> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://now-8.gitbook.io/now.-features/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://now-8.gitbook.io/now.-features/getting-started/connecting-your-bank.md). # Connecting Your Bank now. connects to your bank accounts securely through **Plaid**, a trusted financial data provider used by thousands of apps. Your bank login credentials are never stored by now. #### How It Works When you connect a bank, now. uses Plaid to establish a secure link between your financial institution and the app. Once connected, your transactions are imported automatically and kept up to date. now. supports checking accounts, savings accounts, and credit cards. #### Connecting Your First Account 1. From the **Transactions** tab, tap the **Add New** card. (You can also start the connection from **Settings → Add New**.) 2. Search for your bank or financial institution in the Plaid screen. 3. Log in with your bank credentials. 4. Select which accounts you want to connect. You can pick multiple at once. #### Setting a Transaction Start Date After you select your accounts, now. asks you to set a **transaction start date** for each one. This controls how far back your transactions are imported. * The default is **January 1 of the current year**. * You can pick any date up to today. * Each account can have a different start date. Pick a date that matches when you want your bookkeeping in now. to begin. Transactions before that date will not be imported. #### What Happens After Connecting Once your bank is connected, several things happen automatically: 1. **Transactions import.** All transactions from your start date forward are pulled in. 2. **Plaid begins a historical load.** Banks deliver recent activity quickly, but older transactions arrive in waves. now. tracks this in the background. 3. **AI categorization runs.** now. reviews the imported transactions and categorizes the ones it's confident about. The rest land in **Needs Review** for you to handle. 4. **Opening Balance Equity is recorded.** Once Plaid finishes the historical load, now. creates an **Opening Balance Equity** journal entry for each connected account so your starting balances are correct. Your transactions show up on the Transactions screen as they arrive. #### The Historical Load Period When you connect a new bank, Plaid begins pulling your full transaction history. This usually completes within minutes but can take longer for accounts with years of history. While the historical load is running: * **Transactions** continue to import and you can categorize them as usual. * **Reconcile** is disabled for the affected accounts. You'll see "Historical load in progress. Reconcile after completion." Reconciling before all historical data has arrived would be incomplete. * **Close Books** is disabled for the same reason. Closing a period before all transactions arrive would lock incorrect totals. If the load hasn't finished within 24 hours, now. unblocks Reconcile and Close Books anyway so you aren't stuck. In that case, double-check that all expected transactions are present before reconciling or closing. #### Connecting Multiple Accounts You can connect as many bank accounts and credit cards as you need. Each connection runs through the same Plaid flow. Add new accounts anytime from **Settings → Add New**. After connecting, your accounts appear as swipeable cards at the top of the **Transactions** and **Reconcile** screens. #### Reconnecting an Account Bank connections occasionally expire — usually because your bank requires you to re-authenticate. When this happens: 1. Go to **Settings**. 2. Find the disconnected card. 3. Tap to reconnect through Plaid. Reconnecting restores the same connection. Your existing transactions and categorizations are preserved. #### Disconnected Accounts If a connection drops, transactions from that account are temporarily hidden from your Transactions list. They are not deleted — reconnecting brings everything back. #### Important * An active subscription is required to sync with your bank. * now. never stores your bank login credentials. All authentication is handled by Plaid. * You can disconnect or remove accounts at any time. * Only **posted** transactions are imported. Pending transactions don't appear in now. until they post. #### Next Step Once your bank is connected and transactions are flowing in, head to the Transactions screen to start reviewing and categorizing. #### Related * Transactions * AI Auto-Categorization * Reconcile * Close Books --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. 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