How to import CSV file where dividends are spread across two rows #7548
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My brokerage offers automatic reinvestment of dividends, for free!!! But that means the CSV file I get from them splits the dividend onto two rows: the cash part and reinvestment portion. So if the dividend was $20 and shares were trading at $8 each then the two lines would be:
How would you import this into Ghostfolio? Specifically how can I minimize the amount manual massaging of the import file I have to do but still get an accurate picture of my portfolio's returns, income, growth, etc? Thanks |
Replies: 1 comment 2 replies
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I would normalize each reinvestment pair before importing it. Ghostfolio does not currently have a dedicated DRIP activity type, so for the metrics you mentioned the closest representation is a full Date,Code,DataSource,Currency,Price,Quantity,Action,Fee,Note
2026-08-06,XYZ,YAHOO,USD,20,1,dividend,0,Gross dividend
2026-08-06,XYZ,YAHOO,USD,0,2,buy,0,DRIP sharesThe zero on the Ghostfolio calculates the dividend amount as There is one trade-off: the zero-price purchase will not preserve the tax cost basis or average purchase price. Ghostfolio's current model cannot represent both DRIP performance and tax basis perfectly. If tax basis matters more, keep the real $8 purchase price and accept that invested capital/performance will be affected. For preprocessing, the rule can be as small as: Then emit the gross dividend row and retain the purchase quantity with price zero. If you also track brokerage cash in Ghostfolio, add the unreinvested $4 to that account's cash balance. |
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So the short answer is I have to massage the CSV file from my broker before importing it, there's no easy way to do this. What I did to try it was I added the value of the purchased shares to the dividend and then bought the shares at their stated value. So dividend of $20, and then buy 2 x $8 = $16. This way my cash is correct, my cost is correct, and my holdings are correct. But my fingers are exhausted! |
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@schultzter Yeah, unfortunately that's basically the current limitation; you need to preprocess the broker CSV before importing it. There's no built-in DRIP transformation that will automatically combine those two rows today. Your approach of recording the full $20 dividend and then the 2 × $8 purchase is probably the better choice if preserving cash, holdings, and cost basis matters to you. If that answers the original question, feel free to mark the answer as accepted so the discussion shows as answered for anyone else running into the same DRIP import issue. |
@schultzter Yeah, unfortunately that's basically the current limitation; you need to preprocess the broker CSV before importing it. There's no built-in DRIP transformation that will automatically combine those two rows today.
Your approach of recording the full $20 dividend and then the 2 × $8 purchase is probably the better choice if preserving cash, holdings, and cost basis matters to you.
If that answers the original question, feel free to mark the answer as accepted so the discussion shows as answered for anyone else running into the same DRIP import issue.