# How parsing works

> Which statements work, what to send, and how long and multi-account files are handled.

Section: Guides
Source: https://statementbear.com/docs/how-parsing-works
Product: StatementBear statement parsing API, $0.49 per document, 25 free.

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There is no supported bank list, no per-issuer template and nothing to configure before you start.

## Supported banks

All of them, as far as the API is concerned. Nothing is set up per institution, so there is no list to check your customers against.

- A statement from an issuer we have never seen parses like one we test against daily.
- A bank redesigning its statement does not break your integration.
- There is no queue to join and no per-institution work to schedule.
- UK, US and European statements are all in regular use.
- Business accounts, joint accounts and statements from closed accounts work the same way.

## What to send

- **The PDF the bank issued**, downloaded from online banking or emailed to your customer.
- **Not password protected.** Remove the password first.
- **A statement**, rather than a payslip, invoice, receipt or screenshot.
- **Up to 20MB.** A year of rows in one file is fine.

> **Scans are not supported**
>
> Amounts are read from the document's own text, so they are exact. A photograph or a flattened scan has no text to read and returns `422 not_a_bank_statement`. It is not charged.

## Long and multi-account statements

A file holding six months of rows, or four accounts, is one document at one price. Nothing is truncated to fit. If part of a long statement could not be read, `verification` says so. See [Accounts and periods](https://statementbear.com/docs/accounts-and-periods).

## Accuracy

Before a document is returned, the extraction is checked against the statement. Where the issuer prints an opening and a closing balance, the transactions have to account for the movement between them exactly. See [Verification](https://statementbear.com/docs/verification).

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All documentation: https://statementbear.com/docs/llms.txt
Questions: api@statementbear.com