Over 60% of accounting firms have already implemented or are planning to implement RPA (Robotic Process Automation) in their operations. The RPA market is projected to grow from $35.27 billion in 2026 to $247.34 billion by 2035.
Meanwhile, your Beancount importer scripts do the same thing for $0. Here is how to build a personal automation stack with Python.
What RPA Bots Actually Do
RPA is transforming finance departments by automating repetitive tasks such as invoice processing, financial reporting, and reconciliation. It drives cost savings by reducing labor costs and eliminating manual tasks.
The key insight: these are the same tasks your Python scripts can handle.
My Personal Automation Stack
~/finances/
importers/
chase_checking.py
amex_credit.py
wise_multicurrency.py
paypal.py
scripts/
daily_import.sh
weekly_reconcile.py
monthly_report.py
cron.d/
finance_automation
A Basic Importer Example
#!/usr/bin/env python3
# chase_checking.py - Import Chase bank transactions
import csv
from beancount.core import data, amount
from beancount.core.number import D
from datetime import datetime
class ChaseCheckingImporter:
def __init__(self, account, lastfour):
self.account = account
self.lastfour = lastfour
def identify(self, file):
return file.name.endswith('.csv') and 'Chase' in file.head()
def extract(self, file):
entries = []
with open(file.name, 'r') as f:
reader = csv.DictReader(f)
for row in reader:
date = datetime.strptime(row['Date'], '%m/%d/%Y').date()
amt = amount.Amount(D(row['Amount']), 'USD')
narration = row['Description']
txn = data.Transaction(
meta={'filename': file.name, 'lineno': reader.line_num},
date=date,
flag='!', # Needs review
payee=None,
narration=narration,
tags=set(),
links=set(),
postings=[
data.Posting(self.account, amt, None, None, None, None),
]
)
entries.append(txn)
return entries
Automation via Cron
#!/bin/bash
# daily_import.sh - Run every morning at 7am
cd ~/finances
# Download statements (if your bank supports it)
# plaid-download --account=chase --days=7 > downloads/chase_$(date +%Y%m%d).csv
# Run bean-extract on new files
for file in downloads/*.csv; do
bean-extract config.py "$file" >> imported/$(date +%Y%m).beancount
done
# Send summary email
bean-query main.beancount "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM flag='!'" | mail -s "Transactions to review" [email protected]
Cost Comparison
Enterprise RPA: $10,000+ per year for basic accounting automation
Your Beancount Stack:
- Python: Free
- bean-extract: Free
- Your time to set up: 4-8 hours once
- Maintenance: 30 minutes per month
What Automation Cannot Do
RPA cannot replace judgment. I still manually review:
- Transactions over $500
- Anything flagged as unusual
- Category assignments that seem wrong
- Split transactions
Questions
- What is your most valuable importer script?
- How do you handle banks that do not offer CSV exports?
- Anyone using Plaid or similar for automatic downloads?