Manual entry is familiar and gives the bookkeeper direct control over every voucher. A reviewed import changes the work, rather than removing the accountant from it: transaction details are extracted into a structured file, then checked before they reach the books. The right choice depends on how repeatable the statements are and whether the team can review exceptions.
What manual entry does well
Keying rows can be sensible for an occasional statement, a one-off correction, or an account with unusual activity that needs close interpretation. It also avoids introducing a new tool before the team has a clear control process. The trade-off is that dates, signs, amounts, narrations, and voucher choices must all be transferred and checked by hand.
What a reviewed import changes
A conversion workflow can prepare transaction rows and an import file from a bank statement PDF. The operator still compares the result with the bank-issued source, resolves unclear ledger assignments, checks duplicates, and confirms the import in Tally. Extraction handles repetitive transcription; it does not decide whether a payment is a business expense, a loan movement, or a transfer between the client's own accounts.
See the complete statement-to-Tally workflow and the pre-import review checklist for those controls.
Compare the whole process
- Repeatability: Does the same account produce similar statement layouts each period?
- Review: Can someone compare all extracted rows with the original before export?
- Exceptions: Is there a clear way to pause uncertain transactions instead of guessing?
- Import fit: Does the generated file match the team's Tally version and company setup?
- Records: Can the source PDF, reviewed file, and final import be tied together?
Make the change based on evidence
If manual entry remains the better fit, document the checks that protect it. If you want to try an import, start with one representative statement, reconcile the result, and keep the current method available until the new process has passed review. A gradual change is safer than replacing a working routine on the strength of a single successful file.
Explore Doxify's review-first workflow if you want to compare a bank PDF conversion with your existing Tally process.