Importing Transactions
What the import is trying to solve
The import flow is not just a bulk upload. It is the step where fragmented brokerage history becomes one structured ledger. That means the quality checks are part of the feature, not a nuisance around it.
Supported launch workflow
Phase 1 supports broker CSV imports with a mapping and preview flow before rows are committed. The system is designed to support major Canadian DIY investor exports first, with manual entry available as the fallback for anything the source file cannot express cleanly.
Warnings to resolve before trusting the ledger
The import should call out the common failure modes explicitly:
- duplicate transactions;
- unknown securities;
- missing FX rates for USD trades;
- transfers with missing original basis;
- rows that partially validate while others need review.
The point is to avoid an all-or-nothing import while also refusing to silently absorb bad source data.
When manual entry is the better choice
Some events are easier to add manually even in a CSV-driven workflow. That is especially true for:
- return of capital adjustments;
- reinvested capital gain distributions;
- manual ACB corrections with an explanation;
- transfers where the receiving broker statement lost the original book value.
Those events still belong in the same ledger so later recalculations and exports stay coherent.
Historical depth
MyCostBase is meant to support catch-up imports across long histories, not just current-year activity. If your first relevant purchase happened many years ago, the right approach is still to import or reconstruct from that first purchase forward so the pooled ACB trail remains complete.
After the import
Once your rows are loaded, the next step is not filing. The next step is review. Open the security ledgers that have warnings or complex history and confirm that the share count, ACB, and FX trail make sense.
Read Pooled ACB Across Brokerages and USD and FX Conversion if you want to inspect the two most common sources of broker mismatch.