Bank Feeds: Automatically Import Bank Transactions
Overview
Bank Feeds connects your external bank accounts to ImpactGraph through Plaid, a secure financial data platform used by thousands of banks. Once connected, transactions are automatically imported, eliminating manual data entry and keeping your books current.
Key benefits:
Eliminate manual transaction entry
Automatic sync of new transactions up to four times a day
Bank-level security through Plaid (your credentials are never stored in ImpactGraph)
AI-suggested ledger account mapping
Centralized place to code all transactions
Getting Started: Connect Your Bank
Prerequisites
You must have the "Edit Financial Accounts" permission
The Bank Feeds feature must be enabled for your organization
Step-by-Step Connection
Navigate to Financial Accounts
Go to the Financial Accounts page from the main navigation.
Click "Link External Bank Account"
In the Linked Asset Accounts section, click the "Link External Bank Account" button. If you don't have any linked accounts yet, click "Link Your First Account" in the empty state. If you don't see this button, Bank Feeds may not be enabled for your organization.
Search for Your Bank
In the Plaid modal that appears, search for your bank by name. Plaid supports thousands of financial institutions.
Enter Your Credentials
Log in to your bank account through Plaid's secure interface. Your bank credentials are handled entirely by Plaid and are never stored in ImpactGraph.
Select Accounts to Connect
Choose which accounts you want to connect. You can select multiple accounts (checking, savings, credit cards) from the same institution.
Complete the Connection
After authenticating, Plaid will create the connection and the sync wizard will appear.
Configure Transaction Sync
After connecting your bank accounts, you'll be guided through configuration for each account.
Account Selection
The wizard first shows all newly connected accounts. Select which accounts should automatically import transactions. Supported account types include checking, savings, credit card, and select loan accounts (student and mortgage). Investment accounts and other loan types do not support transaction sync and will show a "Not supported" badge.
Ledger Account Mapping
For each account, choose where transactions should be recorded in your chart of accounts:
Suggested Match: ImpactGraph analyzes your chart of accounts and suggests the best matching ledger account based on account name and type.
Select Existing Account: Choose from your existing bank or current asset accounts that aren't already linked.
Create New Account: Automatically create a new ledger account. The account type (Bank, Credit Card, etc.) is set based on the bank account type.
Sync History Options
Choose how far back to import transactions:
Import all available transactions: Imports up to 24 months of transaction history from your bank.
Start from a specific date: Choose a date to begin importing transactions. Useful if you've already entered earlier transactions manually.
Owner Assignment
Optionally assign a user to be responsible for coding (categorizing) transactions from this account. The assigned owner will see these transactions in their workflow.
Managing Connected Accounts
Viewing Connected Accounts
Connected bank accounts appear in your Financial Accounts list with a "Syncing" badge when transaction sync is enabled.
Available Actions
Click on an account to open the account drawer, where you can:
View Transaction History: See all imported transactions filtered to this account
Edit Sync Settings: Change ledger account mapping, adjust sync start date, or change the assigned owner. Disable Sync is also available within sync settings.
Refresh Account: Manually trigger a balance and transaction refresh
Edit Nickname: Set a custom display name for the account
Unlink Account: Completely disconnect the account from ImpactGraph
Relink Account: Reconnect a previously unlinked account (appears in place of Unlink for disconnected accounts)
Sync Status Indicators
"Syncing" (green): Transaction sync is active and working
"Sync off": Account is connected but transaction import is disabled
Warning alert: The connection needs re-authentication (see below)
Re-authentication
Why Connections Expire
Bank connections may require re-authentication when:
Your bank login credentials change
Your bank's security policies require periodic re-verification
The connection has been inactive for an extended period
Your bank updates their security protocols
How You're Notified
When a connection needs attention:
A warning banner appears when viewing the account
The account shows a "Reconnect" action
An email notification is sent to organization admins
How to Reconnect
Open the affected account in the account drawer
Click the "Reconnect" button in the warning alert
Re-authenticate with your bank through Plaid
Transaction syncing will resume automatically
Disconnecting
Disable Sync vs. Unlink
There are two ways to stop syncing:
Disable Sync
Stops importing new transactions
Keeps the account visible in ImpactGraph
Maintains the ledger account link
Can be re-enabled at any time
Unlink Account
Completely disconnects from the bank
Account remains visible in ImpactGraph in a disconnected state
You can relink the account from the account drawer without going through Plaid again
What Happens to Historical Transactions
When you disable or unlink an account:
All previously imported transactions remain in ImpactGraph
Coded transactions keep their categorization
Uncoded transactions stay in your workflow until processed
No transaction data is deleted
Terminology
Term | Definition |
Bank Feed | A connection between ImpactGraph and your bank account via Plaid |
Ledger Account | The account in your chart of accounts where transactions are recorded |
Transaction Sync | The automatic import of bank transactions into ImpactGraph |
Owner | The user assigned to code (categorize) transactions from an account |
Re-authentication | Re-entering bank credentials when a connection expires or needs verification |
Plaid | The secure financial data platform that handles bank connections |
Frequently Asked Questions
Connection & Setup
Which banks are supported?
Bank Feeds uses Plaid, which supports thousands of financial institutions across the United States, including major banks, credit unions, and financial services providers. When connecting, search for your bank by name in the Plaid modal. If your bank isn't found, it may not currently be supported by Plaid.
Is my bank login stored in ImpactGraph?
No. Your bank credentials are handled entirely by Plaid's secure infrastructure and are never transmitted to or stored in ImpactGraph. Plaid is a trusted financial data platform that meets bank-level security standards, including SOC 2 Type II certification and encryption of all data in transit and at rest.
Can I connect multiple accounts from the same bank?
Yes. When you connect through Plaid, you can select multiple accounts from the same institution (checking, savings, credit cards, etc.). Each account will appear separately in ImpactGraph and can be configured independently.
What account types are supported?
Bank Feeds supports:
Depository accounts (checking, savings) — full transaction sync
Credit cards — full transaction sync
Loans — transaction sync for student and mortgage loans only; other loan types are not supported for sync
Investment accounts — not supported for transaction sync
Sync & Transactions
How often do transactions sync?
Transactions sync automatically up to four times a day. You can also manually trigger a refresh by opening the account drawer and clicking "Refresh Account."
How far back can I import transactions?
Plaid provides up to 24 months of transaction history, depending on your bank. During setup, you can choose to import all available transactions or start from a specific date.
What happens when the bank modifies or deletes a transaction?
When your bank modifies a transaction (such as a pending charge becoming final, or a merchant name being updated), ImpactGraph receives the updated information during the next sync. Deleted transactions from the bank side are not automatically removed from ImpactGraph—imported transactions remain in your records.
Will transactions be automatically categorized?
Imported transactions are not automatically categorized. Each transaction appears in your workflow for coding, where you assign the appropriate expense category, project, or fund. You can assign an owner to each bank account to designate who is responsible for coding those transactions.
Troubleshooting
Why does my connection need re-authentication?
Re-authentication may be required when:
You changed your bank password
Your bank requires periodic security verification
Your bank updated their security protocols
The connection has been inactive
When this happens, you'll see a warning banner on the affected account. Click "Reconnect" to re-authenticate through Plaid.
My connection shows an error. What should I do?
If your connection shows an error:
Try reconnecting: Click the "Reconnect" button to refresh the connection through Plaid
Check your bank: Verify you can log in directly to your bank's website or app
Wait and retry: Temporary bank outages can cause connection issues
Contact support: If the issue persists, the bank may have changed their integration
Transactions stopped syncing. What's wrong?
If transactions are no longer appearing:
Check sync status: Open the account and verify "Syncing" is shown (not "Sync off")
Check for re-auth needed: Look for a warning banner indicating reconnection is required
Refresh manually: Click "Refresh Account" in the account drawer
Verify bank transactions: Confirm new transactions exist in your bank account
Check your sync start date: Transactions before your configured start date won't be imported
Can I change the ledger account mapping after setup?
Yes. Open the account drawer, and if sync is enabled, click the edit icon next to "Syncing transactions." You can change the ledger account mapping, though this only affects where future transactions are recorded—existing transactions remain in their original ledger account.
I accidentally connected duplicate accounts. What should I do?
ImpactGraph warns you during connection if it detects accounts that may already be connected (matching institution and account number). If you have duplicate accounts:
Identify which account is the primary one you want to keep
Disable sync on the duplicate account
Unlink the duplicate if you don't need it
Review any imported transactions for duplicates
How do I completely remove a bank connection?
To fully disconnect:
Open the account in the account drawer
Click "Unlink Account" at the bottom of the actions
Confirm the unlinking in the dialog
Note: This stops all syncing and disconnects the account, but previously imported transactions remain in ImpactGraph. If you change your mind, you can use the "Relink Account" button in the account drawer to restore the connection.