Import from Mint does not categorize transactions correctly

bcrossman

After failing to import my Mint history a couple of years ago (see this post), I decided to try again. I imported into a new "Mint" manual account I created in Simplifi, but nearly all of the transactions imported as uncategorized even though my spreadsheet used only categories that I had already created in Simplifi. What's more, all of the transactions imported as credits, even though the vast majority were debits, so now it looks like I have A LOT more money that I do

Any ideas what went wrong or how to fix it?

Coach Natalie

Thanks for confirming, @bcrossman!

Since you cannot make any alterations to the file you exported from Mint before importing it into Simplifi (for a successful import), I would assume the issues you're seeing are from doing so.

When it comes to Categories needing to be an exact match when importing from Mint, you'll most like need to edit the Categories from Mint directly before exporting the transactions, as opposed to altering them in the downloaded file. For Transaction Rules, there is currently no way to disable Rules from being applied to imported transactions aside from removing the Rule from the program.

At this point, I'd suggest fully deleting the account in Simplifi and then creating a new one to import the transactions into. You'll then want to try importing an unaltered file to see how it goes, while making sure to select the "Mint" option in Simplifi.

Please let us know how it goes!

-Coach Natalie

Flopbot

@bcrossman,

 For starters, I’ve never used really Mint so I’ve never had to upload a CSV file using the method your attempting.  Take what I say with that in mind.  Since you can’t access Mint to make your category changes from that end, you might try replicating the Mint categories in Simplifi and try again; hopefully everything would match up.  You can always alter / rename / delete the category names later on in Simplifi after you get a successful upload.  You make these changes at Settings > Categories & tags.

If you do try this, I’d recommend doing it from the Desktop/Web App and not the Mobile App.  Personally, I’ve found making tweaks to Simplifi’s Categories is much easier and less glitchy when done from the web.

 Other than that, I don’t have much help to offer.  You’re in good hands with @Coach Natalie!

Coach Natalie

Hello @bcrossman,

Thank you for taking the time to report this issue to the Community, although I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing difficulties importing transactions from Mint in Simplifi. 

It sounds like you've created your own spreadsheet to import into Simplifi, is that correct? Or did you receive the CSV file from Mint and then make changes to it before importing it into Simplifi?

From my understanding, if you're importing transactions from Mint, you cannot alter the downloaded file. The file must be imported as-is, and you'll want to be sure to select the "Mint" option in Simplifi. More details on importing transactions can be found here. 

Please let us know so we can best assist!

-Coach Natalie

bcrossman

Hi @Coach Natalie

Thanks for the quick response. The spreadsheet I used is what Mint exported. The only change I made was to the categories because some of the categories in Mint do not match the categories in Simplifi, and my understanding (from the thread linked in my post, above) is that when importing from Mint, Simplifi "should import the category, as long as it's an exact match to an existing category in Simplifi." Therefore, I made sure the Mint exported spreadsheet included exact category matches. But Simplifi did not import any categories; rather it seemed to categorize everything as "uncategorized" and applied some rules to transactions it recognized (like Groceries). Is there a way to import the categories and override application of the rules?

Also, I have no explanation for why every transaction was imported as a credit and not a debit. Now it looks like I have a lot of income and no expenses.

bcrossman

Thanks @Coach Natalie

When it comes to Categories needing to be an exact match when importing from Mint, you'll most like need to edit the Categories from Mint directly before exporting the transactions, as opposed to altering them in the downloaded file.

I'm not sure this is possible, since Mint only exports the specific sub-category and not the parent category. Thus, even if Mint matches the correct sub-category exactly, the export won't match Simplifi's naming convention (e.g., Mint will categorize as "Home Improvement" not "Home:Home Improvement" like Simplifi).

At this point, I'd suggest fully deleting the account in Simplifi and then creating a new one to import the transactions into. You'll then want to try importing an unaltered file to see how it goes, while making sure to select the "Mint" option in Simplifi.

Please let us know how it goes!

I did try it again with an unaltered csv and ran into the same categorization problem.

Coach Natalie

Hello @bcrossman,

Thanks for posting back!

I think what @Flopbot suggested is a great thing to try so you can go at the Category issue from another angle. Otherwise, since it sounds like there's some differences between the Categories in Mint versus Simplifi, it's possible that you'll need to enter Categories for the transactions after importing them. Sadly, most import options don't bring in Categories. 

-Coach Natalie 

bcrossman

@Flopbot -- thanks for the suggestion! I gave it a try. It's not a perfect solution, as there are still many uncategorized transactions, but far fewer than I had before. I've been going through the uncategorized transactions to refine and re-categorize them, which is time-consuming, but hopefully will result in a complete and accurate history in Simplifi. I still wish the import was smoother, but this is a pretty good work-around. Thanks for the help!!

reebs26

If you import using the template, can you successfully import categories?

Coach Natalie

Thanks for the inquiry, @reebs26!

At this time, Categories will not be imported into Simplifi, so you'll need to categorize your transactions manually after importing them. More details on this can be found here.

We apologize for any inconvenience!

-Coach Natalie