Secure Bank Statement Processing: PDF to CSV with Auto Cleanup

Sep 11, 2025·5 Minutes Read

What You'll Have When Done: A secure, webhook-triggered automation that receives bank statement PDFs, converts them to structured CSV format using PDF.co's advanced processing, and automatically saves them to Google Drive with proper cleanup - perfect for financial data processing, accounting workflows, and secure document management.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

A PDF.co API Key (Get yours here)
Google Drive OAuth2 credentials configured in n8n
An n8n instance (cloud or self-hosted)
A Google Drive folder for processed CSV files
Bank statement PDFs or similar financial documents
Basic understanding of webhook endpoints

Quick Start Options

Option A: I Want It Working Now

Import this workflow template → Download JSON File
Connect your Google Drive account in n8n
Add your PDF.co API key in the HTTP Request nodes
Update the Upload file node with your destination folder
Copy the webhook URL from the Webhook node
Test with a sample bank statement PDF via POST request
Activate and start processing

Option B: I Want to Build It Step-by-Step

Follow the 9-step guide below to create the secure automation from scratch.

What This Automation Does (Overview)

Receives PDF files securely via webhook endpoint
Uploads PDFs to PDF.co using presigned URLs for security
Converts bank statements and financial documents to structured CSV
Downloads processed CSV files automatically
Saves CSV files to designated Google Drive folder
Cleans up temporary files from PDF.co servers
Maintains data security throughout the entire process

Step-by-Step Build Guide

IN THIS TUTORIAL

Create Secure Webhook Endpoint

Get Secure Upload URL

Merge Data Streams

Upload PDF Securely

Convert PDF to CSV

Download Processed CSV

Save to Google Drive

Cleanup PDF Files

Cleanup CSV Files

Step 1: Create Secure Webhook Endpoint

Node: Webhook

Settings:

HTTP Method: POST
Path: Copy unique webhook path

What This Does: Creates a secure endpoint to receive PDF files for processing. The webhook accepts file uploads and triggers the entire conversion workflow.

Success Looks Like: The webhook returns a unique URL that you can use to POST PDF files for processing.

Step 2: Get Secure Upload URL

Node: HTTP Request → PDF.co File Upload

Settings:

Method: POST
URL: https://api.pdf.co/v1/file/upload/get-presigned-url
Headers:
- x-api-key: YOUR_PDFCO_API_KEY
Body Parameters:
- name: sample.pdf

What This Does: Requests a secure, presigned URL from PDF.co for uploading your PDF file. This approach ensures secure file transfer without exposing your API key in file URLs.

Success Looks Like: Returns a JSON response containing a presigned URL and a file URL for secure file transfer.

You can learn more about secure file uploads in the PDF.co API Docs.

Step 3: Merge Data Streams

Node: Merge

Settings:

Mode: Combine
Combine By: All Possible Combination

What This Does: Combines the original webhook data (containing the PDF file) with the presigned URL data, ensuring both pieces of information are available for the upload step.

Success Looks Like: Output contains both the PDF file data and the secure upload URL information.

Step 4: Upload PDF Securely

Node: HTTP Request → PDF.co File Upload

Settings:

Method: PUT
URL: ={{ $json.presignedUrl }}
Body Content Type: Form-Data
Body Parameters:
- Parameter Type: n8n Binary File
- Name: file
- Input Data Field Name: data

What This Does: Securely uploads the PDF file to PDF.co's servers using the presigned URL. This method ensures secure transfer without exposing sensitive data.

Success Looks Like: Successful upload confirmation, making the PDF available for processing on PDF.co servers.

Step 5: Convert PDF to CSV

Node: PDF.co API → Convert from PDF

Settings:

URL: ={{ $('GET - HTTP Request').item.json.url }}
Convert Type: PDF to CSV
Advanced Options → Inline: False

What This Does: Processes the uploaded PDF and converts it to structured CSV format.

Success Looks Like: PDF.co returns a download URL for the processed CSV file containing your structured bank statement data.

You can learn more about PDF to CSV conversion at the API Docs.

Step 6: Download Processed CSV

Node: HTTP Request

Settings:

Method: GET
URL: ={{ $json.url }}
Response Format: File
Put Output in Field: data

What This Does: Downloads the converted CSV file from PDF.co's servers in binary format, ready for storage or further processing.

Success Looks Like: HTTP Request returns the CSV file data, containing your structured bank statement information.

Step 7: Save to Google Drive

Node: Google Drive → Upload File

Settings:

Input Data Field Name: data
Parent Drive: My Drive
Parent Folder: Select your destination folder for CSV files

What This Does: Uploads the processed CSV file to your designated Google Drive folder, making it immediately available for analysis, sharing, or import into accounting software.

Success Looks Like: The CSV file appears in your Google Drive folder with bank statement data properly structured and ready for use.

Step 8: Cleanup PDF Files

Node: HTTP Request → PDF.co Delete File

Settings:

Method: POST
URL: https://api.pdf.co/v1/file/delete
Headers:
- x-api-key: YOUR_PDFCO_API_KEY
Body Parameters:
- url: ={{ $('GET - HTTP Request').item.json.url }}

What This Does: Securely deletes the PDF file from PDF.co's servers.

Success Looks Like: Confirmation that temporary files have been deleted, completing the secure processing cycle.

You can learn more about Delete Temporary Files at the API Docs.

Step 9: Cleanup CSV Files

Node: HTTP Request → PDF.co Delete File

Settings:

Method: POST
URL: https://api.pdf.co/v1/file/delete
Headers:
- x-api-key: YOUR_PDFCO_API_KEY
Body Parameters:
- url: ={{ $('PDFco Api').item.json.url }}

What This Does: Securely deletes the temporary CSV file from PDF.co's servers after successful upload to Google Drive, ensuring no sensitive financial data remains on external servers.

Success Looks Like: Confirmation that temporary files have been deleted, completing the secure processing cycle.

Congrats! You've created a secure, automated system for processing bank statements and financial PDFs. Your workflow now handles file uploads, conversion, storage, and comprehensive cleanup automatically while maintaining high security standards for sensitive financial data.

Built something cool with this workflow? Share it with us @pdfdotco