myCostBase imports CSV and Excel (.xlsx) transaction history with a mapping and preview flow before rows are committed. These brokers have a file format of their own:
Production-supported:
- Interactive Brokers (IBKR)
- Questrade
- RBC Direct Investing
- TD Direct Investing
- Scotia iTrade
- Wealthsimple
In validation - preview only on every plan:
- CIBC Investor's Edge beta
- BMO InvestorLine beta
Manual entry is always available regardless of broker, for events a source file cannot express cleanly — return of capital adjustments, reinvested capital gain distributions, manual ACB corrections, and transfers where the receiving broker statement lost the original book value. See Importing Transactions for the full import workflow.
CSV formats and review status
| Brokerage | Status | Expected activity file | Detailed guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interactive Brokers | Production | Activity Statement CSV or configured Flex trade CSV | IBKR import checks |
| Questrade | Production | Transaction history Excel (.xlsx) or CSV | Questrade import checks |
| RBC Direct Investing | Production | Activity CSV with Settlement Date, Activity, Symbol, and Value | — |
| TD Direct Investing | Production | Activity CSV with Settle Date, Action, Description, and Net Amount | — |
| Scotia iTrade | Production | Activity CSV with Settlement date, Activity, and Settlement amount | — |
| Wealthsimple | Production | Activity CSV with activity_type, settlement_date, and net_cash_amount | Wealthsimple import checks |
| CIBC Investor’s Edge | Beta; preview only | Excel (.xlsx) or CSV with Date, Description, Symbol, and Net Amount | — |
| BMO InvestorLine | Beta; preview only | CSV with Date, Description, Symbol, and Amount | — |
These are transaction-history formats, not holdings snapshots or T5008 files. Check the preview against your export before relying on the mapping. Brokers can change headers, and similar column names do not guarantee identical amount conventions. Keep commissions and currency fields intact.
For every format, verify one purchase, one sale, and any transfer or option event against its source confirmation. A recognized file still needs complete opening history and the correct taxpayer/account assignment. Compare closing quantities after import and retain the original file with any manual corrections.
The broker guide index groups the available walkthroughs. Beta status is a readiness restriction: CIBC and BMO can be previewed but cannot be committed, regardless of subscription plan.
Finding your transaction history export
Most Canadian brokerages keep transaction or trade-confirmation history under an account activity, statements, or document-centre section of their client portal, exportable as a CSV file or downloadable by statement period. Column names and date formats vary by broker — the mapping and preview step is built to handle that variation, so you confirm the mapping before anything is committed rather than relying on a fixed template.
Import any other broker file with the column mapper
For Desjardins Disnat, National Bank Direct Brokerage, Qtrade, Manulife Securities, or any other broker that exports a CSV or Excel (.xlsx) file, choose Any other broker (column mapper) in the import wizard. Upload the file, match its columns to the myCostBase import fields once, and check the preview before anything is committed. Only the first worksheet of an Excel file is read.
The mapper doesn’t know a broker’s own transaction codes, so the column you map to transaction type must use wording myCostBase recognises, such as Buy, Sell, DRIP or Return of Capital. Manual entry is still available for any event a file can’t express. If a direct import for your broker would help, or you’d like us to check a sample export, contact us .
Import access by plan
CSV import of ordinary transactions can be committed for real on every plan, for the production-supported brokers above and the column mapper: Free includes 100 imported transactions plus unlimited manual entry, while Standard and Premium include unlimited imports. Batch T5008 slip import can always be previewed to validate the file mapping, but committing a batch T5008 import for real requires Standard or Premium — Free includes one manual T5008 entry instead. CIBC and BMO parsers are still in validation, so imports from those two brokers stay preview-only on every plan, including Standard and Premium — this is a parser-readiness limitation, not a plan restriction. See Pricing for the full plan comparison.