Wave + Consultants: Faster Bank Import
Consultants managing multiple client engagements need to track retainers, milestone payments, travel expenses, and subcontractor costs across accounts. If you use Wave for your accounting, you need a fast way to get bank statement data into the system.
BankScan AI for Consultants Using Wave
BankScan AI converts any bank statement PDF to CSV formatted for direct import into Wave. Convert your bank statements to structured spreadsheets to match client payments, track project expenses, and prepare invoices and tax returns efficiently.
The Consultants + Wave Workflow
Consultants invoice clients on retainer, milestone, or time-and-materials bases, then reconcile bank statements to verify payments received. They track project-specific expenses including travel, accommodation, and subcontractor fees, allocate costs to engagements for profitability analysis, and prepare records for quarterly VAT and annual tax returns.
Key terms you'll encounter: retainer, day rate, scope creep, utilisation rate.
How It Works
Upload any bank statement PDF
Supports all major banks. Saves 1-2 hours per month on client payment reconciliation and expense tracking across multiple concurrent engagements
AI formats for Wave
Output as CSV with Date, Description, Amount — Wave supports both single amount column and separate Income/Expense columns — dates in YYYY-MM-DD or MM/DD/YYYY.
Import and reconcile
In Wave, go to Banking > Connected Accounts > Upload a bank statement (CSV). Select the file, map columns to Date, Description, and Amount, then import. Wave's invoicing is tightly coupled with bank imports — when you import a bank deposit, Wave suggests matching it to outstanding invoices automatically.
Supported Banks
BankScan AI works with all major UK and US banks, including:
Wave Features for Consultants
- Wave ready — Output formatted as CSV matching Wave's expected column structure
- Smart integration — Wave's invoicing is tightly coupled with bank imports — when you import a bank deposit, Wave suggests matching it to outstanding invoices automatically.
- Built for Consultants — Saves 1-2 hours per month on client payment reconciliation and expense tracking across multiple concurrent engagements
- Software compatible — Output works directly with Xero, FreeAgent, Harvest
Import Steps for Consultants Using Wave
As consultant, here's how to get bank data into Wave:
- In Wave, go to Banking > Connected Accounts > Upload a bank statement (CSV)
- Select the file, map columns to Date, Description, and Amount, then import
Common Import Issues
Wave's free tier has occasional processing delays on large files. Also, Wave uses MM/DD/YYYY by default which conflicts with UK DD/MM/YYYY — select the correct format during import.
Wave Import — Built for Consultants
Completely free with no paid tier for accounting features (monetised through payment processing). Popular with budget-conscious startups and side-hustlers.
Try Free — Wave + Consultants