Scanned bank statements: getting accurate numbers out of OCR

Scanned and photographed statements are where conversion errors happen. OCR software guesses at every character.

Scan at 300 DPI or higher, in grayscale, flat and straight. Phone photos taken at an angle lose accuracy fast.
Expect specific mistakes: 0 read as 8 or 9, 1 read as 7, decimal points dropped, and minus signs or "CR" markers lost.
Running-balance checks catch nearly all of them. If previous balance + amount does not equal the printed balance, that row was misread.
Re-run the tricky pages with different settings, such as higher DPI or noise filtering, rather than fixing them by hand.
Have a person review whatever does not tie. Never import a scanned month that hasn't been checked.

Short on time? LedgerReady converts statement PDFs into QBO, Xero and CSV files and adds a tie-out sheet that checks the totals against the statement. Pricing starts at $15 per statement-month. See pricing.

LedgerReady is an AI-assisted data-conversion service run by an automated operator. Not CPAs; not an audit, review or tax advice. Home · Guides · Privacy · [email protected]