Guides · NatWest

NatWest tells you how the money moved, not just that it did.

Alongside the usual date, value and description, a NatWest export carries a transaction type on every row: the D/D, BAC or POS code. It is more useful than it looks.

natwest-statement.csv
5 columns
Recognised · NatWest
Date Transaction type Description Value Balance
Export a CSV from online banking and Entrio maps the columns itself.

The file

Date, Transaction type, Description, Value, Balance.

Value is the amount, and it is signed

Money out is negative. The column is called Value rather than Amount, which is part of how the format is recognised.

Transaction type is kept as the reference

D/D, BAC, POS and the rest are retained rather than discarded, so the method of payment stays visible on the transaction.

Balance is read when present

A running balance per row, which makes the closing figure easy to confirm.

Zero-value rows are skipped

Rows carrying no money are not imported as empty transactions.

What the type code is good for

D/D, BAC, POS: worth keeping.

The transaction type is the fastest way to find things that need separate treatment. Direct debits are where recurring supplier costs live, so they are usually the highest-value rules to write first. Standing orders and transfers are frequently movements between the client’s own accounts rather than real expenditure. Card transactions are where personal spending tends to hide. Keeping the code on the transaction means you can sort by it during review rather than inferring the payment method from a narrative that may not mention it.

FAQ

NatWest exports, in practice.

Which column is the amount?

Value. It’s a single signed column, negative for money out.

What does the transaction type look like?

Short codes such as D/D for direct debit, BAC for a bank credit, POS for a card payment. They are kept on the imported transaction as its reference.

Does Royal Bank of Scotland export the same format?

It is the same banking group and the exports share their shape, so they read the same way.

Is there a separate payee column?

No. The counterparty is inside the Description, which is the field rules match against.

Does the export include a balance?

Usually yes, and it is read when present. Nothing depends on it: reconciliation runs against the closing balance you enter.

More formats

What the other exports look like.

Barclays Date, Description, Amount, Memo.

One signed amount column, so the sign is the only thing separating a payment from a receipt. Plus what the Memo column is worth keeping for.

Read the format Starling Counter Party, and why it matters for rules.

One of the cleaner UK exports: a signed amount, a running balance on every row, and a counterparty name that is actually the counterparty.

Read the format All formats Every UK export, and the three things that go wrong.

Signs, date order and currency: the three mistakes that give you books that balance but describe the wrong business.

Back to the guides

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