

Banking
Short answerWhat to checkWhy it happensStepsFAQs

Short answer

A sign problem normally comes from the import mapping: separate debit and credit columns may be reversed, or a single amount column may use the opposite positive and negative convention from the selected mapping.

What to check first

Work through these before changing the accounting recordIdentify whether the source uses separate debit and credit columns or one signed amount column.Check the bank statement’s sign convention for money in and money out.Review the import preview before posting.Confirm the source has not already converted brackets or minus signs.Compare a known deposit and withdrawal against the preview.

Why this happens

Banks export CSV/Excel files in different formats. A positive number can mean money in for one source and money out for another, so Balansix relies on the import mapping to interpret direction correctly.

Steps to resolve it

  1. Cancel the import before posting if the preview direction is wrong.
  2. Return to column mapping.
  3. Map Debit/Credit separately where the file has two columns, or set the correct direction for the single amount column.
  4. Preview a known receipt and payment.
  5. Import only after the directions agree to the statement.

What to avoid

Keep the audit trail intact. Do not import the statement and then reverse every row manually. Correct the mapping at source so the whole batch is interpreted consistently.

Frequently asked questions

Can Balansix import a bank file with one amount column?

Yes. Single-amount-column imports are supported, but the positive and negative direction must match the source file.

What if the bank uses brackets for negative numbers?

Check the preview to confirm the value is parsed correctly. If not, normalise the source or mapping before import.

Should I delete an incorrectly imported batch?

Use the supported correction/deletion workflow only if the batch is not protected by posting and reconciliation locks. It is better to catch sign errors in preview before posting.

Still need help?

Contact Balansix Support with the client, module, period, what you expected and what happened. Avoid sending passwords or unrelated client secrets.