CoralLedger Comply

CSV Format Specification

Comprehensive guide to formatting your transaction data for import

This is a quick-reference summary. For the full, up-to-date CSV import guide visit the CSV Import guide .

Quick Reference

Download our with sample data to get started immediately.

Required Columns

Column Name	Type	Format	Description	Example
`Date`	Required	`YYYY-MM-DD`	Transaction date	`2025-01-15`
`Description`	Required	Text (max 255 chars)	Transaction description/memo	`Office supplies`
`Amount`	Required	Decimal (2 places)	Net amount (excluding VAT)	`1000.00`
`VAT Amount`	Required	Decimal (2 places)	VAT charged or paid	`100.00`
`Type`	Required	Sale \| Purchase	Transaction direction	`Sale`

Optional Columns (Recommended)

Column Name	Type	Format	Description	Example
`Invoice Number`	Optional	Text (max 50 chars)	Invoice or reference number	`INV-2025-001`
`Customer` or `Vendor`	Optional	Text (max 100 chars)	Customer or vendor name	`Acme Corporation`
`Category`	Optional	Text (max 50 chars)	Transaction category	`Office Expenses`
`VAT Rate`	Optional	Percentage (0.10 = 10%)	VAT rate applied	`0.10`
`Payment Method`	Optional	Text (max 50 chars)	How payment was made/received	`Bank Transfer`

Sample CSV File

Date,Description,Amount,VAT Amount,Type,Invoice Number,Customer 2025-01-15,Office supplies from Staples,156.75,15.68,Purchase,PO-2025-001,Staples Inc 2025-01-16,Consulting services invoice,2500.00,250.00,Sale,INV-2025-042,Acme Corp 2025-01-17,Fuel for company vehicle,89.50,8.95,Purchase,RCPT-789,Shell Gas Station 2025-01-18,Export shipment to Miami,5000.00,0.00,Sale,EXP-2025-003,Miami Imports Ltd 2025-01-19,Legal consultation fee,1200.00,120.00,Purchase,INV-LEG-456,Bahamas Legal

Pro Tip: Use the header row exactly as shown above for automatic column detection.

Formatting Rules

Do This

Use YYYY-MM-DD date format (e.g., 2025-01-15)

Use decimal points for amounts (e.g., 1000.00)

Include header row with column names

Use UTF-8 encoding for special characters

Enclose text with commas in quotes

Don't Do This

Use MM/DD/YYYY or DD/MM/YYYY date formats

Use commas as decimal separators (e.g., 1000,00)

Include currency symbols (e.g., $, B$)

Leave required fields blank

Use Excel formulas in cells

Common Scenarios

Zero-Rated Transactions (Exports)

For exports or zero-rated supplies, set VAT Amount to 0.00:

2025-01-15,Export to USA,5000.00,0.00,Sale,EXP-001,Miami Corp

Exempt Transactions

For exempt supplies (insurance, financial services), also set VAT Amount to 0.00:

2025-01-15,Insurance premium,1200.00,0.00,Purchase,POL-789,Bahamas Insurance

Credit Notes

Use negative amounts for credit notes and refunds:

2025-01-20,Credit note - returned goods,-500.00,-50.00,Sale,CN-001,Acme Corp

Multiple VAT Rates

If you have transactions with different VAT rates (10%, 5%, 0%), include the optional VAT Rate column:

2025-01-15,Office supplies,1000.00,100.00,Purchase,,Staples,0.10
2025-01-16,Basic food items,200.00,10.00,Purchase,,Grocery Store,0.05
2025-01-17,Prescription medicine,50.00,2.50,Purchase,,Pharmacy,0.05

Note: The 5% reduced rate applies to specific categories from April 1, 2025 (food) and September 1, 2025 (medicine).

Text with Commas

If descriptions contain commas, enclose them in double quotes:

2025-01-15,"Office supplies: pens, paper, folders",156.75,15.68,Purchase,PO-001,Staples

Software-Specific Export Guides

QuickBooks

Reports → Sales → Transaction List

Export → Export to Excel

Save as CSV format

Xero

Accounting → Reports

General Ledger → Export

Select CSV format

Excel

File → Save As

Choose "CSV (Comma delimited)"

Ensure UTF-8 encoding

Troubleshooting

Import Failed? Check these common issues:

Error Message	Cause	Solution
"Missing required column"	Required column not found in header	Ensure header row contains all required column names
"Invalid date format"	Date not in YYYY-MM-DD format	Convert dates to YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2025-01-15)
"Invalid amount"	Amount contains non-numeric characters	Remove currency symbols and use decimal points
"File too large"	File exceeds 10 MB limit	Split into multiple files or compress data
"Encoding error"	File not in UTF-8 encoding	Save file with UTF-8 encoding in your editor

Getting Started

Compliance Guide