Australian traders using JournalPlus face a setup that differs from the default US-centric onboarding: multiple brokers with different CSV formats, two distinct markets (ASX and US international), and a July–June tax year that clashes with the default calendar-year view. This guide covers the exact steps to get your first trade imported correctly — whether you use CommSec, Stake, IG Australia, or Superhero.

Step 1: Set AUD as Your Default Currency

Before importing anything, configure your base currency. Go to Settings > Default Currency and select AUD. This is a one-time global setting that applies to all subsequent imports unless you override it at the file level.

This step matters because several Australian broker CSVs — notably CommSec — do not include a currency column. JournalPlus cannot infer the currency from the file, so without the AUD default already set, your CommSec trades will import as USD and every P&L figure will be wrong.

If you also trade US equities through Stake’s US platform, you will override the currency to USD for that specific CSV during import. The global default does not lock you in — it just prevents you from having to fix ASX trades after the fact.

Step 2: Export Your Trade History from Your Broker

Each broker has a different export path. Use the correct one for your platform:

CommSec (Australia’s largest retail broker, used by an estimated 1.5–2 million Australians): Navigate to Portfolio > Transactions > Download. Select your date range and export as CSV. CommSec brokerage appears as a separate line item — $10 or 0.12% for trades up to $1,000; $19.95 or 0.12% for trades between $1,000 and $10,000.

Stake: Stake has two separate exports — one for ASX trades and one for US equities. Export each independently from your account’s transaction history section. The US export will be in USD; the ASX export will need the AUD override in Step 3.

IG Australia: Go to My Account > Activity Statements and export as CSV. IG is ASIC-regulated (licence number 515106) and offers CFDs and forex — not direct share ownership. Keep this in mind for the next step.

Superhero: Navigate to Account > Transaction History and download the CSV. Superhero charges $5 flat per ASX stock trade and $0 for ETFs, so brokerage appears as a fixed $5 line item in every equity trade row.

Step 3: Import the CSV and Configure Instrument Type

Go to Import > CSV Upload in JournalPlus and upload your file. At this stage, two settings are critical:

Currency: For CommSec and Superhero ASX exports, confirm the currency is set to AUD. For Stake’s ASX CSV, override to AUD. For Stake’s US CSV and IG forex trades denominated in USD, leave it as USD.

Instrument type: For IG Australia users, select CFD as the instrument type before confirming the import. IG trades are contracts for difference — not equity purchases. If you leave the instrument type as the default equity setting, JournalPlus will calculate P&L as if you own shares, which produces incorrect results for leveraged CFD positions.

For a concrete example: a trader buys 200 shares of Commonwealth Bank (CBA) at AUD $115.40 via CommSec on 10 March 2026, paying $19.95 brokerage. After importing the CommSec CSV with AUD selected, the trade should display an entry price of $115.40 and a total cost of $23,099.95 (200 × $115.40 + $19.95). If those figures match the CommSec confirmation, the import is correct. The same trader then imports a Stake US CSV for 50 shares of AAPL at USD $198.20 — no currency change needed. Both trades appear on the same dashboard with JournalPlus displaying AUD and USD P&L side by side.

See the CSV upload integration guide for field mapping details if any columns fail to parse.

Step 4: Verify ASX Ticker Format

ASX tickers in JournalPlus use the bare format without the exchange suffix. Enter BHP, not BHP.AX. If your broker CSV includes the .AX suffix, edit the ticker column in the CSV before importing — a find-and-replace in any spreadsheet app handles this in seconds.

After import, click into your first ASX trade and confirm the ticker resolves correctly. If the symbol shows as unrecognised, the .AX suffix is the most likely cause. US tickers from Stake’s international platform (AAPL, TSLA, etc.) require no changes and will resolve automatically.

For more on how ASX trading journals work within JournalPlus, including market filter tagging, see the dedicated market page.

Step 5: Set Your Financial Year to July–June

The default reporting period in JournalPlus uses a January–December calendar year, which does not align with the Australian tax year. Go to Settings > Reporting Period and set the financial year to July 1 – June 30.

This change affects how JournalPlus calculates your YTD P&L, closed-trade summaries, and any analytics tied to the current reporting window. With the correct period set, your JournalPlus summary will match the format expected for ATO CGT reporting — including identifying trades held longer than 12 months, which qualify for the 50% CGT discount.

Once set, your YTD P&L on the dashboard reflects trades from July 1 onwards, consistent with what you would report to the ATO at tax time. See the Australia region guide for more on tax-aligned journaling practices.

Pro Tips

  • If you hold both ASX and US positions through Stake, label each import batch with a tag (e.g., “ASX” or “US”) immediately after import. Filtering by tag later is far faster than re-categorising hundreds of trades manually.
  • CommSec includes dividend reinvestment and cash transactions in the same export. Filter the CSV to rows with transaction type “Buy” or “Sell” before importing to avoid polluting your trade log with non-trade entries.
  • For IG Australia users trading multiple instruments (indices, forex, commodities), use the IG Markets integration page to understand how each asset class maps to JournalPlus instrument types before bulk-importing.
  • If you switch brokers during the financial year (common when moving from CommSec to Superhero for lower fees), import each broker’s CSV separately and tag by broker name. This lets you compare your performance and cost basis across platforms for the same reporting period.
  • CHESS-sponsored accounts (CommSec, Superhero) hold shares in your name — if you transfer holdings between CHESS-sponsored brokers, the cost basis carries over. Record the original purchase date and price in JournalPlus, not the transfer date, to preserve accurate CGT holding period data.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  1. Importing CommSec CSV without setting AUD first. CommSec exports do not include a currency column, so JournalPlus defaults to USD if no override is set. Every P&L figure becomes meaningless. Set AUD in Settings > Default Currency before your first import.

  2. Importing IG Australia trades as equities. IG trades are CFDs. Using the wrong instrument type causes JournalPlus to apply equity P&L logic to leveraged positions, producing results that bear no relation to your actual account movement. Always select CFD during the IG import step.

  3. Including .AX in ASX ticker symbols. This breaks symbol resolution in JournalPlus. Strip the suffix before importing — one find-and-replace in Excel or Google Sheets takes under 30 seconds.

  4. Leaving the reporting period at January–December. Your YTD figures will not match your ATO tax summary and you will have to manually calculate the July–June subset of your trades at tax time. Set the correct period once and never recalculate again.

  5. Mixing Stake ASX and US exports into a single import. Stake ASX trades are AUD; Stake US trades are USD. Combining them in one file with a single currency setting will mis-price half your positions. Always import the two CSVs separately.

How JournalPlus Helps

JournalPlus handles the multi-currency complexity that Australian traders deal with — AUD for ASX positions, USD for US equities — by letting you set the currency at both the global and per-import level, so mixed portfolios display accurately on a single dashboard. The tag filtering system lets you slice your journal by broker, market, or instrument type instantly, which matters when you are comparing CommSec ASX performance against Stake US performance across the same financial year. The reporting period setting ensures your analytics window aligns with the July–June ATO tax year rather than the calendar year, making end-of-financial-year P&L review a one-click export rather than a manual spreadsheet exercise. For traders managing CGT obligations across ASX and international positions, the tax-conscious trader workflow in JournalPlus is built around exactly this kind of multi-broker, multi-currency setup.

People Also Ask

Do I need to remove .AX from my ASX tickers before importing?

Yes. JournalPlus uses the bare ticker format — import BHP, not BHP.AX. If your CommSec or Superhero CSV includes the .AX suffix, remove it in the CSV before uploading or JournalPlus may fail to match the symbol.

Why is my IG Australia P&L wrong after import?

IG Australia trades are CFDs, not share purchases. If you import without selecting the CFD instrument type, JournalPlus treats them as equity trades and the P&L calculation will be incorrect. Re-import and select CFD during the import step.

Does setting AUD as my default currency affect my Stake US trades?

No. Each import lets you specify the currency for that batch. Stake's US equity CSV defaults to USD — leave the currency as USD when importing that file. Only the ASX CSV from Stake needs the AUD override.

How do I align my JournalPlus reports with my ATO tax return?

Go to Settings > Reporting Period and set the financial year to July 1 – June 30. This makes your YTD P&L and closed-trade summaries match the Australian tax year used for CGT calculations.

What is CHESS sponsorship and does it affect my import?

CHESS sponsorship means your shares are held in your own name (used by CommSec and Superhero), unlike custodial models. It does not affect the CSV import process — the trade data format is the same either way.

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