How to budget without linking your bank account

By The Income Tracker · Updated 16 June 2026

The short answer

Yes, you can budget without open banking. Download a CSV of your transactions from your bank, import it into a local-first tool like The Income Tracker, and you are done. Nothing connects to your bank. No credentials shared. Your data stays in your browser.

Why skip the bank connection?

Most budgeting apps want to plug into your bank through open banking (Plaid, TrueLayer and the like). That hands a third party an ongoing feed of everything you spend. Plenty of people are not comfortable with that, and fair enough.

Here is the good news. You do not need it. Every UK bank lets you download your own transactions as a CSV, and a CSV is all a good budgeting tool actually needs.

The method, start to finish

Two minutes, tops.

  1. Download a CSV of your transactions from your bank's app or website.
  2. Import it into The Income Tracker. It reads the dates, descriptions and amounts for you.
  3. Drag transactions into categories and watch your monthly surplus update live.

What you give up

Honestly? Very little. You download a file once a month instead of letting it sync on its own. In return, no third party can see your accounts, there is no connection to break or renew, and it works across every bank you use. For most people that trade is a no-brainer.

The Income TrackerTrack it free. No account, no bank login.
Open the tracker →

Frequently asked questions

Can you budget without open banking?
Yes. Download a CSV of your transactions from your bank and import it into a budgeting tool such as The Income Tracker. No open-banking connection or bank login is required.
Is it safe to budget with a CSV instead of connecting my bank?
It is safer in the sense that no third party gets ongoing access to your accounts. You export the file yourself, and with a local-first tool like The Income Tracker the data stays in your own browser.
Which UK banks let you export a CSV?
All the major ones, including Barclays, HSBC, Monzo, Starling, Lloyds, NatWest, Santander and Revolut. The Income Tracker has a step-by-step CSV guide for each.

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