Baselane allows you to securely connect your external bank accounts and credit cards to manage your banking, bookkeeping, and rent collection all in one place.

We partner with Plaid, a trusted financial technology provider, to securely connect your financial accounts. Plaid-connected accounts offer the most functionality, including balance syncing, transaction importing, bookkeeping integration, and money movement.

In this article, we will cover:

• How to connect an external account using Plaid
• How to manage transaction imports
• How to connect an account manually
• Differences between Plaid and manually connected accounts
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Connect an External Account Securely with Plaid

To connect a bank account or credit card using Plaid:

1. Navigate to External Accounts.
2. Click Add External Account.
3. Select Add securely with Plaid.
4. Click Continue in the Plaid window.
5. Search and select your financial institution.
6. Enter your online banking credentials.
7. Complete any required verification steps.
8. Select the account(s) you would like to connect.
9. Click Continue to finish the connection.

Once connected, Baselane will securely retrieve account information from your financial institution.

Supported account types

You can connect:

• Checking accounts
• Savings accounts
• Credit cards
• Other supported financial accounts available through Plaid

Manage Transaction Import Settings

After successfully connecting your account, Baselane will prompt you to configure your transaction import preferences.

You can choose how transactions are imported for each connected account:

• Toggle transaction imports on or off while keeping the external account connected.
• Import all available transaction history (up to 24 months, when supported by your financial institution).
• Import transactions starting from a specific date.

Disable Transaction Imports

If you do not want Baselane to import any transactions:

• Disable Import transactions (toggle off).
• No transactions will be imported into Baselane for the connected account, but the account will remain connected to enable money movement between your external account and Baselane banking. 

Note: Disabling transaction imports will prevent transactions from appearing in Bookkeeping and Reports for that account.

Import All Available Transactions

To import the maximum transaction history available:

• Leave Import transactions enabled (toggle on).
• Select All – up to 24 months

The amount of historical transaction data available depends on your financial institution. Some banks may provide less than 24 months of history.

Import Transactions From a Specific Date

If you only want to import transactions beginning on a certain date:

• Leave Import transactions enabled.
• Select the dropdown menu next to the account.
• Click From a specific date.
• Choose your preferred start date.
• Click Apply.

Baselane will import transactions from the selected date forward.

Add an External Account Manually

You can manually add an account using your routing and account number.

To manually add an account:

• Navigate to External Accounts.
• Click Add External Account.
• Select Add manually.
• Enter the required account information.
• Click Add Account.

Note: Manually added external accounts cannot be used to fund a Baselane Banking account. To transfer funds into Baselane Banking, the account must be connected through Plaid.

For security purposes, account numbers are masked after the account is added and cannot be edited. If the account was added incorrectly, delete it and add it again.

Before deleting a manually added account, make sure it is not being used as the receiving account for Rent Collection. If it is, update the receiving account first to avoid interrupting future rent payments. Learn more here.

Plaid vs. Manual Connections

Baselane supports two methods for connecting external accounts.

Connect Securely with Plaid (Recommended)

Connecting through Plaid provides the most functionality.

Benefits include:

• Collect rent into the external account
• Add funds to Baselane Banking
• Transfer funds from Baselane Banking
• View account balances
• Import transactions for bookkeeping
• Enable reporting across all accounts

Connect Manually

Manual connections offer limited functionality and should be used only when Plaid is unavailable.

Benefits include:

• Collect rent into the external account
• Receive transfers from Baselane Banking

Limitations include:

• No balance syncing
• No transaction importing
• No bookkeeping integration
• Cannot transfer funds into Baselane Banking

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why should I connect through Plaid?

Plaid provides the most functionality, including balance syncing, transaction importing, bookkeeping integration, and money movement capabilities.

How much transaction history can Baselane import?

Plaid can import up to 24 months of transaction history when supported by your financial institution. Some banks may provide less historical data.

Can I choose how much transaction history to import?

Yes. During setup, you can choose to import all available transaction history, import transactions from a specific date, or disable transaction imports entirely.

Can I stop transactions from importing?

Yes. You can disable transaction imports for any connected account by toggling off Import transactions.

Can I reconnect an account if it becomes disconnected?

Yes. If a bank connection becomes disconnected, you can reconnect it from the External Accounts page.

Can manually connected accounts import transactions?

No. Transaction importing is only available for accounts connected securely through Plaid.