# Check Images in PDF Bank Statements: Keep or Skip - Author: SimpleBankConvert (https://www.simplebankconvert.com) - Published: 2025-11-28 - Updated: 2025-11-28 - Category: PDF bank statements - Canonical: https://www.simplebankconvert.com/blog/check-images-in-pdf-bank-statements > What to do with check images in PDF bank statements when converting for QuickBooks: why the image pages hold no new rows and where check numbers come from. Check images in PDF bank statements are pictures of checks that already appear as rows in the transaction list, so skip them when converting for QuickBooks and keep them in the original PDF. The check number, date and amount for each one come from the statement's transaction or checks-paid list, not from the pictures at the back. ## Why does my PDF bank statement include pages of check images? Image pages appear because the account has a check image option switched on, either by default or because someone chose it. Many banks no longer send paid checks back with the statement, and a statement image takes their place: a small picture of each check that cleared during the period, printed after the transaction pages. Bank terms describe this in plain words. The [U.S. Bank deposit account agreement](https://www.usbank.com/content/dam/usbank/documents/pdf/Deposit-Account-Agreement.pdf) offers two plans for some checking accounts: one where the statement shows only each check's number, amount and paid date, and one that adds a reduced image of the check. The [Wells Fargo deposit account agreement](https://www.wellsfargo.com/assets/pdf/small-business/agreement.pdf) describes a check image service that puts images of paid checks on the statement, with copies otherwise available online, by phone or at a branch. So if one month's statement has image pages and another does not, look at which checks cleared, and whether the account's statement options changed in between. A month with no paid checks has nothing to show. ## Do check image pages add rows to the QuickBooks file? No. Every check pictured on the image pages is already a withdrawal in the statement's activity list, with its amount and date. Converting the pictures as well would put each check into your books twice and pull the balance down by the total of all checks shown. A quick count protects you from that mistake. Count the checks listed in the activity or checks-paid section, then count the pictures on the image pages. The two numbers should match. If there are more pictures than listed checks, look for deposited checks: some statements also show images of checks you paid in, and those relate to deposits already in the list. Converters can stumble on these pages in a different way. An image page has no transaction table, so a tool that expects one may report the page as unreadable. That message is harmless when the page is all check pictures. If you are building the table yourself, [converting a PDF to QBO manually with a spreadsheet](/blog/convert-pdf-to-qbo-manually) shows where to stop copying, and the image pages fall after that point. SimpleBankConvert is being built to read the layout of a statement and tell you when a statement can't be read cleanly, rather than hand you a file with mistakes in it. It is in early access, and the [homepage](/) shows what the output looks like. ## Where check numbers come from when converting the statement The check number for each row comes from the activity list or a checks-paid section, where the bank prints it beside the amount and the paid date. That printed number is the one to carry into your file. The tiny number on a check picture is the same figure, harder to read and easier to get wrong. Put the number where your import format expects it. A QBO file has its own check number field. In a three-column CSV, add it to the description, for example "Check 3058", so it survives the upload and QuickBooks can show it beside the payment. The guide to [converting a PDF to QBO](/blog/convert-pdf-to-qbo) covers how the rest of each row is cleaned up. A few details are worth knowing: - **Paid date, not written date.** The statement shows when the check cleared. Keep that date in the file. - **Gaps in the sequence.** A missing number usually means the check has not cleared yet, or was voided. It is not a row you forgot. - **Checks listed across the page.** Some statements print two or three checks per line to save space. Each number, date and amount set is a separate row. ## Keeping the check image pages after the conversion Keep the image pages inside the original PDF. Do not delete them to make conversion tidier. The pictures show the payee, the signature and the endorsement, which the transaction rows never carry, and that is the evidence you need if a check is disputed or someone asks who received a payment. Keeping the statement whole also keeps the file honest. A statement PDF with pages removed is no longer the document the bank produced. If you want a lighter file to work from, save a working copy without the image pages and keep the full original untouched. [Why to keep PDF bank statements after importing](/blog/keep-pdf-bank-statements-after-importing) covers how long to hold on to them and how to file them. Here is a checklist for any statement with check images: 1. Note how many pages hold transactions and how many hold images. 2. Count the checks in the activity list and the pictures on the image pages. 3. Convert only the transaction pages. 4. Copy each check number from the list into the file. 5. Note any check where the picture shows a payee you need, as covered below. 6. Store the full original PDF, image pages included. ## Check images that show a payee the statement line lacks A check row on a statement often says only "Check" and a number. The picture is the one place the payee's name appears on the statement, so it is worth using when you categorise. Read the name from the image and enter it in QuickBooks when you review the imported line, not in the import file. Keep the import file as the bank printed it, with the check number in the description. Then, while you review the new line in QuickBooks, add the payee and pick the expense account. That way the file still matches the statement exactly, and your added details sit where they belong. If you are entering many checks with their payees and categories at once, a spreadsheet import can be faster than reviewing each one. [Importing expenses into QuickBooks Online from Excel](/blog/import-expenses-into-quickbooks-online-from-excel) explains that route, though it suits checks that are not already coming in through a bank upload. Use one route per check, never both, or the payment lands twice. When an image is too small or blurred to read, do not guess the payee. Look at your own check register, or download a larger copy of the check from online banking.