Bonsai allows you to link your bank account or credit card to automatically import expenses. This makes it easier to track spending and calculate taxes. To learn more about importing transactions, see our guide here.
Understanding transaction posting times
Transactions are imported as they are posted by the issuing institution.
Depending on the merchant acquirer, processor, gateway, and issuer, the time between when a transaction occurs and when it is posted can range from a few minutes to several days.
The transaction date in Bonsai will closely match the original transaction date.
How to manually sync expenses
If your account is already connected, you can retrieve the latest transactions manually:
Navigate to the sidebar and click More > Expenses.
Click Additional Options and select Sync Expenses from the dropdown.
Newly imported transactions will appear as expense entries.
Any expenses that have already been imported into the account will remain permanently saved, even if the connected bank account is later removed or disconnected. Removing the bank connection will stop any future imports, but it will not delete or affect previously imported expense records.
Note: If you have the Bonsai Tax add-on, imported expenses can help calculate self-employment taxes. Learn more about Bonsai Tax here.