Guides · Starling
The Starling export, and why it gives you less trouble.
One signed amount column, a running balance, and a counterparty name that is actually the counterparty. Three of the four things that usually go wrong are already handled by the file itself.
The file
Counter Party, Amount (GBP), Reference, Balance (GBP).
Counter Party is the useful column
It becomes both the description and the payee. Rules match on text, so a column that says Screwfix rather than a payment-processor string is what makes a firm-wide rule hold across every client who shops there.
Amount (GBP) is signed
Negative is money out. One column, no Paid In / Paid Out pair to reconcile in your head.
Balance (GBP) is on every row
Read when present, which makes checking a closing figure a matter of scrolling to the bottom of the file.
Reference is kept separately
Rather than folded into the description, so an invoice number stays findable.
The one thing to watch
FX charges.
Where Starling applies a charge on a foreign transaction, that charge can sit in its own column rather than as its own line. A separate fee column is not currently imported as a transaction of its own, so on an account with regular FX activity those charges want a manual look — they are a real allowable expense and they should not go missing. Rows that are not in sterling are detected and named on the face of the report rather than converted at a guessed rate.
Said here rather than left to be discovered: a guide that only lists what works is an advert, not a reference.
FAQ
Starling exports, in practice.
What does a Starling export look like?
A tidy CSV. It is recognised by two columns in particular — Counter Party and Amount (GBP) — alongside Date, Reference and Balance (GBP). Of the UK exports in regular use it is one of the easiest to work with: one signed amount column, a real counterparty name, and a running balance on every row.
Which column is the payee?
Counter Party, and it is used as both the description and the payee. That matters more than it sounds: rules match on text, and a column that reliably holds “Screwfix” rather than a card-processor string is the difference between a rule that works everywhere and one that needs rewriting per client.
How is money out marked?
By a negative in Amount (GBP). One signed column, no Paid In / Paid Out pair.
Does the running balance get used?
It is read when present. A balance on every row makes reconciliation straightforward, because the closing figure you are checking against is sitting in the file rather than in a separate PDF.
What about the business account and multi-currency spaces?
The sterling account exports as above. Starling applies charges on FX, and a separate fee column is not currently imported as its own transaction — so where FX charges exist, those rows want a manual look until that is handled.
Is Starling easier to import than a high-street export?
Generally yes, and for a dull reason: it was designed after CSV was a solved problem. One signed column, ISO-ish dates and a real counterparty name remove three of the usual failure points before you start.
More formats
What the other exports look like.
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