Import

Sesterce lets you import expenses you've created elsewhere.

Join a group

If someone has already created a group in Sesterce, you can simply join it instead of importing data.

See join a group.

Import

As a new group

You can import a CSV file as a new group.

All members, expenses, and categories found in the file will be created in the group.

Into an existing group

New with version 2.17.16 (mobile application only), you can import a CSV file directly into an existing group to complete it.

Specific behavior:

• Missing members, expenses, and categories are added automatically
• A deduplication mechanism prevents re-importing expenses that already exist, as long as they are strictly identical
• Before importing, a summary screen presents all changes that will be applied (elements that will be created)

This allows you to incrementally enrich a group without duplicating data.

Sources of the import

From Sesterce

Operations created in Sesterce can be exported as a CSV file.

From another application

Whether you're coming from a competing app such as Splitwise or Tricount, or managing your accounts in Excel or Google Sheets, you can export your data as a CSV file and import it into Sesterce.

If the import does not work, try adjusting the file by following the CSV format rules below.

If you still need help, you can send your CSV file to info@sesterce.io so we can provide more insight into the issue.

CSV format

Comma-separated values (CSV) is an open text format representing tabular data as comma-separated values. It is widely used for exporting data from applications such as Microsoft Office, Google Sheets, Sesterce, Splitwise, Tricount, and others.

Each line corresponds to an entry (an expense in Sesterce).

The separator is usually a comma (,), but can also be a semicolon (;), a tab, or a pipe (|).

The CSV header (first line) is essential, as it defines how the file is interpreted.

Below is a description of the CSV fields supported by Sesterce. This list is not exhaustive.

Full example

Here's an example of a CSV file you can use to import your data into Sesterce:

Date,Title,Paid by Pierre,Paid by Sophie,Paid by Brad,Paid for Pierre,Paid for Sophie,Paid for Brad,Currency,Category
20230722,Hotel aBis,358.0,0.0,0.0,0.0,169.0,189.0,EUR,Hosting

This gives the following table:

Date	Title	Paid by Pierre	Paid by Sophie	Paid by Brad	Paid for Pierre	Paid for Sophie	Paid for Brad	Currency	Category
2023-07-22	Hotel aBis	358.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	169.0	189.0	EUR	Hosting

Amount fields

There are several ways of representing the amount of the operation and how it is divided between the members. Choose one of them.

Method 1: Paid by and paid for (recommended)

With the headers Paid by X for the amount advanced by each member, and Paid for X for the amount they should have paid. There are two fields for each member (one "by" and one "for"). X represents the member's name.

Example: Pierre paid 20 euros for the groceries, and 15 euros of it was for Sophie.

Paid by Pierre	Paid by Sophie	Paid for Pierre	Paid for Sophie
20	0	5	15

This is the method used for exporting Sesterce and Tricount, for example.

Method 2: Amount, name of the person who advanced the money and impact for each person

With the headings Cost (or Total or Amount) for the total amount of the operation, Who paid for who financed this operation, and a column for each member's name for how much they should have paid.

The sum of the amounts for each member is equal to the total amount of the operation. The amount is positive in the case of expense, negative in the case of income.

Example: Pierre paid 20 euros for the groceries, and 15 euros of it was for Sophie.

Total	Who paid	Pierre	Sophie
20	Pierre	5	15

This is the method used by SettleUp export, for example.

Method 3: Total amount and impact for each

This method should be avoided, as it does not provide a precise description of the operation.

With Cost (or Total or Amount) headers for the total amount of the operation, and a column for each member's name for how much they have to pay (if negative) or recover (if positive).

The sum of all members' amounts is 0.

Example: Pierre paid 20 euros for the groceries, and 15 euros of it was for Sophie.

Total	Pierre	Sophie
20	15	-15

This is the method used by Splitwise export, for example.

Additional fields

Name	Header	Value
Date (required)	date	A date in the format AAAA-MM-JJ (2023-03-24) or AAAA/MM/JJ (2023/03/24) or AAAAMMJJ (20230324)
Title (required)	title ou description	Name of the operation
Category (optional)	category	Name of the category
Currency (optional)	currency	Operations's currency
Exchange rates (optional)	exchange rate	Conversion of operation amount into group currency