The Best Accounting Export Formats for European SMBs

If you're running a small or medium business in Europe, you've probably faced the question: what format should I use when exporting bank transactions for my accountant or accounting software?

This guide breaks down the eight formats supported by EuroExtract and tells you exactly when to use each one.

Quick Reference Table

| Format | Best For | Region | |--------|----------|--------| | Excel (.xlsx) | Ad-hoc analysis, sending to accountant | Universal | | CSV | Importing into custom systems | Universal | | Sage | Sage 50 / Sage 200 users | UK, France | | Cegid | Cegid Y2 / Cegid Expert users | France | | Xero | Xero Online users | EU, UK, AUS | | QuickBooks | QuickBooks Online users | EU, US | | FEC | French tax compliance | France | | TXT | Simple ledger, legacy systems | Universal |

Excel (.xlsx) — The Universal Choice

Excel is the right choice when:

• You're sending transactions to an accountant who uses their own software
• You need to manually review, sort, or filter transactions before importing
• You want to combine data from multiple banks in one spreadsheet

EuroExtract's Excel export includes all transaction fields: date, description, amount, currency, type, IBAN, BIC, and reference — all formatted correctly, with number columns as numbers (not text) and dates as Excel date values.

CSV — For Custom Integrations

Use CSV when you're importing into a custom ERP, data warehouse, or any system not covered by our named formats. Our CSV includes a UTF-8 BOM so Excel opens it correctly on Windows.

Sage — For Sage 50 and Sage 200

The Sage export produces a .csv file in Sage's expected import format, with the correct column mapping for Sage 50 Accounts and Sage 200. You can import it directly via:

Sage 50: File → Import → Bank Transactions

The columns match Sage's standard: Transaction Type, Date, Reference, Details, Net Amount, Tax Code.

Cegid — For French Accountants

Cegid is widely used by French accounting firms (experts-comptables). The Cegid export follows the format expected by Cegid Y2 and Cegid Expert for journal entry import.

If your accountant uses Cegid, send them this format and save hours of manual entry.

Xero — Direct Bank Feed Import

Xero's bank import accepts a specific CSV format. EuroExtract generates exactly the right structure:

• Date in DD/MM/YYYY format
• Amount with the correct sign convention (negative = debit from account)
• Payee and Description fields
• Reference for transaction matching

In Xero: Bank Accounts → Import a Statement → upload the file.

QuickBooks — For QuickBooks Online

Similar to Xero, QuickBooks Online accepts a specific CSV format for bank statement uploads. Our QuickBooks export follows the IIF/CSV format expected by QuickBooks Online EU edition.

FEC — French Tax Compliance (Mandatory)

The Fichier des Écritures Comptables (FEC) is a mandatory format for French businesses with annual revenue above €152,000. Tax authorities (Direction Générale des Finances Publiques) require it during audits.

EuroExtract generates a compliant FEC file with all required fields:

• JournalCode, JournalLib, EcritureNum
• EcritureDate, CompteNum, CompteLib
• Debit, Credit (always positive, direction set by sign)
• ValidDate, Montantdevise, Idevise

If you're subject to FEC requirements, use this format every month to maintain a ready-to-submit audit trail.

Which Format Should You Choose?

1. French company + Cegid accountant → Cegid
2. French company + tax audit risk → FEC (and keep archives)
3. Xero user → Xero
4. QuickBooks user → QuickBooks
5. Sage user → Sage
6. Sending to accountant → Excel
7. Building a custom integration → CSV

All formats are available on the Free plan (up to 3 pages). The Pro plan unlocks 500 pages/month for high-volume processing.