Payment platform · Global (200+ markets)

Import PayPal into Tally Assistant

PayPal's Activity page offers transaction history downloads in CSV and PDF. Most freelancers use the CSV export.

Freelancers who collect the majority of their income through PayPal, including many small international payments.

Quick Answer

Tally Assistant imports PayPal transaction CSVs as-is and turns payments received, fees, refunds, and transfers into categorized bookkeeping records. Freelancers whose income arrives through PayPal upload the Activity export and the AI does the rest. PayPal is one of several platforms supported through file import, not an account connection.

Best for

  • Freelancers paid primarily through PayPal, including international clients
  • Anyone tired of retyping PayPal Activity rows into a spreadsheet
  • Sellers who want fees and refunds visible as line items

Not ideal for

  • Businesses that need a live PayPal account connection instead of file import
  • Anyone who never receives payments through PayPal

Import is file-based. There is no OAuth connection to PayPal, so you re-export the Activity CSV whenever you want fresh transactions.

Get your PayPal records

  1. 1Sign in to PayPal and open your Activity page, which lists all transactions.
  2. 2Use the download or export option on the Activity page, choose CSV, and set the date range you need.
  3. 3Save the file and upload it to Tally Assistant as-is. No reformatting required.

What happens after upload

  • The AI detects the PayPal column layout automatically and imports each row: payments received, payments sent, fees, refunds, and transfers all become separate line items.
  • Every transaction is categorized and matched to a client, so one client's full PayPal history is visible in one place.
  • The original CSV stays attached to your records as documentation.

What to watch out for

  • A single PayPal CSV mixes several transaction types. The AI separates them, but you should review the suggestions once, especially around fees.
  • Money you transfer from PayPal to your bank appears in both records. If you import both, skip or categorize the transfer rows so income is not counted twice.
  • PayPal's currency conversion report is a separate export, useful if you convert frequently.

Questions

How are PayPal fees handled in the import?

Fees appear as negative line items in the Activity CSV. Tally Assistant imports them as expense transactions, so the fee cost stays visible in your reports instead of disappearing into a net number.

Can I import refunds?

Yes. Refunds come through as their own rows in the CSV and are categorized as refunds, linked to the client where possible. The payment history of the client shows the refund alongside the original payment.

Will my PayPal transfer to the bank be counted as income twice?

Only if you let it. The transfer row imports as a transaction, and you can categorize it as a transfer or skip it, so it is not counted as income. The income itself is the original payment from your client.

Free plan, no credit card

Import 100 transactions a month for free. PayPal and every other platform, any format, any language.

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