After importing transactions from an OFX, QFX, or CSV file, the transactions do go directly to the Transactions page.
Instead, they first appear on the , where they must be reviewed and approved.
When you import transactions from a bank account for the first time, Pixel Budget does not yet know:
- Which vendor or payer names you want to use
- Which categories should be assigned
This is why imported transactions must be reviewed.
After you:
- Set the vendor/payer
- Assign the correct category
Pixel Budget remembers your choices.
The next time you import transactions, vendor names and categories will be filled in automatically — similar to how autocomplete works when adding a transaction manually.
The more transactions you review and approve, the more accurate the automatic suggestions become.
At the top of the page, you will see your account names displayed as tabs.
- Click a tab to switch between accounts.
- A red badge next to each account shows how many transactions are waiting for review.
- A red badge next to the menu item shows the total number of transactions awaiting approval across all accounts.
- Imported transactions are grouped by date.
- Five days are shown per page.
- Use the paginator at the bottom to navigate between pages.
Each imported transaction appears as a transaction card with a light green background.
Each transaction card contains two main rows.
This row contains:
- (cannot be changed)
- (cannot be changed)
- (from bank export, cannot be changed)
The type is automatically set to:
- (usually a negative amount)
- (usually a positive amount)
In bank terminology, a “debit” typically means money leaving your account, and a “credit” means money entering your account.
You can change the type to if the transaction represents money moved between two of your own accounts.
The Description field comes directly from the bank export and is used by Pixel Budget to recognize patterns and suggest categories.
Bank descriptions are often abbreviated or contain extra codes. For example:
POS 0321 WALMART SUPERCENTER #1234ACH WEB PAYPAL INST XFERVENMO PAYMENT 2394823
You can enter a cleaner Vendor name in the second row such as:
Pixel Budget will remember your choice for future imports.
This row contains the fields you must review and confirm.
If no vendor/payer is set yet, the field displays:
- “Add Vendor” (for expenses)
- “Add Payer” (for income)
Click the field to enter a name.
After typing two characters, autocomplete appears (if the vendor was previously used).Selecting a suggestion automatically fills in:
- Vendor/Payer name
- Category
This works the same way as when adding a transaction manually.
If you enter a new vendor/payer name that is not recognized and no suggestions are shown, click to create it.
These fields behave differently depending on the transaction type.
- = importing account (cannot be changed)
- = expense category
If Expense Category is not recognized, it will display:“Select Expense category”
Click to choose the correct:
You can change it anytime.
- = income category
- = importing account (cannot be changed)
If Income Category is not recognized, it will display:“Select Income category”
Click to choose the correct:
You can change it anytime.
If you change the type to , both From and To must be accounts.
One side will always be the account you are importing into (and cannot be changed).
If the amount is negative:
- = importing account (fixed)
- Select the account
If the amount is positive:
- = importing account (fixed)
- Select the account
If you are importing into your Checking account and you see a $500 transfer to Savings:
- From = Checking
- To = Savings
If you are paying your credit card bill from your checking account, set the transaction type to , not Expense.
This prevents double counting.
The expense already occurred when you used the credit card. The payment is simply moving money between your accounts.
You can optionally add personal notes:
This works the same way as the Notes field when adding a transaction manually.
On the right side of each transaction card, you will find the button.
If you see:
- “Action Required”
- Orange triangle warning icons
It means required fields are missing (vendor, category, or account).
Once all required fields are set and no warnings remain, the Approve button becomes active.
When you click :
- The transaction is added to the Transactions page.
- It disappears from the Import page.
- Pixel Budget scans the remaining transactions.
- Matching transactions are automatically filled with the same vendor/payer and category when their Description matches.
This makes reviewing large imports significantly faster.
If Pixel Budget automatically fills fields, you will see under the Approve button.
Clicking it opens a panel showing all possible suggestions based on previous transactions.
If multiple suggestions exist:
- Pixel Budget selects the most likely one.
- You can choose another suggestion from the list.
- Click the trash (dustbin) icon.
- Confirm by clicking .
- Scroll to the top of the page.
- Click .
- Confirm by clicking .
If you choose to import transactions instead of adding them manually, it is recommended to import regularly — at least once per week.
If you use credit cards frequently, importing once or twice per week is recommended to keep reviewing simple and manageable.
The longer the time between imports, the more difficult it becomes to review and categorize transactions accurately.
Once approved, transactions:
- Appear on the Transactions page
- Affect your balances
- Affect your budgeting
The Import page will only show transactions that are still waiting for review.