Excel to CSV Date Format Guide

Quick Setup for Correct Date Export

Different Excel language settings can cause dates to export in formats like DD/MM/YYYY or MM/DD/YYYY, which may be misinterpreted. To ensure 100% accuracy when uploading to the PFIC Calculator, follow these 4 steps to standardize your dates to the international YYYY-MM-DD format.

Step 1: Select the Date Column

Click the column letter (e.g., Column A) at the very top of your Excel sheet.

This selects the entire column, ensuring that every singe transaction row gets formatted correctly.

Step 1: Select column

Step 2: Right-click and Format Cells

With the column still selected, right-click anywhere on the highlighted area.

From the context menu that appears, choose Format Cells....

Step 2: Format Cells

Step 3: Choose ISO Date Format (2012-03-14)

In the Format Cells window:

  1. Select Date from the Category list on the left.
  2. In the Type list on the right, scroll to find 2012-03-14 (YYYY-MM-DD).
  3. Click OK.
Note: 2012-03-14 is just Excel's sample date. Selecting this applies the YYYY-MM-DD format to your dates.
Step 3: Date Format

Step 4: Save as CSV (UTF-8)

Now that your dates are visually formatted as YYYY-MM-DD, go to File > Save As.

In the file type dropdown, select CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (*.csv).

This ensures that the saved file contains standard dates and supports all character sets.

Step 4: Save CSV