Importing from CommSec

This guide walks you through exporting your trade history from CommSec and importing it into TrackMyShares to generate tax reports.

Step 1: Download your transaction history from CommSec

Domestic (ASX) trades

1. Log in to CommSec on a desktop browser
2. Go to Portfolio > Accounts > Transactions
3. Select your account and set a date range (up to 12 months at a time)
4. Click Search to display your transactions
5. Download the results as CSV

Tip: If you need more than 12 months of history, you'll need to download multiple files covering different date ranges and combine them.

International trades

1. Log in to CommSec and select International
2. Go to Performance & Reports > Statements > Activity
3. Download the activity CSV

Note that CommSec International generates one activity CSV per month. You may need to download and combine multiple files.

Step 2: Prepare the CSV for TrackMyShares

TrackMyShares expects these columns for portfolio transaction imports:

Required columns

Column	Description	Example
Symbol	Stock ticker	CBA
Market	Exchange or market	AUS, US
Type	Transaction type	BUY, SELL, DIVIDEND
Quantity	Number of shares	100
Price	Price per share	110.50
Date	Transaction date	2024-01-15

Optional columns

Column	Description	Example
Fees	Brokerage or commission	19.95
Withholding Tax	Tax withheld at source	15.00
Franking Credits	Australian franking credits	0.32
Amount	Total transaction amount	250.00
Notes	Additional notes	Quarterly buy
External ID	Broker trade reference	12345

Formatting CommSec data

CommSec's CSV may use column names like "Code", "Transaction Type", "Consideration", and "Brokerage". TrackMyShares auto-detects common aliases, but you may need to adjust some columns:

• Symbol: CommSec uses "Code" or "Stock Code" — both are auto-detected
• Market: CommSec doesn't include a market column. If all your trades are on the same exchange, set the market value in the column mapping UI during import (e.g., AUS for ASX trades). If you have a mix of ASX and international trades, add a Market column to the CSV with AUS or US per row
• Type: CommSec may use "B" for buy and "S" for sell — both are auto-detected
• Fees: CommSec uses "Brokerage" — this is auto-detected
• Numbers: Currency symbols ($), commas, and quotes are automatically stripped

Example formatted CSV

Symbol,Market,Type,Date,Quantity,Price,Fees
CBA,AUS,BUY,2024-01-15,100,110.50,19.95
BHP,AUS,BUY,2024-02-20,200,45.00,19.95
CBA,AUS,SELL,2024-06-10,50,115.00,19.95
CBA,AUS,DIVIDEND,2024-04-15,100,2.10,0

Step 3: Import into TrackMyShares

1. Open your transaction-based portfolio in TrackMyShares
2. Click Import > Import portfolio transactions
3. Upload your CSV or XLSX file
4. Review the column mapping — adjust any columns that weren't auto-detected
5. If prompted, select the correct date format
6. Review the preview — check for any validation errors or warnings
7. Click Import transactions

Note: If you don't have a transaction-based portfolio yet, create one first. Transaction-based portfolios are available on the Pro plan and are required for tax report generation.

Step 4: Generate your tax report

Once your transactions are imported:

1. Open your portfolio
2. Click Tax report in the portfolio menu
3. Select the financial year
4. Review your capital gains, losses, and dividend income

The tax report calculates your capital gains using the FIFO method (first in, first out) and applies the CGT discount where applicable.

Troubleshooting

Sell before buy error

Ideally, import your full transaction history so that every buy is recorded before any corresponding sell.

If importing your full history isn't possible, you can import the previous year's portfolio valuation first. This creates a TRANSFER_IN for each holding, establishing an opening balance. Then import the current year's transactions on top of that.

This approach gives you what you need for a tax report, but there's one caveat: the portfolio valuation import records transfer-in dates as the date of the import, not the original purchase date. This means shares held for over 12 months may appear as short-term holdings rather than long-term, which affects the CGT discount.

To fix this, go to the affected holding, click the transactions icon, and edit the transfer-in transaction date to reflect when the shares were originally purchased.

Multiple files

If you had to download separate files for different date ranges, import them one at a time in chronological order. Exact duplicate transactions are skipped automatically.

Next steps

After importing your transactions, explore these features:

• Generate tax reports for EOFY with capital gains and dividend income
• Track dividends with franking credits and yield calculations
• Calculate CGT for individual transactions